VETERANS DAY is, arguably, the most essential, critical and gracious way to celebrate AMERICAN DEVOTION. For it is that day, every year, when we give thanks to and for those brave souls who have served, fought or died to preserve America, unequivocally the greatest country on the face of the earth. So thank you—Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and Police Force for all you’ve done and will continue to do!

Perfect practice, perfect makes. Simple practice makes a habit. If it’s perfection we desire, then we must make Perfection habit. Simple habits, habits make. The outcome of our loves becomes extraordinary in the law that perfect is as perfect does. When we spend time in forming those things we want in ‘grooves’, then we must practice perfectly for perfect is as perfect moves. We can’t expect perfection from results our effort takes,

To not get drained and tired, and not be madly dumb, in all things great and small we must Maximum the Minimum. There can be economy only where there is efficiency. Benjamin Disraeli [British Prime Minister-19th Century] The highest type of efficiency is that which can utilize existing material to the best advantage. Jawaharlal Nehru [Prime Minister of India - 20th Century] There are only two qualities in the world: efficiency and inefficiency, and only two sorts of people: the efficient and the inefficient.

In the journey of accomplishment the wise this adage heed — fast or slow is not of note, of note is Perfect Speed. Impatience is wanting something to happen before the due time. Saint Charan Singh [20th Century] To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Bible: Ecclesiastes 3:1 You win battles by knowing the enemy’s timing, and using a timing which the enemy does not expect.

Diamonds are made under extreme heat and pressure over an extended period of time, not by a mere and casual blowing of an intermittent wind. We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls.

In quest to master any art and avoid unkind disaster, it would be wise to recognize Control Is The Mark Of A Master. Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. Albert Einstein The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.

In a world of slippery, empty titles, this truth to God we thank: Rank Does Not Make The Man, The Man Makes The Rank. Ranks of this world will not be recognized in the next. Guru Nanak [15th/16th Century Saint] High rank and soft manners may not always belong to a true heart. Anthony Trollope [19th Century English novelist] It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes.

We live in an age with effort waning, with riches expected sans work; but in all reality and actuality There Can Be No Excellence Without Effort. Much effort, much prosperity. Euripides Success is dependent on effort. Sophocles The mode by which the inevitable comes to pass is effort. Oliver Wendell Holmes I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.

It is, arguably, the most difficult thing in life. Any guesses what that might be? How about the loss of a loved one, especially your spouse whom you’ve loved and lived with for your entire adult life? It was November 04, 2024 that our KIA feature was, sadly, R.I.P. Liz “Quasar” Avram, Kiado-Ryu Black Belt #46. Today, August 04, 2025, Dean Avram, Quasar’s husband, gives an update on Quasar’s passing back on 27 October 2024.

With any project you undertake, to limit stress and insure progress, the cardinal rule is simply this: Preparation Is The Key To Success. To be prepared is half the victory. Miguel De Cervantes [Author of Don Quixote] Luck favors the mind that is prepared. Louis Pasteur Before everything else, getting ready is the secret to success. Henry Ford If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.