Prize Inside!

Do you remember Cracker Jacks and the little prize that you could always find under all the sticky, caramelized, faux-popcorn, candy-type food product? Oh man, I liked Cracker Jacks...but the prize...oh the prize inside! I was known to dump entire boxes of the "Jacks" just to get to the prize.

Cereal boxes too! The cavity-inducing kid's cereals were always popular because of what they said you could get inside the box, under all the sugary-sweet marshmallows, shapes, and things that were supposed to look like animals. And those kiddie meals you get at the fast-food joints...yep, prizes, games, toys, action figures, movie tie-ins, cd's, oh my! One of these days I am going to get a kiddie meal and it will contain an Xbox or something...yeah, right!

As a kid, my toy box was filled with these little toys and prizes. I thought they no longer did that kind of stuff, then I looked inside my nephews toy boxes one day and...you guessed it...prizes were definitely inside!

Those were the simple days. Now, it's game console boxes...if you can't get the "prize" game inside the game system box - FORGET IT!

People have learned to value "what's on the inside." As martial artists, we should be very aware of this.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Unknown

In the martial arts (and in every other part of life), it truly is what is on the inside that counts. We all have things in our past we are not the most proud of. We all dream of a future better than our past. But unless you are living RIGHT NOW and realize that cultivating "the inside" in this moment is what's most important, you may have trouble overcoming any problems of the past, and you certainly won't be present when the future arrives.

I would like to encourage you today to dig deep. Look inside yourself...in your heart and mind...and see what you find. Is your character what it should be? Are you living according to a strong set of values? Are there areas inside that need "shaping up"?

Take some time and work on the "inner person". That inner self is the most powerful thing you've got going for you. Just as it can build you up and encourage you, it can also bring you down and discourage you if you aren't careful. It takes a daily check to keep this inner person heading in the right direction.

So, whether you are on the mat, in between classes, at work, or at play...make sure you are continually aware of what's going on inside your heart and mind.

Do this, and you will find the real "Prize Inside!"

Have An Extraordinary Day!
Doug McGannon
Kickgen.com username: KGDoug
http://www.questfortheusopen.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/dougmcgannon