In order to progress in life,
one has to improve every day
in an endless process.
The Hagakure

There is a term in the Japanese language called kaizen. Kaizen, loosely translated, means constant, never-ending improvement. The warrior must strive daily to improve his life and to live up to the standards that he sets for himself. As Gichin Funakoshi stated in his book, Karate-Do Kyohan, “The ultimate aim of the art of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.”

This should also be the ultimate aim of the warrior, to perfect his character. Of course the perfection of character is only one of many goals that the warrior tries to improve on in his daily life, but each of the other goals ultimately lead to this perfection of character that Master Funakoshi spoke of in his teachings. The perfection of your character is the ultimate culmination of all your training.

The warrior has many areas of training that he has to focus on daily. It is his duty to keep his martial arts skills sharp and to train his mind through visualization and meditation. No matter what area he is working on, the warrior strives to improve his skills daily. There is no slacking off. There is no laziness. Make constant, never-ending improvement your goal in life.  Bohdi Sanders ~ excerpt from award-winning book, WARRIOR WISDOM: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior