Jim's Biography

OK, I'm the "Karate Guy"!

I first started to promote Dynamic Components of Personal Power and my associated programs called "Black Belt Business" in 2006. When asked what I do I responded with a short "elevator speech" prepared about personal power and how I could help people unlock their fullest potential to develop greater happiness and productivity in business and personal life blah, blah, blah, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

The usual reply was, "Ya, but aren't you the karate guy?"

Sometimes we gain victory by avoiding the fight! So, OK, I'm the "Karate Guy". The fact is that most of what I'm teaching to people in business and in the general public comes from what I've learned in my life as a martial artist, a "karate guy".

I started training in martial arts in 1985 earning my first Black Belt in Shaolin Kenpo Karate in 1991. At the same time, two wonderful things were happening in my life. I was enjoying greater success in the music business and I was becoming more deeply involved in martial arts training.

As I was earning my Black Belt, I began to teach martial arts under the direction of my master at the time. The martial arts had already become a powerful force in my life. The more I taught I began to truly enjoy sharing the arts with others and became fascinated with the process of helping others access their fullest human potential through the arts.

During my life so far, I have been a television producer, publisher, volunteer firefighter, musician, radio disk jockey, construction worker, janitor, football coach, hot dog vendor, manager, employee and entrepreneur. For me the common thread throughout all these incredible opportunities was that of teacher. People have always looked to me for information and guidance. I did not always feel equipped for or comfortable in that role! I had to seek training that would help me develop my confidence and sense of direction in my life. For me, this led to a life-long journey in martial arts.

In 1994 started my first martial arts school. Since then I founded and I am the Master Instructor of Northern Chi Martial Arts Centers. I designed this system to share the benefits of martial arts training with anyone willing to take the journey! As my system grew I found other instructors who embraced my mission and developed Northern Chi Headquarters to share my experience and knowledge in martial arts and business. We have now grown to 4 centers serving students throughout Maine.

As our martial arts business grew, I saw the need to develop media to support our curriculum. I created San Chi Publishing to address this need. We publish a complete series of martial arts books and instructional videos and now, of course, we publish the "Dynamic Components of Personal Power" materials.

Sometime in 2006 I came to a life-changing realization. I began to really examine why my martial arts program helped so many people realize their fullest potential. I started to isolate the key elements I use to help martial artists develop power in their training.

I also realized that these same principles can be applied to daily life and to people outside the martial arts! This realization gave birth to "Dynamic Components of Personal Power".

I use these principles on a daily basis. I attribute my success as leader and entrepreneur directly to my understanding and application of these principles. Once I began to understand the fundamental "components" of power, I was able to apply them to generate my own personal power and share that power with others.

I am a work in progress. I am dedicated to the martial arts principle of "beginner's mind". This means that no matter what I do and where I go, I approach each day with an open mind and heart and a desire to learn all I can. I promise that whatever I learn I will share with you!

Dynamic Components of Personal Power can change your life as it has mine! I can share the concepts with you; you must prepare yourself to do the work! If you want a short-cut to personal success, there are others who will make that promise and if you're lucky, I suppose deliver on that promise.

From my experience I can say that self-improvement is hard work and it takes a long time. In fact, for myself I hope this work is never done! You only stand on the mountaintop for a moment; it's the journey that provides all the best memories!

Let's get started today!

Highlights in the Career of Jim Bouchard

Professional Associations

The "Chaos" Connection...

    "In Dynamic Components of Personal Power I talk about the importance of using our leisure time for life-enhancing experiences. Sometimes the most incredible experiences come when we least expect them and are not looking for them!

    In 2004 I was talking with one of the Northern Chi instructors about football. It turns out he was the head coach of a semi-pro football team, the Midcoast Chaos. They needed a kicker. It further turns out that for the past couple of years I had been practicing place kicking as a way to work out in the open air and relax. It also turns out that I was turning 44 years old and was looking for a good mid-life crises. I had always wanted to play football and never had any desire for sports cars, so it looked like football would do the trick. I signed on for the 2005 season!

    Not satisfied with just kicking, I began to punt and play safety. Although not the oldest active player in the league, I was pretty proud of the way I was hanging in there with competition from kids aged 18 and up. In my first four games I got three interceptions and started to get the hang of kicking with 1,500 pounds plus of humanity trying to get in my face.

    In our fifth game, I was lined up to punt when I chose to try to run out a bad snap for a first down. I felt a tug at the back of my pads and then a flash of heat across my right leg. As I went to the ground I could see my right foot swinging up somewhere between my ankle and my knee. Before I hit the ground I knew I had broken my leg.

    As luck would have it, I did a very nice job breaking my leg! Both the tibia and fibula were shattered. My tibia exploded into about 12 pieces. As luck would also have it, a friend set me up with Dr. Rodrigue who had worked on the New England Patriots. His opinion was that I had indeed done a very nice job messing up my leg, and that with some hard work I'd be ready to play football again next season!

    My Chaos teammates had become like family to me. With their support and especially the support of my wife I began my rehab. In 2006 I returned to the field. One of the proudest moments in my life was when my coach informed me that I was the number one kicker in the New England Football League! He and my teammates voted me onto the 2006 NEFL All-Star Team along with one of my best friends, our long-snapper Stan "Smokey" Hicks. Smokey is 51 years young this year!

    Sometimes the best experiences seem to come out of nowhere. Be open to new experiences at all times and at any age! At a time when many of my peers consider themselves "over the hill" I'm enjoying an entirely new experience that's keeping me young! Football became such a positive force in my life that I volunteered as an assistant coach at a prep school nearby. My "midlife crises" has turned into a new and rewarding adventure!

    As of this writing Smokey and I are preparing for next season and a run at the league championship.

MRC

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Last modified: 06/18/08.