Advice from Grand Master Farhad Dordar

Our martial arts masters/senseis of the SKF organization are helping students around the world to reach their goals of applying the benefits of martial arts training in their lives, based on the psychological points of goal setting that we follow in our system. This increases the members passion, self-motivation and self-discipline to achieve the short-term goals and energize them in their journey to reach the long-term goal. Once they become successful in their achievements, they will become confident, and this confidence is applicable in any of their life’s projects. And we all know that self-confidence is a key quality in being a good leader and creates self-magnetism. A great leader always has positive a positive effect on their surroundings. This is the way that we suggest you to improve your life, by having a smart plan and logical goals.

“Start with a vision, set the goal, take action, stay focused and do not quit. When you reach your destination, you can believe in yourself.” Grand Master Farhad Dordar

The difference between goals and wishes

Many of us have plans for our futures, but how many of us can actually tell the difference between wishing for things and setting goals?

What are the active steps you are taking right now toward achieving your goals? Becoming a black belt? Getting into a university? Affording a new car?

Do you just expect to have these things one day, or do you wake up and take action toward achieving them?

Goal setting is a very powerful technique that can affect all aspects of your life. By itself, goal setting can allow you to decide which direction your life is heading. When you have an achievement in mind, knowing how to set smart, effective goals can help you focus your attention on the steps necessary to accomplishing it.

So the two main questions here are:

What is the smart way to set a long-term goal?

and

How does this blog apply to you?

Long term and short term goal setting

To answer them both; setting a proper goal is first recognizing that there are two types of goals. They are long-term goals and short-term goals. For example, if you enroll in a dojo and on your first day the sensei asks you what your current goal is, you might say, “To achieve a black belt.” This is a respectable long-term goal, but to determine if this is the right goal for you at that moment, ask yourself, “Does this goal give me direction?” If the answer is no, then clearly a shorter-term goal is necessary.

You might then say, “Okay, first I need to get to my yellow belt.” This is true and more realistic at the moment, but does this goal give you direction?

So, maybe you look a little deeper and say, “Okay, to achieve my yellow belt, I must first spend this week learning a proper front-kick.” This is a perfect example of setting a smart, realistic short-term goal. You can’t get your yellow belt by simply learning a front-kick, but setting this goal will give you direction. Then at least if you aren’t reaching your goal of yellow belt, you will know why.

If you invest the time necessary to perfect your front kick, and then set the next short-term goal of learning a proper jab, you are well on your way to achieving your longer-term goal of yellow belt, and ultimately black belt. If you simply stick with “I want a yellow belt”, you might get confused and frustrated when it doesn’t come when you want it. The reason it is confusing is because you are not focused and it is taking longer to randomly improve each technique sufficiently.

Why a martial arts school is ideal for learning how to set goals

The reason a martial arts school is so perfect for learning these things through hands-on application is that in a martial arts school there will be other students with similar goals for you to observe and talk to, and there are also instructors who understand the steps necessary to achieving your new belt. Help is everywhere. We make it easy for you by providing curriculum sheets, and by observing your training and stepping in to give advice. This is why it is your job to see what is going on around you while you are in the dojo and to learn this important skill, so that when you decide you want to save up for a trip to Europe, you will be able to independently take the necessary steps to achieving it. These skills will affect your entire life. Do you actually see, philosophically, all these things that surround you whenever you train?

If you’re wondering just how effective these ideas actually are, read this testimonial by one of our students:

Testimonial

“My personal experience is that I decided I wanted to get into UBC three years ago. At the time, I was working construction and I had graduated with a C- average in high school. I decided that in order to make such a dramatic turn around, that I should enroll in something that will teach me the structure and discipline I need to achieve my goals. Martial arts was my answer, and by learning to focus on my techniques and stay disciplined with attendance, I was achieving new belt levels with the same efficiency I eventually applied to my studies, and am now in UBC. All I was doing differently from high school was focusing on my homework as effective short-term goals. What I clearly learned is that reaching a major achievement is not a matter of being a special person, but a matter of focus and understanding the goal-setting process.

Short-term goals were awesome for me, because I could have an achievement under my belt within a week. Reaching a goal is very uplifting, and can boost your confidence for the next one. If you have one goal that takes a year to achieve, then you are not receiving any of the inspirational benefits from constant success along the way. Reaching a goal every week and striking it off a list gave me a regular sense of progress and confidence, and it kept the ball rolling quickly and effectively. So set them to be quick and effective.”

The importance of focus

Not bad eh? You might even take a second to write the word ‘FOCUS‘ on a sticky note and stick it somewhere that you can see it regularly. Then each morning when you’re dreaming about achieving your goal, you will stumble across your note and suddenly ask yourself, “Wait, which step am I taking this week toward achieving it? Am I actually focused on this, or am I just dreaming?” If there isn’t an answer, then you will realize it’s time to hit the drawing board. You can make it happen.

If you are not already a martial arts student, then don’t just read about this, you are always welcome to come experience these lifestyle changes with us by contacting us and finding out about our free trials and promotional offers!

Help spread the values of martial arts to others

At the World Sport Kickboxing Federation we work tirelessly to put together whatever it takes to help you bleed success. If the content of our work, such as the information in this blog, inspires you in any way, please share your experience with others and help the website gain public awareness by pressing +1 on Google, “like” on Facebook, or any other social media acknowledgment. All comments are appreciated as well. Thanks!

Oh, and PS.

FOCUS