If you have ever had a dream that you wanted to accomplish but you ended up failing, then you know how important it is to stay focused for a long period of time. The problem with most people is that they set a goal and then they let it go because “life gets in the way.” If you are serious about increasing your focus and determination to succeed, then here are several things that can help you get started.

Determine Your Goal to Stay Focused on

The first step is to determine what your focus goal is and then convince your mind that you will succeed. Most people tend to forget to even set a goal and would make something like “be successful” as their dream. However, you need to be very specific about your goal so that you can create a plan and then follow it. If you are able to establish what your goal is, you will then need to make smaller goals for the month.

Make Monthly Goals

In order to reach your focus goal, you need to make smaller, more focused goals on a monthly basis. You can even make this even more specific by making daily focused goals as well. All of these small successes will eventually lead to you finally reaching what you want. This is a great way to stay positive because people will often quit their dreams because they are not able to feel like they are making any improvements. However, when you make small goals and then achieve them, the process becomes fun and exciting.

Always Surround Yourself With Supportive People

The people you are around will always have a big impact on your success in life. The trick is to make sure that the people around you will be supportive of your goal. All of this positive energy will help you to stay in the right mindset to be able to succeed. The big mistake that people make is that they surround themselves with people that go against what they want and this can really take a toll on you. When you have the right people around you, being able to stay focused becomes easier than ever.

Time Management Is Crucial to Strong Focus

The most important thing to achieve these small focus goals is to be a master at time management. Since you only have 24 hours in a day to achieve your goals, you need to use them wisely. This means that you need to figure out a plan that will help you do something everyday to help you stay focused on your goal. However, most people mess up when it comes to time management because they just don’t have a plan or the right tools to stay focused. In order to reach your goal, you need to have a plan and in order to make that plan work, you must perfect time management.

If you haven’t yet found the best tool to help you stay focused, then check out the Ultimate Information Manager. This tool will help you find that extra hour per day that will let you stay focused easier than ever before, even if you’ve tried all the time management courses with dismal results.

Write Your Plans and Focus Goals Down

Writing your focus goals and plans down will have a huge affect on how your mind will stay focused. When you look at your notebook and you see that there is a list of things that you need to do, then you will work harder to reach them because you feel like it already has been planned. However, when you just “go with the flow,” then you won’t be able to go with a direct plan to stay focused on. You want your mind to know what you need to do on a daily basis and then stay focused on that one thing. When you write your plans down, you will be more than likely to stick to them and complete the task.

Your results will not come instantly but you will see improvements everyday. The important thing is to stay focused on long term success and not just trying to make quick changes in your life. When you focus on long term success, then you can really start making the real changes needed to live happier.

These tips may seem very basic but they will make a big difference in your life. Be patient and make sure you keep these things in mind the next time you have a goal that you want to be able achieve.

What goals and dreams are you having trouble staying focused on?

Drop a comment below and we will have a great conversation and get better together!

The post 5 Tips To Help You Stay Focused On Your Dream appeared first on Samurai Innovation.

Recently, we worked on a Dojo Member training video called the Samurai Value Matrix.  We developed the Samurai Value Matrix tool that you’ll find at the bottom of the page. Our Samurai Value Matrix can really help you think about and expand the value propositions for you and your customers. The value matrix will help you think about how you go about the business of creating massive value at little to no cost.

How to profit from a mistake?

We were going to scrap the video production and then start over.  You too may have tendencies to do the same.  This is a perfectionist mind set.  Don’t fall prey to it.  Now, if I were charging for this training, I would have remade the video.  Since you can still take away massive value here, I was urged by my colleagues to show the video.

Let me know your thoughts at the bottom of the page and share a comment.

What projects are you waiting for perfection to release your innovation project to the marketplace?

Innovation Video Disclaimer:

The video you are about to watch has great content to help you in your quest to add value and create innovation in your life and business. There are points in the video with some pixels creating a sparkle type effect.  If you can ignore this, then devour the content to your benefit!

Don’t miss the 500% Story in the video

Click on the Samurai Value Matrix below to download your PDF copy:

The post When Innovation Goes Sideways appeared first on Samurai Innovation.

Yes a strong title today because I feel strongly about how your to-do list is often your master versus being your servant. Today we want to reverse the roles and help you put the to-do list in check and start getting 100% more things done this week than last week.

Regardless of whatever system you use such as Outlook, Google Calendar, iCal, they all create a dumping ground for your tasks. You often dump in hundreds of tasks into the to-do list without much thought. This process is not true planning because it causes the user to pile or dump in a ton of stuff and then later be hit with how to filter or sort through the mammoth size of tasks.

Extreme Overwhelm is what you’re left with.  Extreme overwhelm is the killer of activity and action. Without the right activity and action, your dreams will never become real.

3 Critical To-do List Categories:

1. The Primary To-do List

2. The Weekly To-do List

3. The Daily To-do List

The Primary to-do list is the dumping ground for every single thing you can think of.  From the Primary, you move the most critical tasks for the Week that will help you advance your agenda and goals. Then each day, you move the 3-5 essential priorities (tasks) from the Weekly to the Daily.

While you may already know this, do you do this?

Simple adjustments in your ways can make all the difference in getting to where you want to be.

POINTS TO CLARITY

Go through this 2 minute process when you are looking at the Primary, Weekly or Daily to-do list. Chances are you will cut out a ton of things that aren’t serving you but are taking up valuable real estate in your brain!

1. What are my highest priorities?

2. What is on this list that only I can do and do the best?

3. What can I outsource or delegate?

4. What can I store on my master list?

5. What can I dump & forget about forever?

Click on the 5 Minute Clarity report above
to open and print your copy today!

The post Your To-do List is Killing You appeared first on Samurai Innovation.

How great or outstanding is the service that you provide and deliver to your customers or the people you serve?

How great a job does your organization serve your community?

Do the people you work with and the people that work for you deliver outstanding value and service each day?

Recently I had the privilege of attending a trade show. I was actually working the trade show as an exhibitor and it was awesome. If you’ve ever worked a trade show, you know how it is. They cram you in this little tiny 8×8 booth. There’s four massive spotlights shining all over you. You’re hot and you’re talking all day long. You’re meeting people. It’s exhausting but it’s energetic at the same time.

The people that attended this show were part of a local hospitality association. I spent 15 years in the hospitality industry. I met a lot of people that I’ve known for years. These people are pros. A lot of these people have worked in the business for fifteen, twenty, thirty and forty years. They own multiple properties. They provide outstanding service in each of their properties.

Bartender #1 – Outstanding Service

As it goes, I was working the show, got a little tired and thirsty. I went over to the beverage area. I met Bartender #1. I walked up and I asked him, “Sir, can I have a glass of club soda?” He said, “You sure can, but you need a ticket.” I said, “Ah, okay. Where’s the ticket booth?” He said, “Well, it’s way down the hall and it’s way over there, but you know what…club soda?” He turns away, he grabs a glass of club soda, pours me a glass, and hands it to me.

I said, “Okay, what do I owe you? I have to get some tickets.” He goes, “No, no. Hold on.” And he turns away and he whistles and he turns back to me smiling as he was expecting me to be gone and I said, “Well, thank you very much,” and off I went. He said, “No problem. You’re our guest.” I thought that’s interesting.

Outstanding Service by Bartender #2

I walked away and went back to the trade show floor. The next day again the same thing. I come down the way and I was looking for the people working at the beverage ticket booth. I found them. Nobody was there; they must have been on a break or something.

So I walked up to Bartender #2 and I said, “Look, I’m trying to buy some tickets. Can I pay you cash? I just need an orange juice for my friend and a club soda for my self.” He said, “Are you working today?” I said, “Yes, I’m an exhibitor in the trade show.” He says, “You know what? You’re working, I’m working. You’re our guest, we really value that, so here you go.” Bartender #2 gives me the orange juice along with the club soda.

The word that kept coming out was “value” and “guest.”

We value you as our guest. Everywhere at the Fairmont Lake Louise, the people there were outstanding. Whether I was at the deli, the coffee shop, a restaurant, a lounge, the people there and the bartenders were outstanding. They deliver great service. They get how to value a guest.

I was at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, it’s in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. If you ever have a chance to get there, I really encourage you to go there.

Watch the Guest Service Story video with a little snippet at the end that shows the breathtaking views that you can look forward to experiencing.

Now back to the word “value”

How did this service make me feel?

How did Bartender #1 and Bartender #2 make me feel?

The drink tickets were $5.50 each, so it’s $11. I felt excellent in saving $11 on two different occasions, but even more, I felt well-cared for by the people at Fairmont Lake Louise. When I think about it a little more and I drill down deeper into it, they provide outstanding service and that made me feel exceptional.

How does outstanding service relate to you and your business?

Do you give your people permission to give away a few free drinks once in awhile?

I really want to encourage you to think about what is the equivalent of a free drink for you and your business. Maybe it’s a product sample or maybe it’s an unexpected service that the client or customer didn’t ask for it. Maybe it’s performing a minor service for them and writing “no charge” on the invoice when they receive that.

How do you encourage exceptional guest service?

Now, the word that you might not be familiar with is the word “guest.” In the hospitality industry we use the terminology “guest” because we believe that whether you have a restaurant, a buffet line, a movie theater, an entertainment complex, a hotel, that person is your guest. They are under your care and attention for the time that you are working with them. Walt Disney talks about every person coming through his gate as a guest.

How you can transform this idea of guest service in your business?

Think of three new ways that you can change the word “customer service” to “guest service”. Think of three new ways that you and your people can add value to the people you serve. I encourage you to share at the bottom of this page some comments.

Tell me, how do you add value to your customers and your clients?

How do ensure that that value is noticed and recognized in your business?

I’d like to talk with you about that and I’d like to have a good conversation with you in the comments below.

I know over two-thirds of our people in our Samurai Innovation dojo are business owners. Our other members are professional people in their organization and they’re working hard to provide outstanding value and service in their business.

Enjoy the breathtaking view of Lake Louise and all of its frozen, winter glory. It’s magnificent. If you ever have a chance to go there, I highly recommend it. When I was there and I was shooting the quick video and I was thinking about this article for you.

I couldn’t help but think about the focus and it was the focal point of Lake Louise and I think every business needs a focal point and when you’re thinking about providing outstanding service.

The post Outstanding Service appeared first on Samurai Innovation.

Consequence of Being Too Focused

Did the title cause you a negative or positive first feeling?

Consequence is both negative and positive. The same holds true for your level of focus. Having no focus will leave you aimless, restless, and despondent at times. Being too focused for long periods of time has its downside.

Knowing when you need to be too focused is a critical point to leveraging your focus.  We all have times in business and life that requires a push past normal in order to achieve something significant. Being clear on this will allow you to reap the rewards of focus.

When I was training for my Sandan (3rd Degree Black Belt) test, I was too focused. My sole focus was getting to the dojo 4 times per week over a 4 month span leading to the test. I had to become comfortable saying no to social events, extra work opportunities and letting a few paper stacks develop in the office.

My Focus Was Simple:

• Sleep
• Nutrition
• Work
• Aikido training
• Family time

The payoff to being too focused was tremendous. I achieved a worthy goal at the culmination of 19 years of effort.  The consequence of this focus was that it took me a couple of weeks to pick up the pieces of other areas of my life that I put on the back burner to simmer.

Luckily I was able to use a few specific tools such as the Ultimate Information Manager to regain control of my simmering projects with relative ease.

How about you?

POINTS TO CLARITY

1. What one opportunity or essential priority could you achieve with a short time of being too focused?

2. When do you want to achieve this by?

3. In order to achieve this and be too focused, you will need to simplify your choices. Identify key choices you will be committed to during this period of high, intense focus:

4. Is the price of achieving this essential priority worth letting a few other priorities and projects simmer?

      Yes or No

·         If Yes, get going now and become too focused on your end goal. 

·         If No, stop and use the decisions and actions area of the worksheet to evaluate your next step.

Click on the 5 Minute Clarity report above
to open and print your copy today! 

The post Consequence of Being Too Focused appeared first on Samurai Innovation.

The word of the day is Value.  Value is often overlooked in today’s business service delivery.  We often think of delivering value through the end use product, but I will share with you how two amazing bartenders demonstrated excellence while delivering value to their guest (me).  Check out the video below and don’t miss the stunning views of a special location within the Canadian Rocky Mountains!

Below is the summer view from my special location.  The end of our Samurai Innovation video above shows the winter view for you!

The post Is Your Service This Good? appeared first on Samurai Innovation.

When workplace productivity levels fall, upper management begins to scrutinize the work habits of employees in order to ascertain the root cause of the problem. Entry level employees often bear the brunt of termination decisions made by management because they have not yet developed effective work habits. If you are fairly new in your job and feeling unsure about whether you’re contributing a satisfactory amount of value to your organization, you should consider learning some basic time management skills and apply them to your job.

Most work habits that can increase production are immediately effective and easy to learn. This means greater personal yield in results for you and your business. Following are some time management basics that anyone can apply to his or her workplace environment in order to be more productive.

Leave the Texting for After Work and During Your Lunch Hour

Although it should go without saying, leaving texting for your own time is a smart workplace strategy. Because entry level workers tend to be younger people who grew up with texting, they often aren’t even aware of how it is often viewed by others. Many of them text occasionally or even constantly during work hours. This lowers your production rate, plus it’s also very noticeable to co-workers and even your “boss”.

Even though the economy has improved in many parts of the country, the job market is still competitive and there are many applicants who are ready to step into your position if you are terminated. Those who noticeably text during working hours are likely to draw the unfavorable attention of hiring and firing managers.

Don’t be that person who finds their name at the top of the list of employees to be cut because of declining productivity levels.

Be Engaged in Your Job

Jobs involving a great deal of mundane tasks can be boring, and the tedium can cause some employees to not pay attention to what they are doing. Although it can be difficult at times, remaining engaged in the task at hand will help keep your production level up. It may take some time to fine tune your focusing skills, but doing so will pay off in the long run.

Employees who are paying attention to what they are doing are also less likely to experience injury due to workplace accidents.  Focus grows when your engagement builds.  Focus equals greater productivity and results in both the short and long run.

Make Clear Communication With Supervisors a Top Priority

It’s difficult to be productive when expectations are unclear, so employees should make certain that they have clear communication with their  supervisors as well as other co-workers. If you need more direction in order to properly perform a task, you should let that be known to your supervisor in a tactful way. If your work involves a great deal of teamwork, communicating clearly with other members of your team will result in optimal production output.

Staying Motivated is Key to Workplace Productivity

Motivation is an elusive thing that builds on itself. Becoming motivated in the first place is often achieved by pretending to be motivated until the time comes when the proper amount of momentum creates actual feelings of motivation. Different people do this in different ways. For some employees, bringing home a paycheck in a bad economy in a geographical location where jobs are difficult to find is motivation enough.

Others may have aspirations of rising in the company to higher paying and more interesting positions. Whatever the reason, motivation can amp up productivity levels substantially.

What get’s you fired up about going to work each day?

Are you simply trading time for a paycheque?

- or -

Are you taking your time and investing it into a meaningful business or career path?

(note the difference between each question above the the reaction you have to them… that’s a clue for you as to where to find your motivation)

Cut Down on Multitasking

Multitasking really doesn’t save time or increase your workplace productivity. Most of the time, multitasking impedes the workflow and creates frustration among those practicing it. Focusing only on specific tasks at hand is recommended if optimal production is your goal. Blocking out time to complete certain tasks is an easily learned time management skill that will serve you well throughout your career.

We show our students how to easily enhance your focus and productive ability with the Ultimate Information Manager.

Develop a Strategy for Handling Interruptions

Unplanned interruptions are the most common detriment to a positive workflow. Having a strategy mentally mapped out in advance will help you to minimize the effect of interruptions. If a co-worker wants some of your time, for instance, set up a time to discuss the matter later unless it’s something that simply can’t wait. It’s important not to allow distractions to dictate the course of your day.

The number one productivity boosting tip we can share with you is to… CLOSE YOUR DOOR.  Closing the office door will cut down 90% or more of the distractions in your workday.  But we also know that 90% of you are hesitant of trying this because you are afraid of many things that will never come true if you close your office door for a few hours a day.  But the rewards go to the 10% of the people who do.  Look around your office or your client’s office today.  Who’s door is closed and what is their position and title with the company?

Other tips exist for increasing your workplace productivity on the job and some of them will be specific to your own industry or even to your individual workplace. If you are looking for other ways to be a better employee, you can always speak with your boss and ask for his or her advice on how to increase your job performance.

Leave a comment below:

Share with us your most pressing workplace productivity question and we will share our resources and best practices with you personally!

The post How to Increase Your Workplace Productivity appeared first on Samurai Innovation.

Often times, your goals are dreams until a test is required of you.

“Boxing is the ultimate challenge. There’s nothing that can compare to testing yourself the way you do every time you step in the ring.” – Sugar Ray Leonard (American Pro-Boxer)

“You will test in February – be ready”.

Those were the last words I heard from my Sensei who headed back to Japan after teaching us for 5 days in August at our Aikido Dojo. Until then I was training for my 3rd Degree Black Belt (Sandan) in the art of Aikido. It had taken me 18 years to get to this point and now the goal of Sandan was no longer a dream. It was real and 7 months from that day I would test to prove whether I was ready for the next rank.

I am happy to report that I successfully passed the Sandan test!

What went into that was 7 months of aggressive training. Training was stepped up to ensure that any technique called by Sensei would be executed and demonstrated flawlessly. This meant more of one thing (training) and less of many others such as rest and entertainment evenings in order to adequately prepare for the test.

Your goals are often dreams until someone says you are testing. I often find that goals become real and achievable when there is an “X” (external) factor involved. This X factor involves some form of measurement by other people at a specific timed event.

The challenge is that often our biggest goals are dreams because they lack the X factor. Losing weight, becoming great at something, being a better leader, making more money are all great endeavours, but they won’t become real until you put the goal to a test that will require you to show up and perform.

Our Points to Clarity will help you design your test so that your goals go from dreams to reality!

POINTS TO CLARITY

1. Pick one major goal you want to achieve this year:

________________________________________

2. When do you want to achieve this by?

________________________________________

Set the Test Date

3. Identify what testing publicly would mean to you. This may involve a presentation, speech, letter, social media announcement or newspaper advertisement.

________________________________________

________________________________________

4. List six people you will tell of your test date:

_________________   ____________________

_________________   ____________________

_________________   ____________________

5. Write on a separate sheet all the steps you need to take in order to be ready for the test. Goals become real after taking massive consistent actions.

Click on the 5 Minute Clarity report above
to open and print your copy today! 

Please leave a comment regarding today’s issue and what goals have been dreams too long for you.

The post Is Your Goal a Dream or Test? appeared first on Samurai Innovation.

Everyday Clients and friends ask me how they get Black Belt focus.  They talk about the need to get more focused so that they can accomplish the things that they want to in record time with greater outcomes than they currently experience.  To answer this and be effective, I have taken 19 years of martial training and over 25 years of business experience to distill it down into our best ways to sharpen your focus.  Please leave a comment below to let us know your top focus tip!

1. Work from a clean workspace

Ensure that the 2-3 feet before your eyes is clear of clutter and things that will distract you from focusing your best.  Turn off the gadgets, ignore the phone, clear the top of your desk.  Only focus on what is now in this 2-3 feet of focus space.

2. Never start with a blank sheet -> Always use a template.

Very rarely are you the first person to be doing something that someone else has not attempted or succeeded at.  Find a template that can springboard your ideas and creativity.  This is a world-class shortcut that can save you hours of painful and wasted time each week.  Ask around.  Look online. Search and you will find a template that can enhance your available time that can be spent creating value and solutions.

3. All your stuff in one place

It’s really simple, but for a lot of people it might not be easy to do initially. You have to get all of your stuff in one place.  Your stuff is the things that roll around in your head, the stack of paper, the 1,000 plus e-mails that’s in your inbox, and everything that’s falling out of your pockets. All that stuff is part of what I call 3D clutter.  When you capture it into one place, you can capture, manage, and organize it without really worrying about it. If your stuff is in ten places, you worry about all those ten places.  This dilutes your focus.  One place equals strong focus.  There are great tools out there like the Ultimate Information Manager that will help you achieve this goal.

4. Find Your Sensei

Everyone needs a Sensei.  Sensei means teacher or mentor.  Your Sensei is someone who has gone before you along the path that you want to follow.  Your Sensei will be able to collaborate to help you determine your goals and how you can reach them faster together than you can on your own.  Your Sensei will help strengthen your assets and help you minimize your weakness and train for both.  Your Sensei can be found in someone you know or from a prominent author in your field of interest.

5. Know your Fundamental Success Indicators™?

At Samurai Innovation,  we define Fundamental Success Indicators as a system that will help you reach your Essential Priorities twice as fast with half the effort.  Essential Priorities are the top 3-5 goals, dreams or desires that will transform your life.  By realizing these essential priorities you will make huge leaps towards what is truly most important in achieving in your life.  We then add the key metrics that you will focus on move the needle forward.

6. Get to the next Practice

All success comes from a result of showing up on a consistent basis.  To earn your Black Belt takes approximately 767 successive practices attended.  You can substitute the word practice for whatever unit of measurement applies to your essential priorities.  Some examples of a practice may be a workout, sales call, report completed, class attended, years of service, etc.

7. Choose the Best Weapons (tools)

Focus starts by choosing the best weapon for the task.  Samurai carry 3 weapons that allows them to be prepared for long range (Katana/Sword), medium range (Wakizashi/ Short Sword) and close range (Tanto/Knife) battle.  You need your tools to support you and be your slave versus being your master.  Don’t struggle with a slow laptop, hard to use smart phone or an uncomfortable pen.  Having great tools that work will allow you to focus on the result of completing the task versus struggling to complete the task.

8. Be Successful Before the World Wakes Up

Do something each day first thing that will contribute to realizing one of your essential priorities.  Often, this can be done in the first hour or two after you have got out of bed.  You will feel an immense sense of strength and confidence going into your day by having been successful in one key area of your life.

9. Work When Everyone Else Isn’t

People often are rated amongst the biggest distractions and obstacles to getting the things that you want done accomplished.  Work on important tasks and projects when everyone else is on a coffee break or eating lunch.  Drive to work earlier or later than everyone else and use that same time period for higher productivity.  You will find that the coffee shop, restaurant and highway will be less busy when you get there because everyone else is not there.  Plus, you will have had uninterrupted focus time to move closer towards achieving your essential priorities One day, everyone else will wonder how you became successful faster than them!

10. Celebrate Don’t Denigrate

Often times, we are harder on ourselves than anyone else can be.  You need a formal written place to capture and record your wins.  Big wins, small wins, they all count.  Read this list whenever you feel frustrated by the twists and turns that life often brings.  It will help you get back on track quicker and remind you of the strength and power you have.

BONUS TIP

11. Never quit on a bad day

A wise Sensei once told me to never quit on a bad day.  Always quit on a good day when your mind is clear and your focus is sharp.  Let persistence and perseverance build your power of focus.  Your focus will get better and you will have more good days than bad.  Leaving, stopping or quitting on a good day is the result of careful planning which sets you in a position of strength with greater choices and options to work from.

The post Top10 Black Belt Focus Tips appeared first on Samurai Innovation.

Today’s article is of a personal nature.  You get to look behind the scenes, into the mind of the Innovative Samurai.  All candidates for the Sandan or 3rd Degree Black Belt exam must submit a concisely written essay.  The essay provides the Sensei an understanding as to where the student has grown and matured in his or her martial training.  Ignore the Japanese martial art terminology, but look for the lessons you can apply to your situation.

I have often thought of Aikido like a giant spiral staircase of life.  The image of the spiral staircase allows me to climb up the staircase one training, one technique at a time.  I can pause and rest on the staircase at moments during my training to reflect on my progress.  Looking down the staircase reminds me how far I have traveled from the first step of White Belt to where I am today.  Looking up shows me an unlimited amount of stairs yet to be climbed.

This is the point I find myself at as I enter into Sandan.

I no longer look up at the many stairs to climb in the same way that brought me to this point.  From White Belt to Nidan (2nd Degree Black Belt), I focused on mastering technique, form and function in learning Aikido.  Countless hours were spent practicing to learn and refine basic movements of waza.  Training to improve strength, posture, speed, timing and positioning through the techniques being taught by Sensei was important.  These things will always be critical to the correct form and function of Aikido practice.

Resting on the staircase looking up, I know that something more exists in my Aikido journey.  Entering into Sandan means going deeper into my study of Aikido.   It means climbing each new step with more intention, focus and awareness of my training.  By this, I mean further development and understanding of the principles at work in Aikido.

Shane Fielder and Igarashi Shihan – Feb 2013

When I train now, I am looking to not only understand the technical aspects of the technique, but also the principle behind the technique.  Principles guide us and lead us down the correct path.  It is easy to train for technique alone until you meet a partner who is stronger and more experienced.  When this happens technique alone may no longer work.

By understanding the principle behind the technique, I will be adaptable to the situation because I am relying on a force greater than pure mechanical factors such as momentum, strength, or timing.

I am even more excited to continue my pursuit of Aikido from Sandan onward.  I look forward to opportunities to train in “basic” technique.  This provides the ability to study and practice the deeper principles with greater focus.  Principles of breath, movement, alignment, center, tenkan, space and awareness are even more important than ever before.  The most amazing aspect of this is that each time I study and practice with the principle at the forefront of my mind, the outcome of the intended technique is greater and often easier.

Techniques become more impactful.  Movement occurs more naturally.  Focus is sharper.  I train with more relaxation than ever before.  Henka or Kaeshi waza is more flowing and natural when allowing the principles to guide the technical outcome versus my mind.  This brings me great personal satisfaction from my training, knowing that my skill and technique continues to evolve without ceasing.

Through this process of striving towards a deeper understanding of Aikido Principles, I am able to be of better service to my training partners and students whom I train.  My desire is to help them integrate these principles earlier into their training than perhaps I learned along my journey of Aikido training.

By focusing on deeper integration of the principles into my techniques, I realize that there is a never ending amount of possibilities that can come from my training.  This inspires me to look forward to an increasingly more meaningful way of training for the rest for my life.  As my study of Aikido continues, I climb each step with greater purpose and awareness than the stairs that have been ascended until now.  For this awareness, I am eternally grateful.

Please leave a comment with any questions that you have!

The post What is Sandan? appeared first on Samurai Innovation.