Things I have Learned Over The Years
Good morning everyone,
I would like to thank you’ll
for giving me the opportunity to share a little of my life and what I have
chosen to do with that life.
My name is Master Ron Tramontano. I am the owner of West Boca Karate Center. We are located on Palmetto Park Road ½ mile west of 441in
the Shops of Loggers Run. In the years that we have been in business we have had many students at our school. Many of these same individuals are now moving through their life’s
wearing a black belt in all aspects of their business and personal endeavors. They
understand what it is to look a person in the eye and to convey to that person a
feeling of confidence. They are assured of
their abilities and are able and ready to meet any tasks put before them.
Can you imagine waking up every day
with such a feeling of confidence in yourself, a feeling of knowing that you
are able to meet and do whatever tasks are put before you. Take a second to envision how powerful this
would be.
You are all here today looking for
the best options for your life. This
should be extremely exciting for you.
There are many types of jobs and careers out there. Your only concern today should be how to
choose the right one. How do you find
the right one for you? A really tough
question.
How are you supposed to know what
you like and what you want to do for the rest of your life; when you haven’t
lived long enough to experience all of the things there are to experience.
Your Future
A future is something most
people believe will happen to them. When
in fact it is something you must create for yourself. As you move through your
life you will find two types of teachers. There are those that teach us for money in this
way they support their own family’s and ones that teach because they love us
and have a sense of responsibility for us. The later would be our parents,
families and some very close friends.
The first teacher provides us with an education "reading
writing" while the other provides us with lessons learned to them by
experience "Experience the process
of living long enough to know better." What is most important to remember
now however is one teacher is provided to us by society and the other by God.
Though sometimes we as individuals find a third teacher. This teaches
name is Pain. Pain can becomes a most
effective teacher. What I mean by this
is, we tend not to forget the lessons we learn through our own stupidity. Pain
will rear it ugly head usually whenever we choose not to listen to the teaches
that have been provided to us by god.
If we take a second and go back to the teachers that god has provided us Our parents and asked them
for their advice. I am sure the first
sentence out of their mouth would be “what do you love to do”. And in here lies the first clue. Do what you love. Do what holds your interest. Do what makes a
difference to you. Do what makes you
smile. Do what helps others.
Do you know that I have actually
found the answer to this question of what to do for the rest of my life. I have devised a test, when applied can only
give you the right answer the right job the right career. I called it the Master Tramontano career
question. Here it is.
If you were to hit the lottery tomorrow
would you be back to work the next day?
If the answer is yes. You are in
the right job. My answer is yes. The feelings, the friendships, the
confidence, the ability to make a difference in a person’s life are very powerful
aphrodisiac.
By education I am a microwave
engineer and I must say I loved doing that type of work. I worked for a specialized department of the
New York Telephone Company. It was this department’s job to
handle anything that was going to be placed on live television. Such as Presidential Elections, Thanksgiving
Day Parade, New Year’s Eve in Manhattan
I had opportunities to be with and meet
people I could have never met if I did not have this job. When Pope John Paul the II made his visit to New York City in 1979, I
was assigned to that project for two weeks.
I watched and saw miracles few people would believe. When the 52 hostages taken by Iran on Nov.4,
1979 came home on Jan. 20, 1981. I was
there. However I did not find that career right out of school. I was married had children been in the
army. By this time I had worked many
types of jobs; jobs that neither satisfied me or provided suitable security for
my family. I had to go back to school to
prepare for the career I wanted. The
difference this time was that I was focused.
I did have some experience now and knew what it was that I did not want
to do for the rest of my life. The task
of finding a career became easier.
However there was a lot time that was lost.
There is nothing worse than the feeling
of not being able to take care of your family because you are in a job that you
neither like nor is it going nowhere. Think
of this, how about spending a lot of money on an education that is not right
for you.
Example: a person directs their
education towards a medical career because the family tradition is to become
doctors and then find out that they do not like the sight of blood and you do
not have the heart to disappoint your family by not becoming a doctor. Or how about the person who direct their
education in a direction of law enforcement and then find out that they are not
one to deal with the negativity of such a occupation.
If you had to live each day with the stress that these two examples would provide. You would well be on your way
to making your family miserable, and making your life a disaster not to mention
the health problems you would cause yourself.
This is the advice I give to any of my students when asked.
Find all the qualities and attributes that you would like to have in
your life and write them down. Just the
mere writing them down on a piece of paper will start the process in
motion. You will attract to your live
what you are thinking about, what is in your head. Under qualities write down this question. What is my nature? A persons nature is a large part of who they
are. Are you a good person, a bad
person, caring person, a person who does not like to get involved, a person who
likes to be in charge, are you a follower, or a leader.? Then write down the word attributes. Under this word list all of the skills and
things that you would like to have in your life that are going to make you
unique. How’s about playing more than
one instrument, or flying an airplane, how about being a black belt, how about
being physically fit and healthy for the rest of your life and making that
decision right now or maybe parachuting out of an airplane, how about scuba
diving, ballroom dancing, there will be many occasions in your young lives for
you to dance and to attract that special someone that will share the rest of
your life or maybe just choosing to give your all to whatever you set out to
do.
And now I will if tell you how I start each and every day. When I wake up in the morning to
go downstairs and I look out a window that overlooks our backyard, at the far
end of the yard my wife Linda and I have a 4 foot statue of the blessed
mother. A long with three smaller
statues of the children praying to our lady of Fatima. I start by saying a Hail Mary and when I am
finished with the prayer I say these words holy mother in the name of your son
Jesus Christ I ask for your protection for this day and all days for myself, my
family, my friends and my students. I
pray that the peacekeepers of the world be given the wisdom of our lord that
our planet may stay safe. Dear holy
mother, I thank you for watching over me and for the work that I have been
given to do every day. I pray for the
words to be given to me that will make a positive difference in the lives of my
students and my family.
Being a Martial Arts
instructor will not be for everyone. And I am reasonable sure if you where to
ask your councilors for information on this type of career they would be some
what of a loss. However being a martial
arts instructor and school owner it is for me. I live my life in an attitude of
gratitude.
Great Questions: Ask Great Questions..Some of these are just notes to my self.
What's really important: Earth, air, water, our families, people, Your body
and food for your mind. Your mind creates your future your dreams. Your body
makes your dreams come true. If you do not take care your body where will you
live?
Our Families: What is most important must never be at the mercy of what is least
important. We must give serious thought to the importance of people and things
in our lives.
Values:
Where do they come from? What we are exposed to on a daily basis (family,
friend, teachers TV). They become the instructions we use when we are faced
with problems.
Maturity:
Is the ability to solve problems. Also to know when we have a problem.
Schooling:
Before you can live your dreams you must first wake up. A formal education will
get you a job. Self education will get you a fortune. Information is potential
power, the ability to act on that information is the true power. We will all
suffer one of two Pains: The pain of discipline or The pain of regret. Whatever you do, don't trade the discipline for the regret.
Business:,
What they pay. What they would pay you if you could create values, Success should not be measured by what your getting but by what you are becoming.
Complaining, Appearance.
Money:
Saving pay yourself first, Why do we want money?
Feelings:
Relationships. What are feelings? ...A chemical reaction to an emotional state
of mind, the meaning we place upon events in our life. Chemicals good and bad.
Enemies:
What's worse the thief on the street, or the thief in your mind that tries to steal your dreans.
Procrastination: The worst of all disease. It's not only the decision we make. But the dacision we fail to make that shape or future.
Instructions for the game of life:
I. Help as many people as you can: Collect as many clues and
learn the lessons as your life unfolds. The game keeper is time. And the game
can end at any time.
2. Lesson Clues: are held by people all over the world you are
destined to meet. Lessons are your perception of the events that will take
place as your life unfolds What is important is the meaning you will place on
each of them.
3. Clue givers: You have the choice of meet them or not.
4. If you chose not to meet: a clue giver, that clue will be
gone forever.
5. When you do meet: They will decide weather or not to give
you their clue and this will depend on the clues and lesson you have acquired
to this point. And most important your attitude.
6. How do you know if you have met a clue giver: The only way
to know for sure is to be a great listener. The clue giver is here to do one
thing to give you his clue. He or she has no choice but to revel themselves to
you by the share magnitude of their message.
THE LURES OF MATURITY
The effort toward maturity necessitates work, and work
requires energy. Whence the power to accomplish all this? The physical things
can be taken for granted, but the Master has well said, "Man cannot live
by bread alone." Granted the possession of a normal body and reasonably
good health, we must next look for those lures which will act as a stimulus to
call forth man's slumbering spiritual forces. Jesus has taught us that God
lives in man; then how can we induce man to release these soul-bound powers of
divinity and infinity? How shall we induce men to let go of God that he may
spring forth to the refreshment of our own souls while in transit outward and
then to serve the purpose of enlightening, uplifting, and blessing countless
other souls? How best can I awaken these latent powers for good which lie
dormant in your souls? One thing I am sure of: Emotional excitement is not the
ideal spiritual stimulus. Excitement does not augment energy; it rather
exhausts the powers of both mind and body. Whence then comes the energy to do
these great things? Look to your Master. Even now he is out in the hills taking
in power while we are here giving out energy. The secret of all this problem is
wrapped up in spiritual communion, in worship. From the human standpoint it is
a question of combined meditation and relaxation. Meditation makes the contact
of mind with spirit; relaxation determines the capacity for spiritual
receptivity. And this interchange of strength for weakness, courage for fear,
the will of God for the mind of self, constitutes worship. At least, that is
the way the philosopher views it.
My philosophy tells me that there are times when I must fight, if need be,
for the defense of my concept of righteousness, but I doubt not that the
Master, with a more mature type of personality, would easily and gracefully
gain an equal victory by his superior and winsome technique of tact and
tolerance. All too often, when we battle for the right, it turns out that both
the victor and the vanquished have sustained defeat. I heard the Master say
only yesterday that the "wise man, when seeking entrance through the
locked door, would not destroy the door but rather would seek for the key
wherewith to unlock it." Too often we engage in a fight merely to convince
ourselves that we are not afraid.
Ability is that which you inherit, while skill is what
you acquire.
Train your memory to hold in sacred trust the strength-giving and
worth-while episodes of life, which you can recall at will for your pleasure
and edification. Thus build up for yourself and in yourself reserve galleries
of beauty, goodness, and artistic grandeur. But the noblest of all memories are
the treasured recollections of the great moments of a superb friendship. And
all of these memory treasures radiate their most precious and exalting
influences under the releasing touch of spiritual worship.
