#MANDELADAY’s 67mins Self-Defence Workshop

“Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was South Africa's first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election.

…

Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Denounced as a communist terrorist by critics, he nevertheless gained international acclaim for his activism, having received more than 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Soviet Order of Lenin. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba, or as Tata ("Father"); he is often described as the "Father of the Nation"” 

-  Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

On the 18 July, 2015, on what has now been known worldwide as “MandelaDay”, I will be doing a 67 mins Self-Defence Workshop for the local Chinese community, in spirit of what Mandela Day represents. The message behind Mandela Day is simple – each individual has the ability and the responsibility to change the world for the better. If each one of us heeded the call to simply do good every day, we would be living Nelson Mandela’s legacy and helping to build a country of our dreams. To me, this is a very heart-felt message as I deeply love my country of birth, South Africa. I had decided many years ago to not immigrate to the likes of Australia, Canada or the UK; as so many other South Africans have.  Furthermore, it encouraged me to take action against some of the problems we face in our society. Defence Unlimited was the embodiment of that love and desire to make a difference.

After coming across my advert on Facebook to promote the 67 mins Self-Defence Workshop, I was asked by a journalist from an international new agency the following questions:

1.         Why did you decide to celebrate Mandela Day that way?

WH: Nelson Mandela is one of my personal heroes whom I look up to for guidance and inspiration.  For me, he was a man of integrity, peace and understanding and is the embodiment of a true leader. I believe his ideals for humanity was truly inspirational, especially in his words, “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, or “you must serve your fellow man”. It is only through this caring and serving each other will we be able to overcome all the adversity that we, as South Africans, currently face. Furthermore, his words of “It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it” really inspired me to step forward and take action to address some of the issues our country and my Chinese community faces, one of which is crime and the fear of crime. Being in the business that I am, I felt that my company, Defence Unlimited and I, could do this free workshop to the Chinese community, as well as make a small contribution to the Hong Ning Chinese Old Age Home.

2.         How have you celebrated the day in the previous years?

WH: Last year was the first initiative that Defence Unlimited offered free 67mins public self-defence presentation to the public.  It was held at the Rivonia Sports Club on a cold winter’s evening. Attendance was small, but respectable!  Read about the experience here: http://defence-unlimited.blogspot.com/2014/07/mandela-day-2014-67mins-of-self-defence.html

In previous years, I had been with a few corporate initiatives, including food packing and distribution for various communities.

3.         Do you think is still relevant and will continue to be relevant to the world?

WH: If you referring to Mandela Day, yes, absolutely! If anything, I think the spirit of Mandela Day is more relevant now than ever! In light of all the global turbulence and chaos, we need more positive ideals and action such as the ones that Mandela day encourages.  There is a saying from the Bible that says, “If good men do not act, evil will prevail”.  Therefore, it is the interest for everyone to do their bit, no matter how small it may be, in combating this evil around the world.

4.         What does Mandela mean to you?

WH: Well, as mentioned, he is a personal hero of mine. I’ve read a few books about his life and his leadership styles, as well as researched some of his public appearances and speeches. By doing so, I got to know what his ideals and aspirations were for ALL South Africans, and actually for humanity as a whole. It is these aspirations that really touched me and made me want to be a better person both for myself, my family and for society.  I should mention that I also got to meet him briefly right after his release from prison in 1990. It was at the Park Lane hospital and he was going for a check-up. I was quite young at the time, and didn’t know who this tall, African man was who was flanked by even two bigger African men (his body guards). There was a moment that he stopped, waved and smiled at my sister and I. All I can remember was how genuine and sincere his smile was, as how happy that made me feel - I could not help but smile back!

5.         What lessons can be learnt from Mandela's life?

WH: Just too many to mention! Just off the top of my head: Have integrity at all times; Be courageous; Be compassionate; Be a good leader; Have core principles that you abide to; listen intensely before making a response; don’t hurry – think, analyse then act;  and my personal favourite, “never let fear defeat you”.

I hope that Mandela Day inspires you to go out and make a difference in this world.

Till next time.

Get EDUCATED. Feel EMPOWERED. Live a FULLY-ENGAGED life. 

For more information on the workshop, please go to:

Website: http://www.defence-unlimited.com/get-engaged/mandela-day/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/326248007545473/

For more infomation on Mandela Day, please  go to:

http://www.mandeladay.com/

SELF-DEFENCE TRAINING - Unlocking potential to live a fully-engaged life

"Unlocking potential to live a fully-engaged life". This is the mission that Defence Unlimited has committed to and constantly promotes in its marketing material.

So what exactly is a "fully-engaged" life? Well, in my definition, it is one where I am living a life that I choose. But you will ask me, many people want to have a life filled with many things, but never seem to achieve them - things like "job satisfaction", "financial freedom" or "eternal peace and harmony". I say, yes, that is true, but is that not because they don't take the necessary ACTIONS to fulfil that kind of life? That is a different topic all together as it deals with the mental attitude and actions to go out and create that kind of life. We at Defence Unlimited can merely start to "unlock the potential" to have that kind of life. This is key though - In order to have THAT kind of life, the basic foundation, must first be addressed. In our case, the need to feel secure, and taking the necessary precautions to ensure that security. This is also referred to as the "security needs" as defined by Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Without this secure security foundation, any attempt to build something upon it will crumble like a deck of cards build on a table with 2 legs.  And trust you me, in this day and age, it will eventually come crashing down. It is my humble opinion, that if one does not create this security foundation, and at is most primal form, the PHYSICAL and MENTAL security foundation, there is no way in hell they will succeed in reaching those large, gregarious goals, whatever they may be.

"Fully-engaged" also implies to a life that is filled with moments of fun, joy, laughter, and occasionally sprinkled with some heartache, sadness and crying. It is these emotions and every other emotion in between, and our expression of these emotions that makes us human. It reminds us that we are alive and that each breath we take will be unique both to us and to that exact moment in time and space. It's about being present for each of those moments where we linger not on the past or have any fears the future. We take charge of this moment in time and live it to the fullest. I have heard of too many people who have been victims of crime and have become reclusive in their homes.  They are not willing to face the present because the unfortunate past event has chained them to a life of fear, paranoia and depression. I have heard of others still that, out of fear or frustration, have focused all their energies on the negative current state of affairs, and the eminent doom and gloom of the country and the world. They have forgotten that their body is still bound to the present and they have no interest in enjoying the moment for what it is, thereby not living a life, but rather just passing negative commentary about it.

This brings us back to the final piece of our mission, "..through effective self-defence training". I truly believe that effective self-defence training can unlock ones potential to live a fully-engaged life. Effective self-defence training installs three vital characteristics: confidence, resilience and discipline.  Confidence is the first step as by installing confidence, one builds the capacity to be able to face life head-on, with head held high. Having the knowledge and skills to be able to protect ones self and ones loved ones, will give you confidence that you can take on the world! This is very different from being arrogant, and there is a clear distinction between the two, especially in self-defence terms. Next is resilience. Let's be realistic - not everyone or every situation is going to do or go exactly as planned. We need to accept the fact that sometimes, we might  get knocked down, and it will hurt either mentally, physically, or even both. However, the important thing is that we get back up, brush it off, and continue forward. All too often, a person will give up to easily because they got knocked off their feet, or it hurts too much. Being able to get back up and press on is the hallmark of a successful person! Lastly, discipline. Doing the same thing over and over again is perhaps the most boring and dullest thing I could ever do. However, change that mind-set that doing the same thing over and over again from something boring to something that will make me better, well, that is certainly worth striving towards. Whether it's mentally positively honing yourself, or physically doing it, discipline is another key to success.

With that, the mission of Defence Unlimited is very clear. We may be a bit fluffy on the outside, but we are sure as heck want to unlock and unleash as much positive human potential as possible within our lifetime! After all, don't we all want to have world peace?

Get EDUCATED, Be EMPOWERED. Live a FULLY-ENGAGED Life.

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