May 2019 Character Development Program, Self Discipline

At the start of every karate class, students recite four student creeds each talking about a different principle to work on and get better at. Student Creed two states “I will develop self discipline, in order to bring out the best in myself and others”. This month we are discussing self discipline and reminding students to use it all the time, everywhere. 

We can all use self discipline at home, at school, in a sport, at the gym or in karate, to accomplish goals and continue getting better. Examples of self discipline at home that we’ve been sharing and hearing about from our younger students is picking up toys without being told to by a parent. For older kids, they may focus on keeping their room clean or doing their homework. For teenagers and adults, they might set a goal to wake up on time or stick to a regular exercise plan. We are asking students to think of one thing they can use self discipline on and share it with us in class. 

As karate students, we need to be using self discipline in every class, staying focused on what we’re doing, working our hardest during every activity we do including pushups, self defense or forms practice. If students are always doing their best and working their hardest without being reminded by the instructor, they will be developing the tools to someday test for their black belt. With this in mind, each individual student gets better and better while inspiring the people around them. Like student creed 2 says, we want to bring out the best in ourself and others, so we can keep using self discipline to do so!