"Giri"

Ahh, the famous (or is it infamous) "black belt." The pinnacle, the goal, the dream, right?? Well, it depends on your perspective. When I lived and worked in Japan, I found out a very hard lesson. The Japanese, at least my teachers, would issue rank when a student demonstrated, in their opinion, sufficient skill. Now, to the westerner receiving that rank, the thought process was something along the lines of, "Yes, I did it! I am now a black belt." When receiving rank, to the westerner, it is acknowledged credit for hard work done. It is a reward.

But is that the only perspective? Or more precisely, was that the intent of my Japanese sensei (teacher)? In Japan, I discovered that it was not.

When a rank is bestowed upon a student, it is given with an unmentioned request &/or requirement. You see, the teacher, most of the time, gives out the rank before the student has demonstrated the skill necessary for it. The thought process is that you will feel the obligation to your teacher to strive to become all that that rank represents. Even though now, you do not have what it takes for that rank. Basically, the teacher is recognizing that you have the potential to get there and hopes that by giving you the rank, it will trigger that extra motivation within you to strive for it.


In Japanese this concept is called "giri" and is sometimes translated as the "moral obligation" that people have between each other (such as parent to child, boss to worker, and in this case, master to student). For our example above, the most basic definition I can give is a debt of gratitude and a self-sacrificing pursuit of an ideal - e.g. what the rank represents. It is a bond between master and student beyond mere recognition and actually beyond the actual belt itself. It is reciprocal as well.

Now, what does all of this have to do with insurance, right? Well, having lived and worked within Japanese culture in the 1990s, this concept of giri is the foundation of my relationship with my clients. I am not just a salesman to them. I am their insurance advisor. And I have the moral obligation to make sure that they know and understand their individual protection plans. I feel this giri when I start working for each client. It is a feeling and a relationship beyond that of just hiring me to get you a policy. It is a relationship that I feel compelled to do my very best. My mission is to educate and empower each of my clients so that they fully understand what their protection plan is and how it can be used. Again, it all comes back to Shugo.

Ninpo ik kan, my friends...

David L. Holzer
Insurance Advisor & Martial Arts Guide

Focussed Intent

Real or not real? Are you pretending or are you actually doing? This is a concept that I put forth to my martial arts students on a weekly basis.

Real protection involves practicing with a focussed intent. You see, when you simulate an attack you need to create as much energy that the real attack would have in a self-defense situation. If you do not, then you are not really practicing, but posing. All too often this is the case in many martial arts studios in the world today. Not all, but many. Real practice requires real energy.

You can even make the same claim when it comes to your insurance protection planning. Is it real or not. Is it a real plan that will protect you, your family &/or business in the event of life's tragic twists and turns or is it just a product that you bought; a product without an overall purpose or plan? Protection planning involves a product but is not the product alone. A real plan involves asking some very serious questions about the reality of life.

Questions such as:

(1) If you died today, what would happen to your family, your business? What happens to your retirement plan, your college funding, your future?
(2) If the key-person in your company were to be disabled tomorrow, how will that affect your company's performance? How will you train a replacement?
(3) If your business partner suddenly dies, are you prepared to have his/her spouse as a partner?

A real plan will examine these questions and come up with answers. It will create a base plan with contingencies for the "what ifs" of life. In other words, just as in the martial arts, real planning requires real energy.

So, ask yourself, "am I really doing or am I posing? Do I have focussed intent?" Only through real focus can one hope to achieve real results. This is how I help my students as well as my clients. Again, it is all about "Shugo."

David L. Holzer
Insurance Advisor & Martial Arts Guide