Meeting New People

Meeting new people

Here at True Balance Karate, we have a social-emotional learning program called True Character. I’m Master H., owner and chief instructor here at the studio. I have two master’s degrees in education and together we’ve developed a curriculum to best meet the needs of our youngest students who are four to our oldest student who is 85.

Powerful Greetings

And this month we are talking about meeting new people. When we’re meeting new people, we want to make sure that we’re using that powerful greeting, “Hello, my name is…” Getting their name. And then, “It’s nice to meet you”, and asking them a question, “How are you doing today?” When we’re here at the studio, we tell the kids they should ask each other their favorite ice cream or where they go to school so that they can see the kind of things that they have in common. Meeting new people is a very important thing.

It’s important for everybody to meet new people. When we’re at work and we have a new colleague join our team, we want to introduce ourself. When I was a classroom teacher on that first day of school, the kids would be lined up outside of my door and I would introduce myself to each and every one of them. I’d have them introduce themselves to their other classmates, some of which they knew from the year prior, others they were meeting for the first time, whether it was because they hadn’t run into each other or someone transferred into the district.

Open to New People

We’re all different. We’re not the same. We have different interests. We have different passions. We have different things that we like. We have different things that we don’t like and we want to make sure that when we’re meeting new people, that we don’t make a snap judgment, “Oh, he plays football. I won’t like that.” Or, “Oh, he does baseball. He’s going to make me want to play. I don’t want to do that.”

We don’t want to make those kinds of quick decisions. We want to have that open mind. We want to be open to new experiences. When we meet people that are interested in other sports or other activities or other clubs or other things that they like to do, things that they like to experience, things that they like to eat. When we meet people that are like that, we get to grow our own world a little bit.

One of my very best friends likes to ice skate. And in fact, she actually teaches four, five, six year olds. She teaches all sorts of ages how to ice skate. And I could say, “Uh, ice skating, not for me,” but that’s something that she’s interested in and the common thing that we have is the fact that we both teach young kids how to do what it is that we love to do. And so she’ll talk to me about teaching young kids how to fall on the ice. And I’ll speak with her about teaching young kids how to fall on the mat. And so there’s some of that common ground.

The Need for Differences

If there were a hundred Master H.s in the world, it would be pretty boring. I’d only have myself to talk to. By having all of these other people, all of these wonderful, fabulous people in this world, we’re able to really see everything that makes this place a great place to live. And so when we’re talking about meeting new people, we want to make sure that we have that open mind, that we don’t prejudge the person based off of what they like to do or what they’re currently eating, or what they look like or what they’re wearing.

We want to make sure that we have that open mind because that could be our new best friend or our next person that’s going to help us out when we need something. Or that could be someone who gives us insight into something that we really like to do. You just never know. And so by having that open mind, by introducing yourself, by sharing a little bit about yourself, you’re able to grow, not just who you are, but how you impact the world around you. And everybody who impacts you, you also impact them.

Final Thoughts

And so, as we finish off the month talking about being open-minded, it comes down to everything. It comes down to the foods that you try. It comes down to the activities that you engage in. It comes down to people that you meet. Even as you’re checking out your groceries at the store, having a polite conversation with them as far as how the weather is outside, or “My kids really liked those chicken nuggets, I’m sure yours will too.” Having those kinds of conversations really has a positive impact on the day.

And when we’re meeting new people, when we’re keeping an open mind, we wind up having an empty cup and we wind up spreading kindness around us everywhere we go. So as we wrap up this month of open-mindedness, just remember to listen, to learn from each other, and grow our positive relationships.

Thanks, and I’ll see you on the mat!

True Balance Karate was founded in 2012 by Master Sue and Paul Helsdon.

We offer kids karate lessons for pre-school children ages 3-6 and elementary age kids ages 7 and up. These lessons are designed to develop the critical building blocks kids need — specialized for their age group — for school excellence and later success in life.

Our adult martial arts training is a complete adult fitness and conditioning program for adults who want to lose weight, get (and stay) in shape, or learn self-defense in a supportive environment.

Instructors can answer questions or be contacted 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week at 630-663-2000. You can also contact us here.