I know this may seem silly but a paper towel and a garbage pale made me a better person.  Well, it really wasn’t the garbage pale it was the realization of what I was doing and the affect it had on the person I loved most.  When I was a child my martial arts teachers always said to do what is right.  They told me that my character was built on how I lived my life when no one else was watching.  As a young child I really truly never knew what that meant. 

When they say you have an epiphany mine was in the garbage so to speak.  After my parents divorced I was raised by a hard working mom, working three jobs, to make ends meet.  She would come home after an exhausting day of work, cook and clean.  As a young child I had a great deal of time on my own.  When I was younger I would pretend I was an all star basketball player and take my dirty napkins after using them  and shoot a shot from across the kitchen, most of the time I would miss.  I was never really good at basketball. After missing the shot I would never take the time to pick up my garbage.  I never gave it much thought, but never realized the garbage didn’t pick itself up. 

Then like a ton of bricks I shot my last basket and missed.  After returning from playing with my friends I noticed my mom on the floor on her hands and knee’s after working her second job, picking up my garbage, it nearly brought a tear to my eye.  From that day forward I never left the garbage on the floor and I realized it was my job to help my mom and do the right thing every chance I had. 

What in life do we do wrong that we can fix?  What is it, throwing garbage out the car window, or missing a public garbage pail and not attempting to pick it up.  Do you live up to what is expected of you on a regular basis, do you do what is right even when no one is watching?  How you answer will determine whether you are really learning or just contributing to the mess.  What is it that you may want to improve in your life, what are you putting off today, until tomorrow?  What areas would you like to fix in your life?  Now is the time. 

The moral of the story is even though people may not see you, the answer is to always live a correct and pure life. Do not allow people to influence you.  If they are doing something wrong you must walk the path of integrity and sometimes walk the other way.  It is sometimes harder to do the right thing, but so much more fulfilling in the long run.  

If you want more information on how to start a leadership team or character development program in your school, either email me at Kyoshi@lininja.com or become a member of www.takingitotothenextlevel.com />