Today we’d like to introduce you to Ken Sills.
Hi Ken, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Award-winning author, Ken Sills, graduated from Hazelwood West and then attended Southeast Missouri State University where he studied creative writing, philosophy, theology, martial arts, and music.
He is the author of the series of horror/suspense novels; Tattoo: A Beautiful Sin, Tattoo: The Soul Reaper, and Tattoo: The Most Dangerous Game as well as the fantasy novel, The Lycan Chronicles: Battle of Lunaris.
Life is an adventure and Ken has spent his, traveling and exploring the world. He now shares his adventures with the love of his life, Alyson.
Ken now calls the St. Charles area, home.
Ken has been involved in the martial arts for over 30 years. Ken, or “Sifu Ken” to his students, is a 5th degree Black Belt and owns Ohana Martial Arts in St. Charles, where he teaches weekly classes to typically developing people as well as people with special needs. The motto at Ohana is “Martial Arts for EVERYONE!”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of my strongest traits is my perseverance. I always think back to Yoda saying, “Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.” When I put my mind to something, my belief is that I’m going to accomplish that thing, not just try to do it. In high school, I had to carry the biggest bass drum that the school had “Big Birtha.” It was so heavy and hurt my back so bad, but I was always determined to finish the half-time shows and parades. I earned my Black Belt in Kajukenbo in 1999 after a nine-hour test. Physically, the hardest day of my life, but I persevered. I feel that if I put my mind to something, I can achieve just about anything.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
When he’s not writing or teaching martial arts, Ken enjoys working for “Living With Purpose of Missouri,” caring for people with Autism.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Believe in your abilities. You have more potential than you know! You’re not going to get what you want by doubting yourself at every turn. Visualize your successes, then visualize what you need to do in order to make that happen, and then turn that visualization into action in the here and now.
Don’t be afraid to fail
No life follows a straight line. Maybe a relationship you cherished unravels or a project you were working on doesn’t come to fruition — it doesn’t matter what it is, we’ve all fallen short in some way. The key is to figure out how to learn from that setback. Again, in the words of Yoda, “Failure, the best teacher is.”
Pricing:
- Books are $20 with a discount for buying more than 1
- Classes are $110/month with family and 6 month membership discounts
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ohana.kajukenbo.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OhanaMartialArts
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ohanamartialarts5235
