Happy Anniversary To Me!
From the moment I opened my eyes this morning, everything just started going right.
It’s been the kind of day you dream about having every day of your life.
One thing right after the next has been a positive development, good news or the kind of feel-good-experience that makes me happy to still be drawing breathes on this oft-challenging planet I yet crawl upon.
Next thing ya know, I’m in my Daytimer adding some notes to my to-do-list. That’s when I happened to glance at the date in the upper left hand corner of the page.
I see that it’s March 10th, think nothing of it and then begin making some more notes. ‘Hmmm…how am I gonna make this day really count?’
That’s when it hit me like a ton of bricks…
March tenth!
That’s the day in 1986 that I officially began taking martial arts lessons at John Graden’s USA Karate in St. Petersburg, Florida. I was a “pre-sale” and the first student to join his new school.
Rob Colasanti's "business card contract" for martial arts lessons in 1986.
The tuition was $470 dollars for unlimited training on an 18 month cash out. (See the included scan of my original “contract” written on the back of Mr. Graden’s business card, which still sits in my photo album today.)
March 10th was the day that I began training at a real martial arts school, rather than in my across the street neighbor’s backyard. This was the day when my martial arts career officially began. Of course, it blossomed quite nicely from then on.
Interesting. Could this be why today has been such a great day? Is there more to this day than meets the eye?
Now I’m not knowledgeable in the areas of numerology or fortune telling. And I’m not psychic. But I definitely believe that this day has some kind of significance for me. It must. All I can say is…I FEEL that it does. And, I’m going with my gut.
So, here we are on my twenty-fourth anniversary of being in the martial arts. I can honestly say that for the most part the martial arts has been good to me, and I believe that I have been good to it.
I’ve learned a whole lot during my journey. Especially, from being so high up at the industry level for approximately fifteen years.
On this special day, there is one important bit of wisdom that I would like to share with you. A piece of advice you should heed. A lesson that I did not follow, but that has been on my mind quite a bit lately. So I will pass it along to you now. That lesson is:
BE CAREFUL WHOM YOU TRUST.
In and out of the martial arts industry, there are many individuals who truly are the proverbial “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” They are not what they appear to be. And they are really good at hiding this from you.
If you are an honest guy or gal and somewhat gullible and naïve like me, you will be looked upon as an easy target. They will work you. And if you are not careful you might just get taken.
Lord knows – I’ve been hit.
Recently, I’ve had my clock seriously cleaned on more than one occasion. While I can’t go into specifics on this public forum, let me just say that many people out there are all smoke ‘n mirrors. They WILL fool you.
Don’t fall for their BS, their lies or their scams.
Always keep your guard up and do your homework before you get involved. Do your due diligence. Ask your lawyer, your friends and your family for input. In particular, before you give anyone your hard earned dollars.
Most of the time, money is what they will be after from you. They’ll tell you what you want to hear – whatever it may be – because their objective is to get into your pockets and Hoover out as much as they can.
Now, don’t be scared. Don’t hide under a rock. Just KEEP YOUR GUARD UP and only take calculated risks that you’ve thoroughly checked into first.
These are things that I did not do nearly as well as I should have. I was waaaay too trusting and I paid the price dearly. It’s sad to say, but do not be too trusting of others as I was.
So learn from my mistakes in this area. You’ll be glad you did.
On a brighter note…
Last night, it was a real treat to give my five-year-old son Austin another martial arts lesson. It brought me a great amount of joy to watch him practice some of the techniques I’ve been teaching him since he was three; jab, reverse punch, front kick, knee strikes, ridge hand, elbow strikes, body dig, back knuckle, push ups, jumping jacks, sit ups, round kick, opposite and equal reaction punching, etc.
Rob Colasanti with Arnold Schwarzenegger and MAPro Magazine Cover Story
Tonight, on my 24th anniversary of being a student of the martial arts, I will give Austin another lesson. I will continue to pass my knowledge (of my victories, as well as my defeats) along to him and inspire him to be a leader in life. To become a strong, healthy and good person. That’s what being a dad is all about.
Yep, we all have to pass the torch, eventually. Right?
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Do you plan to keep this site updated? I sure hope so… its great!