Tong-Il a Documentary in Progress

Come with us on a behind the scenes look into the current filming of the documentary of Grandmaster Woojin Jung's life. Watch as the filmmakers talk to Grandmaster Jung about his incredible life and journey to success. See exclusive behind the scenes footage before this sure to be legendary film is even complete.  Click here to see an inside look.

Presented to Grand Master Woojin Jung

by

New Life Fitness World, Jung’s Tae Kwon Do, TaeKwonDo Times,
Jung’s Black Belt Association, The Grand Master Honor Society,
The Jung Family Charitable Foundation, WTF, ITF, USAT
and the City of Cedar Rapids.

This bench commemorates the spirit of Grand Master Woojin Jung, who at age 29, came from Korea to America with only $35 to pursue the American dream. Alone and penniless, he worked as a gas station attendant. Each day, he would come lean on this tree, taking in the free smell of chicken from KFC. On Fridays, he ate his one big meal of the week for 99 cents. This tree represents the hardships he endured as a young man which developed his remarkable spirit. His indomitable spirit led him to become a successful martial artist, businessman, and founder of several charities. To this day, he returns to this tree, hugging in its renewing energy. His Tree of Inspiration is a humbling testament that believing in yourself can take you anywhere in this world.

A work in progress, a donated gift of artwork to the city of Cedar Rapids.

October's Best Seller!

I just finished reading both your books, "Eastern Spirit, Western Dreams" and "Best Instructor + Best School = Best Life". They were absolutely excellent. I could not put them down. Your biography is such an inspiration and reminds me that my life is really good and that I do not have anything to complain about. Your other book was very informative and gave me some great tips for when I hope to someday open my school. I want to make martial arts available to anyone no matter what their financial situation is. You are a great man...

--Krystal

Message From Master Jung

Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree

With the economy around the world in such a terrible state, stress is reaching higher levels than ever before. In these stressful times, crime rates rise and discipline fails. But that is when we must be strongest.

Now is a great time to join a health club, take a dance class, or start learning a martial art. Physical exertion is a stress reliever, especially the martial arts. Martial arts like Tae Kwon Do bring you new focus, new energy. They increase your discipline and boost your confidence. They make you healthier, inside and out. After an hour long TKD class, your stress will melt away, making you calmer and more at peace within yourself.

Yes, times are bad right now in the world. Companies we have known and trusted for years are folding under the pressure of a crumbling stock market. Citizens watch as their retirement accounts shrink and shrink, their house values plummet. Stress is everywhere you look. But it is in these times that we must buckle down and do our best to get through it. It is these times that make us stronger.

We must work hard for what we are earning. We cannot sit beneath the apple tree with our mouths open, waiting for the apples to fall for us and feed us. We must climb the tree and pick as many apples as we can, working hard to reap the fruit of our labors. If you never have to work for anything, you do not appreciate how you achieved it. If something is just handed to you, then you have no sense of accomplishment, take no pride in your earnings. But if you work hard and earn what you achieve, you can be proud of what you have done. You know that you are a success because of what YOU have done, not because something was handed to you.

That same message goes for our environment. For far too long, we have been wasteful as citizens of the world, reeking havoc on the planet. We have too much waste, too much garbage, use too much oil and other non-renewable resources. It is time to say that too much is enough. We must be conservative in our treatment of our world. We must make as little waste as possible, reusing and renewing wherever we can.

Conservation and hard work are the keys to surviving this economic crisis. If we are conservative with our planet, we will have more years for our children, our grandchildren. If we control our unnecessary expenses, we will be able to afford our necessities. And if you start training in the martial arts, as so many of us have, then you will find an inner peace amidst the chaos of the world outside. 

Wake Up! The Party’s Over

It’s no secret. The state of the economy in the United States and the world is tumbling down and down. Who knows how much longer and further we will fall? But as bad as it is, I can’t say I didn’t see this coming.

For the last two decades, we have watched as people need more and more in their lives. More STUFF that is. They need more inches on their TV screens, bigger SUVs to cruise around, more square footage for their homes, more technology than you can shake a stick at. It never ends, no matter what you have, you always need more. I know people living in homes the size of a small village in Africa. Literally, their house could house all the people in that village, but it may only be two people living there. The only thing that is getting smaller and definitely should be, is our garbage.

We are leaving an age of excess, a time of overspending and overneeding. Remember when only one person had to work to support an entire family? For the majority of us, that is not even possible. And do you know what part of the reason is for that? You. Plain and simple. Not just you, but me too. We all get so caught up in “keeping up with the Jones’” we forget  that we used to live with only one telephone in our home, only one car per family, and we were perfectly happy then. We forget that the stuff that makes up happiness in our lives, actually isn’t STUFF. It is people and experiences.

So we leave this time of luxury now, as the economy boils down. But you do not need to fear it. Embrace it and realize the wonderful things you still have in your life, all around you, the important things are still there. So maybe you need to downsize your home, but you still have a family to have a home with. So you won’t be able to keep that iPhone on, you still get to talk to your friends everyday. Remember the good things you have in life. And you will be rich forever. 

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Not Always Blue Skies

Look at yourself. Why are you smiling? Do you know what makes you smile and are you smiling for the right reasons? Are you smiling because you are rich, have lots of nice things, power, position and status? Those are all not real reasons to smile. They will not make you happy. You can only find true happiness with people—not with things. Things do not make you happy.

It is nice to have nice things. But it should not be what makes you happy. You should search for your happiness within yourself and the people around you. You should surround yourself with good friends, good family and you should choose them not because of what they have or where they are in life, but because they make you happy.

I will tell you a story. When I came to this country, I opened my first school in poor district of Cedar Rapids. It was a rough neighborhood. One young man in particular gave me lots of trouble. His mom was an alcoholic and his dad was in prison. He spent all his spare time picking on me, shooting out my windows with his BB gun. He was a thorn in my side for sure.

But I did not hold it against him. Soon, I took this young man under my wing and taught him TKD. He cleaned up his act and has become one of my most honored black belts. I did not care that he was poor, that he was costing me money. I cared only that I could take this young man, show him the respect and compassion of an instructor, and teach him to live a happier life. His growth as a person and as a student makes me smile even to this day.

Life is not always blue skies. Sometimes it rains and sometimes it snows. You have to adapt. Make your own happiness with the people around you and you make your own blue skies every day.
 

For more information Google or Yahoo search Woojin Jung!