Beenish Zia’s Post

Yesterday I took my Shotokan karate black belt exam (aka ‘grading’) and was successful in gaining my Shodan (or 1st Dan/ first level black belt). I rarely post about personal topics on LinkedIn, however this is worth sharing as many people may misunderstand what Shotokan karate really is, so I’ll try to help demystify it. Shotokan karate is one of the most popular styles of karate globally, however there are many other styles. Here are some key values I’ve learned while practicing karate, which also cross over into my whole life, and especially help me working in IT leadership: -Respect yourself and others -Always put in 100% effort -Be honest with yourself and others about what you don’t know or need to learn more about -Always try to de-escalate a situation using your head, there is no first strike in karate (this is where the ‘karate is for defence only’ comes from) -The more you practice something the better and more controlled you will become -Always show correct etiquette -Share what you know with others - the more you share the more you learn #karate #valuesmatter #itleadership

Living Karate Style - part 1 Living Karate-Style: Principles for Life Affirmations – part 1 of 3 Karate principles can be applied to life affirmations. In 2000 I started taking Karate at the Richmond Hill Karate Club. And I have to tell you – Karate does just as much, if not more, for self-awareness and personal growth than it does for self-defense. How I do Karate is how I do life. When I’m afraid to commit to a technique because I might get hurt – I ask myself when am I afraid to commit in other areas. When my technique lacks power – I may also be holding back my personal power to succeed in business. When I lose balance in my stance – I look to how I may not have balance in my life. As my confidence grows in Karate, so does my income – it has increased with each change in belt colour. Link here: https://lnkd.in/gXFJMANh #karenbrunger #imageinstitute #internationalimageinstitute #professionaldevelopment #transformation #transformationsource #personaldevelopment #imageconsultant #articles #blog #imagesource #imageconsultantexper

Living Karate Style - part 1 Living Karate-Style: Principles for Life Affirmations – part 1 of 3 Karate principles can be applied to life affirmations. In 2000 I started taking Karate at the Richmond Hill Karate Club. And I have to tell you – Karate does just as much, if not more, for self-awareness and personal growth than it does for self-defense. How I do Karate is how I do life. When I’m afraid to commit to a technique because I might get hurt – I ask myself when am I afraid to commit in other areas. When my technique lacks power – I may also be holding back my personal power to succeed in business. When I lose balance in my stance – I look to how I may not have balance in my life. As my confidence grows in Karate, so does my income – it has increased with each change in belt colour. Link here: https://lnkd.in/ghfzJA7B #karenbrunger #imageinstitute #internationalimageinstitute #professionaldevelopment #transformation #transformationsource #personaldevelopment #imageconsultant #articles #blog #imagesource #imageconsultantexper

🥋 Karate is hard just like forming a brand: it teaches you discipline and patience to evolve. -- 🟡Starting with the yellow belt, leading to the high “level” of the black belt (harder levels are included after this). The point is that going after a goal is hard, similarly to effectively designing a brand. Why? Because there are specific steps to each “level”, with hardships leading to the final ideal outcome. — 🔵What is your own “hardship”? Follow & like for more brand design tips! — 🥋 Check out the shoto kan karate dojo & jiu jitsu’s page “Stylianopoulos team - the heart of the fighter” here: https://lnkd.in/dWzyU5gC Their Facebook page: https://lnkd.in/effRDzhs -- #brand #karate #business #levels #branddesigner #discipline

🥋 Give Your Teenager the Gift of Karate! 🎁👦👧 Looking for the perfect gift that goes beyond the ordinary? How about confidence, discipline, and self-defence skills? 🌟 🥊 Karate isn't just a sport; it's a journey of personal growth. It teaches focus, respect, and resilience—essential life skills for teenagers. 👊 Watch them gain strength, boost their self-esteem, and develop unshakable confidence. 📆 The gift that keeps on giving! Enrol them in our karate classes today and give them a head start on a path to excellence. Contact us for more information! 🥋💪 #KarateGift #ConfidenceBoost #LifeSkills #lbki #karateclasses #karatenz

For our students, karate isn't just an extracurricular activity; it's a path to self-improvement. One of the pivotal moments in their journey is the Karate Belt Promotion. Join us in this video to witness their remarkable achievements! #BegawanLearningCentre #KarateJourney #KarateBeltPromotion #Achievements #MartialArts #ProudMoments #MentalStrength #PhysicalFitness #CharacterDevelopment #AchieveYourGoals

Let’s talk about goals…. When I was a little girl I just loved Karate. (Me with my first karate throphy in left pic)I started in P1 until I was about 11 then gave it up cause I guess I thought karate wasn’t cool. Fast forward 42 years, I have been back at for almost a year and my next belt is the big one, BLACK BELT… My Goal has also been to get back to training and achieve my black belt, what I didn’t realise along the way was just how much I would enjoy being back at it. I mean it’s incredible hard at times and it’s a constant learning curve but I just love it and can’t picture with life without Karate now. Goals are so important in life and it doesn’t matter how big are small they are,if they are important to you that all that matters. I and living proof that you are never to old to achieve your goals. Never. So whatever your putting off, start now one day at a time. One step at a time. One goal at a time. It’s NEVER too late. #goals #fitness #karate #achieve #focus #nevertooold #starttoday

A lesson from karate... "Many years ago, I was a karate student and competed in 3 international championships. One of the things that I learned from my karate instructor was... He told me that - "when you fight, always move forward." Even if you're only moving forward half an inch at a time, he would say - "always move forward." He used to say that when you're moving forward, 100% of your attention, is on forward. But if you're moving backward, even a half an inch at a time, 50% attention is always behind you and you lose focus. So, always move forward." From Brian Tracy #continuousimprovement

Calling all members and public - take the survey and help us develop our Strategic Development Plan for the forthcoming 4 years. Are you a student, coach, official, athlete, volunteer or mum, dad, friend of someone involved in karate? We are asking You All to complete the survey. Indeed, for the very first time, we are also inviting members of the public to complete a couple of questions, too. So far out Strategic Development Plan ran over a 3 year cycle. From 2024 we will extend the cycle to 4 years in hope to align to the Olympic cycle. Dakar Youth Olympic Games is still in sight for 2026 and who knows what might happen by  LA 2028? While every athlete's dream is to represent their country at the highest of levels there is much more to the O.N.A.K.A.I. as the National Governing Body for Karate in Ireland. We are here to offer karate as the sport to take up at any stage of life and for all its attributes: from physical and mental fitness, respect, values, traditions and community it provides. We want to ensure the highest standard of training across our member cub network; provide opportunity for participation across all the 32 counties. So let us know your thoughts and help us grow together. The survey will take about 5-10 minutes but will help us grow over the next 4 years !! Please click on the link to start the survey https://lnkd.in/e5KpJ8jf #karate #development #growth #survey

⚖️Discovering 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸-𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: My Experience at the Okinukai European Karate Seminar Taking time off from running my business recently proved to be a transformative decision. I immersed myself in the Okinukai European 🥋 Karate Seminar, and the impact was profound. ➖Surrounded by 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵, 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, I experienced firsthand the essence of the martial arts philosophy. ➖With over 70 attendees from various countries learning from Okinawan Masters, the seminar was an invaluable opportunity for growth. Personally, 𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. ➖This experience reinforced 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. Engaging in activities where we can connect with others, share stories, and cultivate personal growth is essential for a fulfilling life. 👉𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳 that life is ultimately about 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 together. What is the hobby that lighten your Life and why? With Love, always, Leez #worklifebalance #creativity #uechiryukarate #karate #hobby