One Martial Arts
Each month, I open a blank page on my computer, not just write a blog, but inspire the philosophy to “Live your best life.” Living your best life is deeply personal. No one can define it for you. It is not something given to you. It is something you discover, shape, and choose. My intention […]
Read More »For me, faith is believing in what we cannot see, and hope is trusting that things will turn out well. That is not always easy right now. The world feels discouraging. The news makes it hard to stay optimistic. As parents, it hits harder. We worry for our kids and the world they grow up […]
Read More »A young Keanu Reeves has a great line in Ron Howard’s 1989 film Parenthood. Talking to his future mother-in-law, who is overwhelmed by her troubled son and his disappointment with his father, Reeves’ character says, “You need a license to buy a dog, or drive a car. Hell, you need a license to catch a […]
Read More »Dear friends and family, When someone asks me, “How are you doing?” I always answer, “I am grateful.” Gratitude reminds me to appreciate what I have, honor what I’ve earned, and find the lesson in anything life gives me. It helps me recognize that life happens for me, not to me. A grateful heart gives […]
Read More »In the words of Dionne Warwick, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” Hate fills the news and social media feeds. It is fueled by fear and brings out the worst in people. It manifests itself in the unthinkable acts we see daily. […]
Read More »“I don’t want to make my child do anything they don’t want to.” I’ve heard this from parents when their child wants to quit martial arts, and I’ve felt it myself with my kids. As parents, we want to protect them from discomfort, but if we let quitting become the easy answer, they will never […]
Read More »Bruce Lee said, “The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” As an artist of the written word, martial arts, music, visual design, social media, and life, I seek this truth with a child’s heart. I don’t subscribe to the philosophy of “Think outside the box.” For me, there is no box, only the unlimited […]
Read More »A friend described that she sometimes feels like a potted plant in her relationship with her teenagers. I empathize with her as I live life with two of my own. I often feel abstract and distant from my son and daughter, at odds with myself and how to best relate to and support them today […]
Read More »The average field goal percentage in the NBA is 45.1%. The batting average in Major League Baseball is about 28%. On paper, some agree that they fail more than they succeed. Yet, these percentages represent the statistics of many athletes at a high level in their respective sports. I share these statistics as an example […]
Every summer, parents search for the best summer camp for their children. Chatgpt shares that the top marketing angle for decision-makers in the household is a camp where their child can “Make friends and create lasting memories.” As romantic and nostalgic as that sounds, I have to challenge it. As a parent and facilitator of […]
I often tell parents you can’t look at your child when they are a teenager and say, “Please be a child again because now I have time to spend with you.” Our children will only be a given year of age once. You can never get that time back again. Once it passes, it is […]
I started teaching at about the age of thirteen. I helped with the children’s classes in our family martial arts business, Beliso Karate School. At such a young age, I had no real idea of what it meant to be a teacher, let alone be an impactful one who could make a difference in someone’s […]
Dear friends and family, As a parent, teacher, consultant, and content creator, I have many insights and opinions regarding social media and smartphone usage with today’s youth. I understand the value it brings to promote businesses and products and how somebody can use it responsibly to connect with family and friends socially. I am concerned […]
Dear friends and family, Happy New Year. What does that mean for my family and us as parents? We reflect on all we did in the past year, acknowledging our growth, challenges, and experiences. We learned much, making us better and stronger together. As a parent, I struggle to embrace the cliche, “That time is […]
Time is an elusive journey. It takes us on a wild ride and does not bother itself with our requests to slow down. Time behaves with a pace that can leave us breathless. Its only promise is to be finite, granting us a limited amount. With more time behind me than ahead, I’ve become a […]
According to ChatGPT, there are hundreds of martial arts styles ranging from striking and grappling to self-defense and weapons. The most practiced are Karate, Taekwondo, and Judo. The latter two are so popular they are Olympic sports. Karate has roots going back hundreds of years but formally developed in the late 19th and early 20th […]
It is easy to be great when things are going your way, but can you be great when life is difficult? That is what builds character and makes us better people. For some reason, I thought the Dalai Lama originally said this, but I asked ChatGPT for clarification and found out I had written it. […]
Dear friends and family, Life is big. August was a humble reminder of that. Let me collect my thoughts on the past thirty days; 1) Hosted the Green Hills TK and Kinder Meet-n-Greet at One Martial Arts Millbrae 2) Served cotton candy at the Spring Valley Back to School Open House. 3) Hosted the Millbrae […]
My daughter Teya will be testing for her Student Black Belt at the end of the month. Since age four, she has dedicated herself to our martial arts and life-skills program. My wife and I have challenged her to do more than expected by participating in our annual tournaments and demonstrations. Teya has always risen […]
Did you know that kids lose two months of learning during summer? They are out of the habit of learning and studying. It is a time for family vacations and day camps, creating those lifetime memories. For our teens, it could mean sleeping in later, a summer job, or hanging out with friends at the […]
As a parent, I’ve come to understand that love is unconditional. There isn’t anything I would not do or give to my children. My wife and I have sacrificed to provide our children with the opportunities we never had. We strive to teach our children the joy that comes with the practice of gratitude, one […]
We recently held our quarterly black belt testing, a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our students. Each of them, who have been with us for at least four years, some as long as eight, demonstrated their growth and commitment. Witnessing our students’ remarkable growth and personal development was genuinely inspiring. The teaching staff […]
Today, we laid to rest our Uncle Rudy, my father’s youngest brother. He was my first superhero. My first memory of him was when he rode a motorcycle. He had a goatee and wore those cool biker shades. Instead of wearing a cape, Uncle Rudy wore cars: a vintage orange Chevy Nomad sedan and a […]
As parents, we experience many firsts with our children: their first step, birthday, and other cherished memories. We also share their first disappointment, exclusion, bullying, and other unfortunate things that can happen in life. Our paternal instinct is to shelter our children from every bad thing that could happen, but we realize that is impossible. […]
Time is an integral aspect of life. It helps to label and store an event in a catalog of memories. It is a way to measure the duration of an experience that impacts us. We often perceive time based on the past, present, and future. As parents, we see time in milestones of our children’s […]
Humans are capable of giving love at such infinite depths. We unselfishly serve those we love unconditionally and with great sacrifice. The love we have for our children is an example of this. We witness the miracle of love from the day they are born. It overwhelms us to tears, and there is nothing we […]
Every night at midnight, I quietly whisper to myself, “Happy New Year.” I celebrate it like most would traditionally in any given year. Saying it fills me with the excitement that everything is possible. It is an opportunity to live it better than the day before. I look forward to that time before midnight when […]
Read More »Dear Parents, It’s the season for giving. As loving parents, we understand that in a unique way. We give so much to our children throughout the year that every day could be Christmas. I see your faces on soccer fields and at basketball games. I know the prideful shout when our kids score the game-winning […]
The upcoming holidays represent three fundamental beliefs for me: Gratitude, hope, and love. Thanksgiving is a celebration of gratitude. Looking back at the past ten months of 2023, I am thankful for every blessing and challenge I am gifted with. Witnessing a world facing many hardships and difficulties, I wake up each day appreciating life. […]
As a martial arts instructor and father, I must be mindful of the difference when off the mat. It allows me to be a better dad at home and with all my kid’s activities. Martial artists will say martial arts is a way of life, and it is tough to separate the two. Having trained […]
Change is a constant in life. Our children offer us the best example of that. Each year of their growth offers us new milestones to celebrate and challenges to face together. Some days, we feel like the best parents in the world, right? On others, we are lost in inadequacy. I pre-frame this by sharing […]
As a father, the values of family, respect, and unconditional love are the foundation of my life. My wife and I humbly embrace the joys and challenges of raising a teen and pre-teen. On the best days, I feel like a better parent than my own. At my worst, I am indifferent to acting at […]
Happy Independence Day! We bbq, enjoy fireworks, and celebrate the holiday. As I partake in these activities, I can’t help but reflect. Freedom is not free. It comes with a price. It requires great sacrifice. People have died in pursuit and preservation of our liberty. They have stood with conviction and protest of what it […]
I am a writer. I am a storyteller. I create content from real-life experiences of pain, suffering, overcoming challenges, and learned experiences. I would never allow A.I. to take away from the writing experience. That process is a journey of self-discovery, healing, expression of the self, and so much more. I read these AI-generated writings, […]
Mentoring, for me, has always been about asking the right questions to inspire self-discovery. So many people fail in life and business because they do not want the accountability that comes with it. People seek a mentor because they have yet to discover their purpose in life. I say life because that is where living […]
The fortunate truth of owning and running a small business. I wake up each day and carry on a family tradition that has served tens of thousands of friends and families in San Francisco Bay Area communities for over 50 years. I am privileged to be an entrepreneur who can create and grow my wealth […]
The other day I walked into a local coffee shop to get my morning tea with my computer in hand. I needed to check my email and post a few things. I was absorbed with the task at hand. I picked up my tea, found a spot to work, and set about completing my tasks. […]
I am a student of self-improvement. It is a path to being a better version of myself. I wake up to each new day and strive to be a better husband, father, brother, friend, leader, and community servant. Why do I need to be a better version of myself? It is a fundamental human need […]
The law of attraction is powerful. The energy you put out is the energy you receive. You get what you give. There are so many cliche sayings like this because data has proven that they hold true over time. Misery loves company and holds as well, right? When someone says trouble always finds me, I […]
I find that an important part of my happiness is living from a “white belt” or “learning mindset. I’ve been practicing the martial arts for more than 50 years, and hold the rank of eighth-degree black belt, but have always believed the belt simply holds up my pants. I stand by the philosophy, “Always a […]
A smile and a positive attitude are the traits of a successful person. When we smile, we feel better and attract positive people into our lives. When we smile, the challenges we face will be easier. Exuding a positive attitude will inspire others. People will want to be around us. To create a positive attitude, […]
Dear friends and family, Welcome to Spring! I hope all of you are enjoying the break with your loved ones. At One Martial Arts, we are busy with our quarterly best testing and review and prepping for our Family Egg Hunt Celebration. Our purpose with everything we do is to help our friends and family […]
Mounting studies and data show that the increased depression in our youth have a direct correlation with social media use. The Seattle school district is suing social media companies because they now have data that prove it negatively impacts student’s learning. 1 out 3 girls who use Instagram have body image issues. And it was […]
Dear Friends & Family, Have you ever beaten yourself up mentally over something you believed that you did that was wrong? Or find yourself saying, “I am really good at beating myself up?” For me, this is a form of self-bullying. It is a habitual behavior that does not allow us to live our best […]
Dear friends and family, Happy New Year and welcome to 2023. As we reflect on the past year, we take stock of our learned experiences, memories created, goals achieved, and of course, our losses. We do so with a deep sense of gratitude and a humble heart. We are all one year older and hopefully […]
Read More »I have many war stories about times I have behaved inappropriately or made bad choices. But I don’t believe that is what is important to share here. I do know that whenever I was confronted about my actions and asked why I did what I did, my response was most likely, “I don’t know.” I […]
I remember the time my wife and I rushed our then 4-year-old son Brayden to the emergency room with a severe croup attack. While there, he stopped breathing and went Code Blue. His lips were blue; his eyes rolled back in his head; and his little body shook violently. I remember when the attending doctor […]
Dear friends ands families, At One Martial Arts, we define family as the most important part of our lives. We celebrate the value of it, in every class, life skills talk, community event, and offering we serve to our friends and families. The holidays are all about family and kinship. For those of us who […]
CHANGE is an absolute in life. It will happen whether we like it or not and it cannot be stopped. I personally choose to embrace the ebb and flow of change like a dear old friend no matter how challenging it may be. I welcome it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and become a […]
Every morning when I wake up, I lie there for several minutes in meditation. I breathe in and say to myself, “I am breathing.” I breath out and say, “I am grateful I get another day to live my best life.” Next, I go through a gratitude list to remind myself just how truly blessed […]
As parents and educators, my wife Kim and I are passionate about helping our children discover their unlimited potential. We believe that if we empower them with a skill set to be their very best, that one day they can create amazing lives for themselves and impact others. Our dream is to be able to […]
As human beings, one of our greatest assets and liabilities is our mindset. It is about cultivating a system of checks and balances to create the most optimal and consistent state of thinking and feeling. Easier said than done but very obtainable if you are present and fully aware of where your mindset is at […]
I can’t look at my kids when they are fourteen and say, “Please be ten again, I have time to spend with you now.” Time is our most precious commodity, and we should nurture and invest in it wisely. Every day that we wake, we understand our commitment to earning, in order to best provide […]
As parents, we share a collective purpose to giving our children the tools they need to one day create an amazing life. We humbly accept that they will be out in the world on their own and our influence will not be as impactful as it is today. We cultivate experiences to help our kids […]
Being a parent can be challenging. We give unconditionally and sacrifice so much to provide our children with all the opportunities to discover their best selves. We hope that every memory we create and share with them will show them just how amazing they truly are and can be. Often we stumble and fumble around […]
Happiness is a choice, and I choose to make it my purpose to learn, practice and master it. Do I have to work at it some days? Absolutely. Am I always happy? No. But I view being happy like any relationship I choose to be in. I take the good with the bad because I […]
Goals are important because they build your self-worth and help you to better your life. To achieve goals, you must be able to visualize them. As the saying goes, “If I can see it, I can be it.” Write down your goals. Divide them into three lists; “A”, “B” and “C.” The “A” list are daily […]
My earliest memories of the martial arts were as a five-year-old boy back in 1967. My father and a group of fellow martial artists trained in the basement below our apartment flat in San Francisco. I remember the ceiling being so low that when they trained, they frequently bumped their heads on the beams that supported […]
