Martial Arts Professional Magazine

[Editor’s Note: This column presents the text of the third and fourth pages of the formal, color invitation that Master Corley presents to his students who are invited to his school’s Leadership Training program. It reflects his thoughts on the pursuit of mastery. Read and use whichever parts you like…and be sure to “walk the talk”!]

Less than 10% lead…everyone else follows. We once thought ‘leaders are born, not made’…now, we know that leaders are developed from the talent pool of those who desire to lead and are given the skills with which to lead.

Two of the most inspiring quotes for me, in my life’s work, have come from Zig Ziglar and President Theodore Roosevelt.

Mr. Ziglar said, “It is not nearly as important what we get by achieving our goals, as what we become!”

President Roosevelt spoke eloquently about the Man in the Arena: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…who strives valiantly…who knows the great enthusiasms… the great devotions…and spends himself in worthy causes.

Who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement…and, who, at worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly so…that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

These quotes inspire me with the quest for tenacity and courage and honor—and the desire to spread those inspirations to our students of all ages. The quest is, simply, EXCELLENCE. At Joe Corley Karate, we are continually striving for excellence… not to rest on any temporary laurels or to become complacent with any short-term successes. We meet with our instructors every week—six hours of mental and physical training specifically designed to provide our instructors with more and more understanding and methods for motivating and inspiring our students and the parents of our younger students.

We live by the principle that a good instructor is one who can motivate a student to become as good as the student believes he or she can be. We believe, however, that a great instructor is one who can inspire a student to be as good as the instructor believes the student can be. In this endeavor, we are constantly seeking the matched commitment of the parents and significant others in our studios, who themselves may have to overcome certain obstacles to help their children and partners reach those goals they have set as a family. We are a Black Belt School. Being a Black Belt School essentially means we are committed to Black Belt Excellence for our students. In the martial arts, as in every endeavor, excellence at its highest levels is also known as Mastery.

Mastery, by definition, means gaining consummate skill and knowledge in a subject. It is a step above expert, yet, paradoxically, it is a goal that no one can ever reach—the title of true master, meaning everything is mastered is not achievable—(like a golfer shooting 18 on even one course!); but the pursuit of mastery is at the core of what we hope to instill in our students. So, while we talk a lot about the Black Belt Goal as a tangible, attainable representation of what we call Mastery, it is truly just one of the key building blocks of the program. In fact, our martial arts educational program exceeds the acquisition of this Black Belt we are all so proud of.

The goal we seek to instill is, in fact, the never-ending quest for mastery. The Japanese have a word for the concept: kaizen. Tony Robbins created our American equivalent: CANI—Constant and Never Ending Improvement.

Contemplate what Oprah Winfrey says about goals, “If you want to accomplish the goals of your life, then you must begin with the Spirit.” That is the live voice inside each of us that guides us, that gives us strength and courage to make the right decisions and to do the right things—the guide that Stephen Covey would call the compass. The compass that each of us will use throughout the journey of our lives. The compass that all of our parents want their children to have, the compass for right or wrong, for courage and grace and confidence and humility, knowing they will be pulled in so many different directions by so many different forces.

Our Black Belts in training truly have an exciting, challenging adventure ahead of them in this Information Age, plagued with hostile forces. They need to be equipped with courage, stamina, fortitude and honor to face the pressures sure to confront them during the next decade, not to mention the greater pressures that will accrue to a whole new technologically overpowered generation in the years that follow. To develop those necessary attributes, our goals, as individuals and as instructors and instructors in training, are an important central part of the recipe.

Tony Robbins explains that goals are a “means to an end, not the ultimate purpose of our lives.” He says, “Goals are simply a tool to concentrate our focus and move us in a direction. The only reason we really pursue goals is to cause ourselves to expand and grow. Achieving goals by themselves will never make us happy in the long term; it’s who you become, as you overcome the obstacles necessary to achieve your goals, that can give you the deepest and most long-lasting sense of fulfillment.”