Transform and Change a Life by Jeremy M. Talbott

Many years ago there was a kid who, for the most part, wasn't on the right track to a good future.  In fact an incident happened where he beat another kid so severely that he left him for dead.  What saved this troubled child from being a statistic in our prison system, was one man who pleaded his case and took responsibility of him.   He was a karate instructor who took the boy under his wings.  The once delinquent child became an instructor himself who now donates his time in teaching kids.  He has trained several national champions and he formed a charity organization that helps feed and clothe homeless children.   All this, just because one man decided to try and make a difference in a child most of society would just give up on.  He transformed the delinquent child into an outstanding man of character.

During the past weekend I attended a martial arts seminar, where the theme was ‘transformation'.  As an instructor, and a student, I have found that the martial arts and its people transform others on a very personal level.  Together we build relations with one another based on forging our bodies and minds through blood sweat and tears.  We have understanding of each other, because we all went through the same awkward process of the first martial art class.  Not many other activities can produce the same type of kinship as martial arts do.

Though the lessons taught and the techniques learned make us better people, the most wondrous part about it is that the transformation doesn't necessarily come from all of that.  For the most part it comes from the simplest thing you can do, such as a friendly greeting or even going up to another competitor and telling them that you really enjoyed watching them compete, regardless if they won or lost.  Have you ever had a new co-worker or a class mate start on a project and totally messed it up? How did you react?  Did you react at all?   Our actions and non-actions transform others more than we realize.  Transformation:  Change in form, appearance, nature, or character.  Every action we take has a rippling effect which we may or may not ever see.  What if the instructor I mentioned in the first paragraph never intervened on behalf of the troubled kid?  A simple act of kindness not only transformed the kid's life, but the lives of others who have been taught by him and helped by his charity. 

Don't let the story fool you though.  You don't have to be an instructor in order to impact a student's life.  Everybody has the choice to transform themselves and others through their presence in this life.  We are more powerful than we give ourselves credit for.  Every day our lives have an infinite amount of possibilities to make a difference in someone else's life, if only by one simple act of random kindness.