Now there’s a Kaicho-ism… “Posture gives me Balance. Balance gives me Power” Kaicho says it regularly, we say it in class regularly. The question is, do we listen to what is being said?
Well, the proof was in the pudding yesterday. Shihan Richardson was staying at my place for his semi-regular overnight training spree when another student showed up on Saturday morning. I have trained this particular person since day one, and you get used to seeing things a certain way.
Having this opportunity for Shihan to assess my student’s technique was a chance for me to gain someone else’s opinion of their abilities - too good a chance to miss.
I left Shihan for a while and when I returned, Shihan looked at me and said…
“Wigwam and Teepee…”
I thought about this for a while as I tried to remember the joke, but to no avail - I looked sideways at Shihan and he said “Two tents…” (Wigwam and Teepee - 2 tents… Ah yes, the joke…)
There’s another interpretation to this and its a common one in Shihan’s book - “two tents” = “too tense"…
I’d always known that this particular student was tense in his motion, but I could never see why, what or where - I’d keep telling him to relax, but couldn’t pick exactly what was the root cause of the tension.
Shihan asks a few questions, and identifies that the source of the tension is poor posture. OK, but this goes deeper - we’re not just talking posture in Karate here, we’re talking about his spinal posture in general.
Again, Karate connects with and interacts with our daily life. We spent some time talking about good posture and the benefits of therapeutic care to correct and assist with maintaining good posture before making some changes to our students’ posture and having them perform kata again.
The difference was immediately apparent - incorrect posture was causing their technique to look stifled and “jammed up". A couple of small changes and things started to look much better.
Having spent the last 2 years working with a Chiropractor to correct my own postural problems and work through some spinal issues I have, I know how hard it is to correct bad posture. My own work is by no means done, but I know the difference it’s made in all areas of my life.
Working in the outer fringes of the computer industry, you spend most of your time hunched over keyboards, staring at monitors. One of the best things I did was buy the biggest monitor I could afford so I could easily see everything with or without glasses. A good office chair that promotes good posture was also a wise investment.
I can see the differences in my own posture and I feel better in myself from the changes I have made.
Having highlighted the postural work required for our student, we completed what we were working on and chatted for a bit about how best to attack their postural issues on a holistic basis. Shihan made some suggestions about postural changes while working, and we discussed how best to improve this in class and to assess other students for similar problems.
As I said earlier, Karate interacts with daily life - Karate no Michi - to use Karate as the path to a good life full of meaning and reward. We experience this every day and probably don’t even bat an eyelid. Once we begin walking the Karate path, we start experiencing the benefits in all aspects of our lives.
Good karate training will improve things in the lives of our students and all the people they interact with.
Gassho!
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Hello everyone, despite what some might think, I am still kicking, training and teaching.
Just haven’t had the time nor gumption to write in the blog.
The bussiness of college, writing papers, procastinating, teaching, training, not training, trying to have a sane life, succedding and failing at those attempts have kept me from writing.
But thats neither here nor there. I am on spring break right now.
I have trained with Mr. Rob Moller from VA Beach and Mr. Cameron Depue, originally from Missouri now in N.C. Both have been very good experiences which I will go in more depth later about.
For right now I am just popping in to say I am alive. Hope all is well with y’all.
Jon-san
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Osu!
In our study of the Martial Arts, we often hear that we aren’t to start fights - don’t throw the first punch and so on… In time, we also hear that we should stand up to injustice and to protect others wherever possible.
This is not a call to become vigilantes or enter a career of Law Enforcement necessarily, but we are allowed to stand up for what we believe in and to stand up for our rights. Martial Arts training should help you to find the courage to stand up for yourself whenever you need to.
Here’s a little story about how standing up for yourself can pay off…
We brought a new TV a couple of years back - a nice big plasma TV, $6000 worth of nice big Plasma TV in fact (yes, I know it’s WAY over the top - but I like TV!
). We took advantage of a finance offer which gave us 18 months interest free and no repayments. Our intention was to pay for the TV before this period expired.
Eighteen months later, we circled a date on our calendar to pay off the debt. Unfortunately, we circled a date which was a couple of days late.
So, we ring up the finance company to settle the debt and are told we’ve missed our Interest Free date by about 2 days, and sorry we’ve just added a horrendous lump of interest - about $3000 worth, but by no means all the interest that will be added over the term of the contract.
Here’s the maths… The TV was $6000, if we ran the full 36 months of the finance contract, the total interest would have brought the contract price to just under $10500. That’s a lot of interest!
So, we explain to this guy that we messed up and is there a chance that, in good faith, they’d come to the party and waive the interest? Short answer (in fact, only answer) “No”
OK, there’s a lesson in getting things right - circle the right date on your calendar otherwise it could cost you thousands!
We begin paying off the contract at just over $550 per month - we see no reason in making a lump payment as the company informs us that we’ll still have to pay interest on the 18 month period.
Right, moving ahead 6 more months. We’ve paid just under $4500 for our TV and it’s getting to be a sore point. I decide to ring this company and get a settlement figure - we’ve got more money in the bank, so we can pay a bit more and write the whole episode off to experience.
I ring the company and get a figure of $5500 to settle the debt 12 months earlier. Hang on - we’re settling 2/3 through the contract, and it’s costing me nearly the same amount? How does this work? We’re saving only $500 to settle 12 months early - this isn’t right.
In this first call, I spend only 10 minutes on the phone before I hang up feeling somewhat confused. I sit around for a while trying to work this out, then I ring these guys again…
Different person, different department - he offers to have a look anyway… He can’t work it out either - he thinks it’s wrong too. He transfers me back to the HP department to discuss this further.
The last phone call took 45 minutes, involved shouting, profuse reading of contracts and quoting of the law and many, many threats of legal action. I couldn’t even get a Manager to speak to me - they all refused, believing that their computer was 100% correct, and I was just an idiot trying to get out of contractual obligations.
In the end, this lady gets back on the phone and she says… “Oh, I am terribly sorry, we appear to have loaded your account incorrectly and the settlement figure is wrong…”
Following this change in direction, she informs me that our settlement figure is $3000 less than previously quoted! Yes - I was happy.
So, this tells us that when you believe you’re right, it’s best to stick to your guns and to fight for your rights.
Having said that - about 30 minutes into that last phone call, I was devising a way to exit the argument while retaining some honour and dignity if I was found to be in the wrong - a good back-up plan to have in place!
In our Guiding Principles, particularly number 3, we hear the words, Cultivate a spirit of perseverance. We also hear it in Dojo Kun number 3 - Cultivate perseverance or a will for striving.
The fact that this concept appears in both documents shows its importance.
In years gone by, in Okinawa, it was the responsibility of the educated Samurai to protect and serve the people. Depending on the Saumrai in question, this role would have extended into Law Enforcement and maybe even into what we’d define as a Lawyers role these days.
As we understand it, the Okinawan Samurai was an educated professional whose actions and standing within the community was a beacon to all and a shining example of living an honourable life.
As our art traces its origin to these people, we also have a commission to maintain that type of lifestyle - particularly our Yudansha. Our Black Belt leaders must work hard to set an example for others to follow. They are reminded of this on a constant basis.
Guiding Principle number 4 tells us to “Strive to be a Warrior for the construction of a peaceful and free world…” I think this also extends into standing up for what you believe in. This doesn’t give a person the right to force their opinions onto others, but it does give the right to protect your beliefs and interests when they are threatened.
Guiding Principle number 5 tells us “In daily conduct, do not encourage fights or arguments.”
This would appear to be in conflict with the story I have just told. Had I not picked a fight, I’d be $3000 out of pocket.
The lesson here is that there is a time and place to stand up for yourself. Nowhere in our Guiding Principles or Dojo Kun does it say “Lie down and be steamrolled by people who are out to do you wrong.”
You have a right to stand up and protect yourself. That right is protected by Law.
Become an educated samurai - learn the lessons you need to learn so you can stand up and stop the steamrollers of life as they approach you, your friends and your family. But always, always, always be prepared to humbly accept defeat if you’re proven to be wrong.
Gassho.
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Osu!
While driving long diatance for work a couple of days ago, I was listening to the audio book version of The Way of Zen - a book written by Alan Watts in 1957 covering a basic introduction to the Zen path and the philosophy behind it.
For those who may not be aware, Zen permeates the Japanese culture, and pays particular importance in Bushido - the Way of the Warrior. Incidentally, this does not mean that Zen necessarily played a large part in Okinawan Bushido as the two cultures were not always hand in hand.
As a brief aside, have a look at this article - this sums up our primary goal in Karate impressively… http://www.karate.org.nz/gojuryu/zen
Anyway, the audio book addressed an occurrence during the stages of learning Zen which reminded me of a saying from Bruce Lee’s book the Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Although not quite verbatim, Lee makes a statement something like this:
“Before I learned the art, a punch was a punch, a kick was a kick. While I studied the art, I found that a punch was not a punch and a kick was not a kick. Now I understand the art, a punch is a punch, a kick is a kick.”
For years, I thought I understood this. As I have grown and my own understanding of both Zen and Karate has developed, I find that I didn’t understand it as I do now. Does this mean I didn’t understand it at all? No, I just saw it differently - as I expect I will in another 20 years.
Before continuing - stop for a few minutes and see if you can derive your own understanding of that passage…
Studying Karate will take you through a series of progressions that will assist you to understand what the saying means. You will develop your own interpretation and, I expect that your definition will change in time as mine has, and still continues to do.
The next part of the book which caught my attention was in relation to a subject on understanding the meaning of Buddha-mind. The definition of which is not important here, but the way in which Zen practitioners explain it is important and relevant to us.
The story goes something along the lines that a Zen monk asked his Master “What is Buddha-mind?", to which the Master answers “9 pounds of flax.” Thinking about this brings the same kind of empty mindedness as a good Zen Koan like “Why is a mouse when it spins?”
The importance, in Karate, of this “mind numbing experience” is profound. When the mind sits still and shuts up, no predefined “next move” exists - this is critical in combat and is called “Mushin” which means “No Mind.” “No Mind” or “Empty Mind” is not stupidity, blankness or anything which may be interpreted to mean that one is lacking in mental ability. Mushin is the exact opposite - a mind which is completely capable of anything as it has no boundaries or conditions of operation.
This is perfect for combat as the mind simply sits quietly ready to respond to whatever happens - as opposed to sitting noisily… “Will it be a punch? What kind of punch? Left or right? What if it’s a kick? What am I having for Lunch? Is my underwear clean? Why did I sleep so badly last night? Hey, there’s a dog!…” and so on…
The mind is never still, unless we trick it into being so, then train it to replicate the state all the time - hence the underlying purpose of Zen.
Anyhoo - Mushin is important because true technique and skill arises out of the quiet of the mind. It can be said that technique comes from the void - i.e. it is produced out of “no-thing-ness". In class, we mistake ourselves by believing that we are practicing techniques for Life Protection, when we are really examining and understanding Core Principles and Target Skills - not techniques. There is no point in learning how to “block” a right handed straight punch to the head - Why? Simple - no one will ever throw the exact same right handed straight punch to your head as that which you have practiced, hence your technique will most likely fail.
An attacker may throw “a punch” at your head, but chances are that the exact “technique” you learned wont be applicable - because things will not be the same.
I have a red bucket - I use it to wash my car (or more correctly, my kids use it to wash my car…) I have a green bucket - I use it to collect fruit and vegetables from my garden. Once, I lost my red bucket and I was able to collect produce from my garden, but my car never got washed. Another time, I lost my green bucket - I had a clean car, but I watched all my favorite fruits and vegetables get eaten by the birds and insects (not entirely bad, as insects and birds must eat too.)
Right now, you’re thinking “why not wash out the red bucket and collect your fruit?” or, “Why not wash your car with your green bucket?". This is exactly the problem with “techniques” - they place restrictions on how we can or cannot use our skills and concepts.
A hand motion which catches a front kick may also catch a gut punch, or it may also allow us to release ourselves from a grip, or it may allow us to throw someone. Why restrict the use of the bucket?
This is the true meaning of Karate “Empty Hand” - “Unrestricted Hand.” A hand with no restrictions as to how and what it may be used for. We do, of course, prefer that our methods be used to protect life as opposed to causing suffering to others - this is a moral guideline which goes hand in hand with the study of our art, in much the same way as in owning a gun, it is preferred that you use it for hunting, or target shooting as opposed to robbing banks.
In Zen, a student is compelled to understand the unlimited potential of emptiness. A bucket is only useful because of its emptiness, likewise a cup, a pot or a barrel. A window is only useful because of its emptiness. A door is only useful because of its emptiness.
Emptiness removes restrictions and conditions of use and action.
And so, the understanding of kata falls into the same bizarre understanding… Before you learned the art, a kata looked weird and pointless. As you study the art, a kata becomes a source of Core Principles and Target Skills. Once you understand the art, a kata is a kata - not weird, but nothing more than a way to attain skill and preserve the teachings of historical Masters.
When we study our art, we learn basic kata to help us learn skills and principles. Then we learn Kuzushi Kata or Nagare which help us learn more advanced skills and principles. These advanced teachings, in turn, improve our basic kata, which in turn improve our advanced skills ad infinitum. Why is constant, repetitious practice of kata so important?
If we restrict our understanding of kata to simply “A way to preserve historical information” or “A collection of life protection techniques” or whatever definition you may have, we remove the ability to gain so much more from our kata.
Why can’t kata be a repository for anatomical and physiological study? Or, perhaps, a laboratory for understanding advanced physics and motion? How about a way to tap into technical information which springs from “No-thing-ness"?
To restrict our understanding or interpretation of our art is to restrict our understanding of life itself. This may be why many advanced martial artists become spiritual people - not necessarily religious people, but often spiritual people who have gained an understanding of life and our place in it through spending time in un-restricted “no-thing-ness”
Another great Zen concept is that which says something like “The eye can never see itself looking at what it sees…” This sounds so obvious, so why do we spend so much time in life looking to see the eye?
We certainly do this in the martial arts, we spend so much time trying to gain deeper understanding, to learn the “secret technique” which will make us invincible. Or, perhaps constantly training harder and harder to get better, only to find we’re over-training and we end up getting worse!
The answer lies in our Guiding Principles, perhaps particularly in #1 and #9. “When asking to be taught, be submissive and accept the teachings as shown…” and “Do not become too theoretical or technical…”
If we simply, shut up, stop thinking, stop trying so hard and “Just do it” (Cheers Nike) we may find that the answers to all our questions simply appear in our quiet mind as if they had come from a void…
Gassho…
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..hi dr.nick
Alright as not to get to behind on journalling
Wendsday: Was busy with classes ( a new class time dropped on me) so personal training got side tracked. Class that night was interesting. We had a new student who had some years of Ed Parker Kenpo although had taken the schools TKD course so there was some positioning problems we were fixing up. He had to sit out for some of the class because of a heart condition, but he said he’ll work on going at his own pace during the calestenics. Managed to get the new ones into some exercise one movements pass the basic kihon. Got some the ‘older folk’ to Pinan Shodan. first time I taught Pinan to more then one person. It was interesting and somewhat funny to see the ‘typical’problems people tend to have when first starting this Kata.We got as far the nukite. The turning was the toughest part, soI had them work only up to there. A fairly good class.
Thursday: Again got hammered with alot of work. Then I had to do a good bit of cleaning of our bathroom (hurray for 5 guys using the same bathroom) suffice to say that took up a good bit of time. Finally hit the gym and got on the ungodly thing known as the treadmill again. When it is pretty blisteringly cold though, it was a good thing. Ran about 3 miles and jogged about 1 1/2 miles. I use to be able to go alot faster and lot longer in high school, so it will take time to get back to that point. I was pretty tired after that so after a quick Wawa run(http://www.wawa.com/) I hit the sack.
Friday: Started writting up a psuedo syllabus for the club. Trying to see if I need to put alot of Japanese terms on there. We use quite a few in class however some I found I use more then others, so I am still working on that.Did some small forarm weights in my dorm and hit the gym again. Worked at lot of my back and arms and got 3 miles in on the treadmonster. After that I was exhuasted from that on top of yesterdays treading. Class that night was interesting. A few people have fallen ill (cold season here in PA) Bobby-sans wife joined us for a class and she did rather well. I have Bobby-san every once in awhile pull something ‘out of his hat’ for the class to use in terms of calestenics. I know alot about karate but about the human body I am embarrased to say I am a bit ignorant. Anne-san (bobbys wife) got through the 5 basic blocks alright and got her punching good. One student who had shoulder issues couldn’t use his arms so I had him go straight into kicking and the Naihanchi cross overs. He picked up to it like a duck to water. The newer people got Exercise one down, which I was a little surprised by. The pinan group worked the four shutos after the nukite and struggled for a bit the turns but managed to get there.
One thing I’ll have to work on is getting the whole class doing the same thing together. Its not bad having them seperated working on different things, however there is something to be said about the whole group doing something altogether.
I will try to write after I train today.
Yours in service,
Jon
There are no excuses for my lack of training.
I have been hitting the gym most of this week.
Monday:worked arms, lifted a bit stupidly, just doing curls then a machine. I am getting educated in how weight training works but I am still pretty ‘weak’ as it were. Then I got on the treadmonster and got about 3 miles in.
Tuesday: 5 1/2 miles on the treadmonster. ‘marched’ about 2 jogged 2 actually ran 1 1/2. Would have gone longer..but gym people suck. Plain and simple.
Wendsday: Lifted again and did about 2 1/2 miles on the tread mile. Worked on my stomach. Really out of shape..as Kaicho says the ‘mcdonalds’ (even though I avoid that place like the dickens)
Class Wendsday. It went rather well. Worked the newer people on Exercise one. Got through Pinan Shodan with the higher belts and my one ‘middle child’ got Naihanchi Sandan. One of the newer guys, Ian said he couldn’t make it Friday but he wanted to get some training in so he wouldn’t be too behind. So I told him 7:30 am the next day.
Thursday: at 7:30 Ian-san and I worked him through Exercise 1 and some of the finner points of the basics. He picked it up pretty well for just starting ANYTHING. We trained for about an hour before we knocked off. I went to the gym..felt disappointed I only got 5 miles in, but my body wouldn’t let me go farther..Bobby came by to sleep over( thursday hes the third roommate) talked me through a daily routine.
Friday: No personal training. School and exhuastion from the night prior (5 hours) got to me. Taught the new people Naihanchi Shodan and they actually picked it up very well. We had a smalled class about 6. I am going to assume that our numbers will only range for 6-8 but still more then 4 max. Afterwords tried to make a point about Bo..but got smacked in the head …learned the hard way to ‘move’ somewhat embarrasing however I did ‘correct’ the person on how not to hold a Bo like baseball bat.
Today: No training. I have lots of work to do…and it might not get done..
No excuses for not training…but expect to get dissapointed. I am from Philly area. Rocky lost, Tom Hanks got fired for having AIDs, and we a mayor named Nutter. Expectations are to be low.
Jon
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What makes you get out of bed when you don’t want to?
Today is one of those days when I didn’t want to get out of bed. The other members of my family are all sick, I’m not too flash either, but life doesn’t stop just because we have an off-peak day or two - so the question must be asked, what makes us get out of bed when we don’t want to?
For most people, the simplest reason is money - if you stay in bed, you don’t get paid. It’s a lot easier if you’ve got some Annual Leave or Sick Days up your sleeve, but if none of those are available, no work = no money which sometimes means bigger problems to deal with later.
If money isn’t the motivator, then maybe is goals - if you don’t make daily progress towards your goals, then they may slip away. Again, great if you’re goals motivated, but what of you’re not?
Maybe you’re still at school. If so, then I’d hazard a guess that your motivation won’t be money or “goals", but grades; no school = failed subjects. If you’re still at school and good grades aren’t your motivation, then perhaps you need to look at what you expect from your life and ask yourself would it be better to eat lunch at home or at your job?
The better option is to, perhaps, get out of bed simply because trying to feel better may actually make you feel better. It’s a fact, change your focus and you’ll change your emotional state. For me, this is often the underlying motivator that gets me out of the fart sack when there’s no real reason to do so. If I’m feeling crappy, then getting up and doing something often helps.
We can relate this back to Karate (not that we have to, but hey - why not?) There are always times when the Dojo is the last place in the universe that we want to be in. Sometimes we can sneak a night off… other times, we go anyway.
Although I can’t speak for anyone else, I don’t think I’ve ever gone to class on one of “those nights” and come away feeling worse for the effort I’ve put in - regardless of how lame that effort may have been, if I give it something, I always get something back.
Maybe that’s why staying in bed isn’t always the answer… if we get up and give it what little we have, at least at the end of the day when we crawl back into the pit, we’ll have achieved something positive for our efforts.
Gassho!
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Osu!
Life, as we know it, is far to easy to become concerned with what everyone else is doing as opposed to the hard task of making sure we are getting it right.
It hurts when we look at ourselves and see things we don’t like - like my flabby gut that won’t go away “no matter how hard I think I try". The fact is I’ve got a flabby gut because I don’t work hard enough to get rid of it - plain and simple. So, I’m trying to make a better effort to get rid of my flabby gut.
Because it hurts, we try to occupy ourselves and take away the pain by finding something that hurts someone else more - think about it… It’s always funnier when a falling brick hits someone else in the head, right? If it was your own head - you’d scream blue murder - after you regained consciousness.
When I look out out at my neighbors garden and see the weeds 4′ high - I sigh and relax - why? because I ran mine over with a lawnmower the day before 
This is the kind of “quick fix” modern life has told us it’s OK to accept.
If I really wanted to live my life according to our Dojo Kun and Guiding Principles, I’d be out there at any free moment making my garden look like the perfect examples we see in Japanese Zen temples - perfectly raked, not a rock out of place, no weeds - a contemplative landscape where enlightenment is a phone call waiting to be answered by the willing.
I’ll be the first to admit that I take a similar approach to my Karate (no, not the Zen garden approach either) - not quite as rash, but similar in many ways. When it’s cool outside, and I could be training or working out kinks in my kata, I’m hanging out with my wife having a quiet beer.
Now that’s not all bad - a quiet beer is a good thing, time with my wife and/or kids is also a good thing (shhh! - don’t tell the kids! ) but I know there are times when the beer can go aside and I can get things done - do I? Not always.
Balance is important in life. Like anyone, I try to balance my family, with my training, with my work - however, as is often the case, one of these factors takes precedence. Over the course of a year, I’m sure everything and everyone gets their fair share and in general I feel like I’m getting somewhere.
One thing I’ve learned since becoming a part of the Alliance is that, if I’m doing a good job at what I do, I don’t need to worry about what anyone else is doing. If I’ve got it right, others will see that and either decide to join in the fun, or maybe tell me I’ve got some right thing in some right place at some right time.
Many years back, I used to be more concerned about worrying who else was screwing up - I didn’t actually stop to realise that I was one of them. The big thing here is that we are all screwing up - frequently, constantly and occasionally with spectacular consequences.
That’s part of the human experience. They say “To err is human, to really screw things up - you need a computer…” I have a couple of different takes on that… I say “To err is human, if the computer screwed up - someone told it to…” or, “To err is human, but what have we learned from it?”
Today’s life can be a complicated jumble of “conformance” and “performance” - Do I have everything that everyone else expects me to? And, am I doing what everyone else expects me to?
Maybe we need to change the focal point a bit and take a different slant on things. How about “How do I feel about what I’ve got?” and “Am I doing what I expect of myself?”
For Ryukyu Kempo people, we can look to the Dojo Kun and Guiding Principles and use them as a benchmark for our internal performance assessments. If I’m honestly happy that I’m doing the best I can to “stick to the rules” (as it were), and I’m not comparing my conformance and performance with someone else, then as I see it, maybe I’m halfway getting somewhere towards where I want me to be.
Off to check the garden…
Gassho!
Marty
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Yeah - OK,
I just wrote one of these… I’m not bored, I just thought this was interesting…
Here I am trying to lose some weight and get a bit healthier (sounds like a New Years resolution huh?) and I’m thinking “I’ll drink less Coke and beer, and more fruit juice…”
Have you ever looked at the sugar content in many fruit juices? It’s outrageous!
My favorite beer has less sugar per 100ml than my favorite fruit juice!
If you’re trying to shed some pounds, or just get healthier, start reading the nutritional info on the back of whatever you’re eating or drinking. I have - and it’s been quite enlightening.
Things that I thought would be high in fat are actually far more healthier than I thought, and the things that I thought wouldn’t be so bad (although not necessarily perfect) turn out to be as bad as soft drink…
I’m yet to find a healthy Steak and Cheese pie though…
Don’t assume your eating healthy food - they say that assumption is the Mother of all F…
(Frigtheningly Scary Discoveries)
Gassho!
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Osu!
Anyone not living under a rock in New Zealand right now will tell you it’s hot - real hot. What’s worse is that the holidays are over for us working folk and no matter what the weather, we’ve got to get things done. Oh to be a school kid again!
Times like this, I miss my old air-conditioned office and my comfy chair. Had I have stayed working where I was, I wouldn’t have been able to make the commitment I have to the Alliance and all this would not be happening - so I’m happy I traded my air-con and chair, besides my own office chair isn’t so bad anyway.
Whether it’s the weather that’s making things difficult, or any other factor that makes whatever task you need to get done unpleasant, it’s how we deal with it that counts. If things simply have to get done, you simply have to get to it and do it.
The same applies in our training. When it’s hot in summer, or cold in winter, the people who get to every class and give it everything they’ve got are the ones who will stand with us as Yudansha and Leaders within our Alliance.
When a grading examination is getting hard, it’s those who dig in and push it harder that get the results they desire.
One of my old Instructors used to say that Karate is like a piggy bank - you’ll only ever get out what you put in. Heard that one before?
Another Ryukyu Instructor in New Zealand also says the only difference between a beginner and a Black Belt is that the Black Belt didn’t quit.
Renshi Lawson from Warrensburg in the US says the hardest thing about Karate is walking through the Dojo door for every class.
The same can be said for your working life. For most people, work is a necessity - no money equals big problems. Having said that, we choose to go to that same place every day, we choose to work in our particular careers, we also have the choice to change anything that isn’t making us happy or heading us in the direction we want life to go. Who steers your canoe on the river of life? Is it you?
I’ve been known to say “dissatisfaction is the key to a successful life…” I borrowed that from Tony Robbins. The more unhappy you are with things in your life, the more motivation you can stir up to change those things.
Sometimes, it seems easier to simply lay down and let the steam roller drive over you, but anyone who calls themselves “A Karate Person” (the proper term is “Karateka") isn’t the type of person who will let life’s steamrollers pass over unimpeded.
When it seems like a good day to stay in bed instead of going to work, or when it seems like a good night to stay home from class - think about the steamroller bearing down on you…
Gassho!
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