PeaceWalker Blog

Lessons from Janitor William 'Bill' Crawford By Col. James Moschgat, 12thOperations Group Commander                                                              William 'Bill' Crawford certainly was an unimpressive figure, one you could easily overlook during a hectic day at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Mr. Crawford, as most of us referred to him back in the late 1970s, was our squadron janitor. While we cadets busied ourselves preparing for academic exams, athletic events, Saturday morning parades and room inspections, or never-ending leadership classes, Bill quietly moved about the squadron mopping and buffing floors, emptying trash cans, cleaning toilets, or just tidying up the m...

  You're having a pleasant conversation when suddenly someone verbally attacks you (or someone else). They say something that causes you to become defensive or makes you wonder; WOW, why did THAT come out of their mouth?! Here's an example: "Craig that's a stupid rule! What idiot came up with THAT?" A knee-jerk reaction could cause you to get defensive, start back-peddling, arguing or trying to prove your point. Maybe you take another direction by trying to discount others in attempt to come out on top of the "debate." ...OR you can simply say:   "That's interesting, why would you say something like that?"   ...and then listen to what the person says.  After the person says what they need to you can then reflect it back to them. That may sound something like this: "So what I'm hearing you say is this (repeat back to them what you thought they are sa id ). Is that right?" This puts the spotlight ba...

  It's a simple concept. Treat someone like crap and there is a good chance that they won't appreciate it and in turn, not think or act so kindly toward you when given the chance. I find it interesting how after some people gain some level of notoriety, popularity or influence no matter how significant, it's easy to develop a superiority complex. They may begin to think of themselves as elite. Not long after that, they start to treat others who aren't in their click or status differently, disrespectfully. Treating other people poorly for whatever reason is a recipe for more conflict with them as well as within ourselves. We've all seen it back in our school days: The cool kids treating the other kids who weren't as popular crappy. You may see the cool kids laughing behind the backs of kids who weren't in the popular group or people being made fun of openly.We do this as adults too. It could be at work, in our family, extracurricular activities and/or in...

Hello Gang~ Many of you know of my involvement with Resolution Group International and Jack Hoban. I thought some of you would be interested in Jack's 2016 message, so I re-posted it for you.    Enjoy  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   New Year's Message January 1, 2016 Dear Friends: Happy New Year – welcome to the year of the Monkey!   Actually it is the year of the Fire Monkey. I have heard that 2016 is a year for taking risks and being rebellious, a year where agile, inventive minds, sheer guts and bravado will win out. It will require courage, action and true devotion, but it is a year to pursue even the wildest of dreams. 2016 is a time to start new endeavors, for they are destined to succeed under Monkey’s influence. But a word to the wise: those who can hang on for the wild ride, outsmart the confidence-trickster, and bluff their way through will come out unscathed. Those who are dull or slow wit...

As you know, 2015 is pretty much done. What were my expectations for this past year? Well, according to my blog post last year, here is what I said: 1) I should have my forthcoming book ready for editing and soon after release. Well, I was WRONG here! The book is STILL forthcoming! =( Here's the status: I just finished rewriting one of the final chapters. I am working on tying a couple of the chapters together a little better and writing the (brief) conclusion chapter. It is the #1 of my two projects I am committed to finishing in 2016! Plan to submit to editing by March 1, 2016. 2) 5 SUPER SEMINARS Regarding business applications, Krav Maga, Conflict Management and Leadership. I taught 3 of the 5 Super Seminars. I had some high expectations and learned more what my current tribe is looking for; what needs to be nurtured a bit more; and how the tribe needs to be expanded. I am planning 5 more SUPER SEMINARS in 2016! The first one is the iConnecti Protectors C...

  In a recent post called The Warrior Sage , I shared some of my views regarding how it is easy being an "enlightened ethical warrior" for a few hours during seminars or in a class surrounded by students who appreciated you, however real life can be a bit more sobering when it comes to being anything close to enlightened and/or when it comes to protecting all others. That said I want to share a recent story with you regarding an incident that happened to me where I fell short of being an "ethical protector." Here it is Saturday, Dec. 26th, yes, only twenty four hours after that special day where we are supposed to share peace upon the earth and wish goodwill toward mankind. Well, apparently a day can make a big difference regarding the Christmas Spirit and helping your fellow man. I was headed up North to spend some time away to relax & recharge, but before I took off, I thought I'd quick head downtown to return a gift that I bought. I figured that wh...

  When I first arrived at the new Honbu, I was incredibly impressed by its fresh character. A lot of thought had gone into layout and facilities, while a bright and well decorated interior provided a clean backdrop for Budo training. As much as I miss the old training hall, it definitely felt like an upgrade. The famous chalk board schedule still hung upon the wall, and I was excited to see that I would have the chance to train with many Shihan during my stay. The first class was with Nagato Sensei, and immediately my attention was drawn to his movement. It seemed that as he demonstrated the initial grab, punch, or kick attack would be the same, and he might even travel in the same initial direction, but from there it would change each time. As the attacker fought back or readjusted balance, the defenders flow would just continue, circumventing the opponents strength and patiently letting a technique unfold naturally. Nothing was really completed, one moment it ...