It's Time To Grow Or Go: Community Impact Goals for 2010

As we head into the season of New Year's Resolutions, I've decided to set a big, audacious goal for myself and the dojo: In 2010, I'm aiming to make Emerald Necklace Martial Arts the most well known, well respected, most influential community-service-based martial arts organization in the city of Boston.

In short, when people need exciting fitness training, a boost in self-confidence, and a sense of belonging, I want them to come to us and enroll. When city leaders need help on an important community project, I want them to seek our member's assistance and participation. When a local school teacher or principal needs someone to speak to their students about safety, bullying, leadership, wellness, WHATEVER, I want him or her to think about contacting our school.

To be sure, to meet these goals, we need to increase our dojo enrollment. We need to grow in size to stay in business, and to do more as a community. But, I don't simply want to have the "biggest" martial arts school school in the city. It's not all that important for us to be the "most profitable" school around (although that would be nice). I simply want to be the best — on the dojo floor in terms of our physical ability and level of performance, and out there on the streets in terms of our character and the positive impact of our service.

I shot a short video on the subject this week:



Find more videos like this on The Emerald Necklace Martial Arts "Digital Dojo"


To my students: It's time to take some action.

If you aren't willing to help us grow, and thrive, and make a difference in the community/world, should you really be training here?

To the community we serve: We are here for you.

Check out our online portfolio of community service projects. I want you to challenge us. Engage us. Ask us for help. And I promise, we will rise to the occasion. (And maybe, just maybe, you'll be inspired to JOIN US.)