Monday, February 1, 2010

February's Life Skill: Courtesy

February's life skills is courtesty. Courtesy is kind, unselfish behavior like sharing, helping, and using good manners. Have you ever noticed that we promise to show courtesy to our fellow students at the beginning of every class?

The Songahm Spirit of Taekwondo begins:

I will practice in the Spirit of Taekwondo
with Courtesy for fellow students....

It begins this way because Eternal Grand Master H. U. Lee believed that courtesy was an essential component of our Martial Arts training. He knew that if students couldn't show courtesy to their parents, fellow students, and instructor, they couldn't be trusted to learn Taekwondo.

Luckily, we show courtesy in the little things we do every day. We show courtesy when we say "Thank you" to our parents and family members and when we bow to our partners during sparring drills saying "Good Luck, Sir/Ma'am!" We have hundreds of opportunities every day to show courtesy to everyone we meet. And just as we improve our taekwondo techniques by practicing them regularly, showing courtesy becomes more and more natural every time we share, smile, or help someone out!

One of the best things about courtesy is that by showing good manners, sharing, and helping others you in turn will earn other people's respect. Showing courtesy and earning respect will help you feel good about yourself when you're practicing taekwondo and in everything else you do!

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