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Positive Mental Attitude

PMA is positive mental attitude

How you feel about things around you really depends on how and what you think.  And how you think about things can impact your health.

There has been a lot of studies that link better health to positive thinking or optimism.  At the Mayo clinic, they discuss how one can reduce stress by positive thinking.  As most of you know when you are depressed or stressed out, your health level goes down, and your immune system suffers–making you more susceptible to getting sick.  Just check out this article from the American Psychological Association titled “Stress Weakens the Immune System“.

The truth of the matter is, what you truly think depends on what story you tell yourself when interpreting a situation or event.  Thus, if you want to be healthy tell yourself good positive stories about the situation or event in front of you, and you will find yourself feeling better.

This week, our focus is on Taekwondo’s last tenet–“Victory“.  Victory stands for positive mental attitude.  Please think of situations that have caused you mental grief and figure out how you can change the story you tell yourself in order to shed a more positive light into the matter.  After all, there is a positive and negative to everything–you just need to focus on the positive.

 

 

by ·Comments Off on How to Develop a Positive Mental Attitude
Positive Mental Attitude

PMA is positive mental attitude

In class, we talk a lot about the sixth tenet of Taekwondo–Victory.  The most important essence of victory is having a positive mental attitude or PMA.  Sometimes this is easier said than done.  With that in mind, this article is intended to help the reader build PMA by following four basic things:

  1. Avoid negative thoughts
  2. Think positive thoughts; it will help block negative thoughts.
  3. Be thankful for what you have
  4. Look for humor so you can laugh

Why not give these steps a try now?

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Victory: 6th Tenet of Taekwondo

Victory: 6th Tenet of Taekwondo

Victory didn’t use to be part of the tenets of Taekwondo.  At some point in time they added it as a tenet, giving us six Taekwondo tenets to guide our lives by.

What is Victory?  It is a tenet that tells us to have a positive outlook on things.  Regardless of how bad things seem to be, there is always a silver lining in those dark looming clouds.  In simple terms, it is a way of having a positive mental state, and always having a “can do” attitude.

You could also say victory can  be directly tied to our attitude towards things.  If you are pessimistic, then you definitely aren’t exercising victory.  If you are optimistic, then there is a good chance you are applying the tenet of victory.

Here are examples that show a case where victory is lacking, and where victory is applied, respectively:

John is getting ready to test for his black belt.  He is feeling a bit edgy because the final test day is coming and he is thinking that the test will be extremely difficult.  He is particularly afraid of failing to break the dreaded one inch brick.  He continues to get anxious and nervous as the day of testing draws near, and in the process fails to prepare for it.  As a result, he failed to pass on his first attempt at black belt testing.

Jane on the other hand is excited that she is finally getting tested for black belt.  After all, she’ll been training many years to get to where she is now.  With the testing only weeks away, Jane prepares for the test by constantly practicing her forms, self-defense techniques, and many other things that she knows will be on the black belt test.  She thinks that no matter what happens, as long as she does her best in preparing for the test, there is really nothing to be worried about.  And if for some reason she fails, she’ll find out what to fix for the next test.

Can you tell the difference between John and Jane?  How do their attitudes differ, and which attitude is conducive towards their upcoming black belt testing?

You are correct if you noticed that Jane has a definite advantage over John, just in their outlook on things and what they are doing about their situation.  If I were to bet on who passes the test, I see Jane as having a significant advantage over John.  John has already imposed roadblocks on himself through his negative attitude, while Jane just prepares for the test.

The above is just a simple example of how victory can help in your day to day lives.  It doesn’t have to just apply to Taekwondo.  You can use it at school, at home, and anywhere else you happen to be, and under any situation.

I’m glad they, whomever they are, added victory as a tenet of Taekwondo, because with it we have hope.