I am witness to miracles like this all the time.  I start to question what those children would be like if they hadn’t come to Jung SuWon for martial arts training.  Would they have found a different way to blossom?  What will they go on to accomplish in their lives?  Would anyone have given a shy child a chance, or just written him/her off as too shy to deal with? 

During the testing, I was helping a 4-year old girl who had started to cry.  All the white belts testing for yellow belt were sitting in a row and each took a turn to stand up, announce their name, age and their goal, and then break their first board.  This little girl was scared and she told me she didn’t know what to say.  She didn’t want to have to talk in front of everyone.  I made eye contact with her mother that was in the audience and the mother indicated that she wanted her daughter to continue the testing.  I told the girl to relax and just say the 3 things that she already knew how to say: her name, her age and her goal.  

When it was her turn to stand up, she spoke so firmly and with so much confidence, I could not believe that she had just been crying a few moments earlier!  And, of course she broke her board!  The look on her mother’s face was pure happiness and gratefulness.  The little girl stood taller and it was obvious that she felt really good about herself. 

At all ages, we can all learn.  Whether the children that come are able to stay for a short time or for many years, they learn life lessons that give them more confidence, more belief in themself and ultimately, we find them helping the newer students too.  Meaning, they learn the value of helping others and giving back. 

We’ve been posting new videos and many of Dr. Tae Yun Kim’s books are now available in the various different ebook formats – they can be found at smashwords.com and on the Apple iTunes Store. 

Here is one that is a compilation of several Black Belt Testings: (I am at the 4:41 mark)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2rtojV0vRE

If you are interested in energy and the softer side of martial arts, check out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqpiDZ04uuI

It was a truly rewarding day, as I had the opportunity to be on the “panel of experts” and give constructive feedback to those that were testing.  I’ve been working with a lot of those students to help them learn and perfect their basic techniques, their forms and their focus.  To see them come together and perform really well was very inspiring to me. 

The youngest student was just 4 years old and she was amazing!  Her father was there and he was so proud of her and he shared that with everyone there. 

 Great Grandmaster, Dr. Tae Yun Kim has Six Silent Master Images, the first of which is “You Are One of a Kind.”  Even though a large focus at Jung SuWon is teamwork and unity, seeing each of the Young Warriors perform with each other clearly spoke to me how we each are so very unique and individual.  We all have our own individual goals, desires, dreams, strengths and weaknesses, but we all need each other in order to accomplish what we want in life.  Even though we are from different cultures, different beliefs, etc, we can still all get along in unity and harmony, without changing our core individuality. 

Dr. Kim puts it best in her book The Silent Master: “I can achieve my goals. I share what I am, lovingly and givingly, because my unique part to play is necessary to complete the whole. I am alone, yet I am alone with the entire manifest universe and every other individual.  Together we are each alone, and together we are all-one, and together we each fulfill our unique purpose in harmony and peace.”

http://en.wordpress.com/tag/jung-suwon/

http://en.wordpress.com/tag/tae-yun-kim/

http://en.wordpress.com/tag/grandmaster-tae-yun-kim/

http://www.taekwondotimes.com/index.php?PAGE_ID=76

Great Grandmaster, Dr. Tae Yun Kim gives us so many opportunities to learn about ourselves and others.  We just have to be aware to see those opportunities and then grab them. 

At first, I was a bit fearful of what it would be like to stand in front of several young students while helping them work on their forms, their basics and techniques.   I knew classes were only an hour long, so I knew that I only had to make it through one hour of being fearful and it would be all done. 

However, I discovered that I really enjoyed helping them!  In this class, they are all different ages, from 6 on up to teenagers.  I found myself very stimulated trying to work with students of such a wide variety of ages.  Whatever fear I had has been replaced by excitement and being challenged. 

I’ve learned their names, I’ve learned which students are fidgeters, which are very focused, I’ve learned which ones have a hard time paying attention.  We have a stripe testing this Saturday the 21st and I am very excited to see how they’ve progressed over the past month and a half.

I feel very responsible to help pass on the teachings to them from Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim.   I know that what I have had the privilege to learn from Dr. Kim directly has made TREMENDOUS improvements in my life.  When I see it in the eyes of the young children as they catch a glimpse of this, it is a truly awesome feeling.  Helping people is very rewarding indeed!

On February 7th, Dr. Kim celebrated her birthday with the homeless at the City Team Ministries.  It was an amazing event and I will post videos as soon as they are available.  Check out some of these below:

http://wordpress.com/tag/tae-yun-kim/

http://goldsea.com/WW/Kimtaeyun/kimtaeyun.html

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE0D8173DF935A15753C1A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

 A few more tidbits that I’ve learned along the way…

Have all your financial statements & data sent to you electronically.  This removes the chance that things get lost in the mail or if someone steals your mail, they don’t see your financial stuff.  I know internet fraud and identity theft happens electronically too, but if you are careful, hopefully, the chance of that happening is slim.  The only bill I get in the US mail is my car insurance monthly bills.  I just haven’t looked into changing those over to electronic format.  It’s also nice having all my statements stored on my computer, I don’t have to manage all that paper and file folders and the inevitable paper cut (ever had a “file folder” cut? Major blood & pain there!) 

Shred!  I shred practically everything, especially if it has my name or address on it.  I even cut out my name and address on magazines and envelopes and shred that.  I shred register receipts, even if they have only the last 4 numbers of my debit card.  Be sure to recycle your shredding!  I figure, knowing the likelihood of identity theft is always looming out there, at least I can do my part and not be careless. 

 Some fun things to check out: 

http://wordpress.com/tag/tae-yun-kim/

http://wordpress.com/tag/jung-suwon/

http://vodpod.com/watch/702260-jung-suwon

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tae+yun+kim&search_type=&aq=f

Here are some great blogs to check out:

http://wordpress.com/tag/tae-yun-kim/

http://wordpress.com/tag/jung-suwon/

http://sarahalexsmile.wordpress.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTs2gUdsRc8

Also, I was told that once a year, everyone is eligible to receive a free credit report from all 3 agencies.  Go to annualcreditreport.com and follow the prompts.  I didn’t select to receive my Experian report, since I already have access to that.  Equifax, for some reason, couldn’t verify my identity, so I couldn’t get my report, but they did provide a lengthy list of documentst that I would need to mail to them in order to request my report.  (not!)   I was able to successfully obtain my report from TransUnion and the funny thing is that they didn’t even show the late payment on the report. 

So, this is by far NOT an exact science by any means and it only shows me that I have to be more diligent in monitoring this myself.  Crazy! 

Dr. Tae Yun Kim writes about having a Quality Purpose in her book The Silent Master: “When something terrible happens to you, use it to form determination and a purpose. You have a choice as to how you will respond in every situation. You alone determine whether an event will have a positive or negative impact, depending on the quality of your response.”

So, taking that into consideration, it really makes no sense to get upset, because I choose to act with determination and a quality purpose along with perserverance to achieve the goal I desire.

Here are some more blogs that I enjoy:

Jung SuWon – http://jungsuwon.wordpress.com/

Dr. Tae Yun Kim - http://wordpress.com/tag/tae-yun-kim/

Martial Arts Videos - http://vodpod.com/watch/702260-jung-suwon

Well, back in June, I closed one of my credit cards after I paid it off in all.  I saw that it was correctly reported to Experian as closed.  Seemed like a done deal to me.  However I just learned that around the same time, that credit card company was bought by a different company, who not only re-opened my account, but they enrolled me in some rewards program that cost $39.95 a year.  They claim they sent out a letter and my non-response would indicate my approval. 

Silly me.  I checked my credit report today & was shocked to see that I am over 30 days late in paying for the rewards program that I never signed up for!!!  And of course, they tacked on late fees & interest!!!

Not only did I get screwed but my precious $12.95 that I pay each month to freecreditreport.com for credit monitoring didn’t even notify me of this!  I ONLY found out because I checked my credit report today.  I’ve had credit cards for about 20 years & this is the first time EVER that I have ever had a late payment or a negative comment on my credit report & it wasn’t even my fault!  I so SO livid right now & am going to be complaining like crazy!

The credit card company blamed me, but in the end, they refunded the $71.49 ($39.95 plus late fees plus interest) and are faxing me a letter to state they will report this to Experian in 1 to 3 months.  And, freecreditreport.com will be refunding me $12.95 for their error, which I don’t feel is equitable by any means, but it is a start. 

Anyway, I feel like a very small fish in the huge ocean of credit card companies right now, but I am a fighter and will continue to pursue this matter.  I’m sure I’m not the only victim out there. 

So, overall, be aware & even though this may sound pessimistic, if things ‘can’ go wrong, they probably will.  You need to check, check and then double-check again.   This gives me pause to remember that I am the driver in my life, as taught to me by Dr. Tae Yun Kim of Jung SuWon Martial Arts School.  He Can Do, She Can Do, Why Not Me!

I admit that I felt a bit defeated when I saw my credit score drop by so much & when I was told that this was all my fault.  But no, that isn’t correct.  If anyone knows how I can let others know what happened to me, please let me know.  I’m a fighter and won’t be pushed around or bullied.

Howdy again~

Some more basic financial information.  Please note that nothing written here is to be considered tax advice or authoritative.  I am only writing based on what applies to me and my own financial circumstances.  Before following anything financial written here, you should consult with tax professional or CPA. 

It’s easy to think that taking charge of finances is really tough & confusing.  It really doesn’t take a lot of my time & I don’t try to understand every detail.  It is like operating a car – I don’t need to understand the mechanics, I just need to know how to drive and how to do basic maintenance. 

 As I mentioned before, I train in the martial arts at Jung SuWon Martial Arts School.  Dr. Tae Yun Kim founded the school and I’ve learned so many things from martial arts that apply in my daily life.  We hear a lot in the news right now about people feeling like they’ve lost their money & even committing suicide because of the uncertainty of the times. One very important tool I’ve learned is that when the times are going good, anyone can do good.  When the times are tough, that is when our strengths come out to help us get through the tough times. 

If your company offers a 401k plan, take advantage of that!  A lot of companies will match all or some of your contributions (mine does!), and this is essentially free money!  The deductions are pre-tax and even though I do with a little less each payday, I have some peace of mind knowing that I am saving money for the future.  All I have to do is review my 401k statements periodically and if I need to change anything, I call the 401k company (or go online), they give me basic advice and I don’t have to think about it further.  It is also important to not react to fluctuations in the market.  The market goes up, the market goes down.  You want to be concerned with the overall performance of the fund(s) you select – this is an investment for the long haul.  Any good 401k company will have tools online to show you trends, ratings, past performance, etc.  Typically, a company will allow employees to enroll only once per quarter.  Also, since you are contributing to this with pre-tax dollars, when you withdraw the funds when you retire (some special rules here to look into), you will pay taxes on it.  And, if you have an emergency and need the funds before you retire, you will be penalized for early withdrawal (special rules here too).  Some plans allow you to take a loan out on your balance (yes, more rules here too).  Anyway, if you aren’t too sure, start out slow, say a 1% contribution and just buy one less chai latte or green tea frappacino during the week.  However, it is always good to #1, contribute the maximum allowable during the year ($15,500 for 2008) or #2, the minimum needed in order to maximize the employer match (if any) (remember “free money” from above? I’m seriously! (if you get this vague reference, let me know)).

Happy saving!