The Time to Live is Now

A friend of mine came to TKD class a few months ago and just watched on the sidelines. She seemed intrigued and interested in taking classes, but when I asked her if she wanted to try, she said to me, "I need to get into shape first."

This puzzled me a bit, but reminded me of something I've thought about many times in my own life. There is always an excuse to put something off, rather than to just do it. I know this from personal experience. How many times had I told myself that I would start that book when I'd finished this project or that project, only to never getting around to the projects that were holding me back in the first place? Writing a book has been a lifelong dream of mine, so why was I always finding a reason to put it on the back burner? To put it bluntly--failure.

I know I'm not alone in this. I've seen my friends and family members all give into the "excuse engine" time and again when it comes to something that they want, but is just a bit intimidating. And why not? It's easy to do. Why dive into that book when I could go out for ice cream instead? Or why start TKD when I can tell myself I should get in shape first, as I sit in front of the television each night? Sometimes, it's just easier to fail.

But is it any fun? Is it at all satisfying? Well...maybe the ice cream...but only for the moment. Real satisfaction comes from facing your fears and overcoming them. Real happiness, real fun, real satisfaction...all come from LIVING.

At a recent funeral of a family member, they recounted his life. He'd flown planes in the military, been all over the world, rode motorcycles, played baseball and had a beautiful family. As sad as the moment was, it was so uplifting to know that he had lived a full and happy life...truly LIVED. He'd probably rarely given in to the "excuse engine."

And that's what I want for myself, for my friends, for my family and for our readers. To truly live...to not sit on the sidelines of life...making up excuses to not jump in and just live. No more projects, no more "when I'm in shape", no more "I'll start Monday." It's time to embrace life and live it. Because you can't wait for the future to live your life. You can't wait for elements of your life to change before start living either. There is no better time. The time to live...is now.

July Issue

We are working intensely to wrap up the July issue. It promises to be one of our best issues yet, covering the good deeds of martial artists all over the globe. Our cover story focuses on Karen Eden's work in downtown Denver with the Salvation Army. A truly inspiring story. Next we go to Canada, where one mother and martial artist found the courage to fight against her daughter's bullies and then educate the community about the realities of bullying. Then we take a trip to Washington state, following another instructor giving classes to cancer victims, enriching their lives and restoring their confidence and health.

And there is so much more! We follow up a year later with last year's cover story, Robert Ott, a man blinded by violence who has learned to turn his tragedy into a way to help others. We watch his life unfold from the point of being on our cover and the good things that came his way after!

We have first hand coverage of the US Open in Las Vegas in February, as well as an exclusive interview with a high official of the Kukkiwon. Plus, coverage of Progressive Hapkido, a style born from German martial artist, Klaus Schumacher.

More stories we cover in this issue...
Taeglish...a new way to teach English in Korea, integrating TKD and the language into an easy and fun class.

MRSA...the super bug that has infiltrated our society. Learn how to protect yourself and loved ones from this frightening illness.

PLUS! New sections!

Killer Kicks and the Big Break are photos sent in by our readers! See the cool stuff others are doing!

And...
TKDT School of the Month
Check out what schools will be chosen this month!

It promises to be a great issue! Happy reading!