| Success at home, work or on the mat is what | | | | something else and you will spend the rest of |
| drives all of us. Sooner or later, you're | | | | your life wondering "why they get all the |
| going to want something more. It's in our | | | | brakes" or "why are they so lucky". Remember, |
| very nature to succeed. It is a primary | | | | "Those who don't learn from history are |
| survival instinct. The benefits of success | | | | doomed to repeat it". This habit of quitting |
| are obvious. Sense of accomplishment, self | | | | when things get difficult is one you don't |
| worth and self-actualization are a few. | | | | want to develop. |
| Other, less obvious by-products are | | | | |
| confidence and attitude. | | | | Every career, every life, is replete with |
| | | | failure and setbacks. It's up to you to work |
| While these feelings help to drive us and are | | | | through them and force yourself to develop |
| our eventual goals and reasons to be | | | | the habit of getting up again and again and |
| successful, they do little in helping us | | | | again. |
| become successful. They are psychological | | | | |
| effects of accomplishment. The real technical | | | | Everything that happens in the Dojo is |
| growth, the real "nuts and bolts" lay in | | | | symbolic of life. That's way Dojo literally |
| every setback and every failure. | | | | means "WAY PLACE". It's the place to study |
| | | | THE WAY. Simply put, the way of everything, |
| Vince Lombardi said, "Show me a good loser | | | | the way of life. When you miss a technique or |
| and I'll show you a loser" why correct in | | | | have difficulty learning a skill, you train |
| it's spirit. There is far more to be gained | | | | to improve and become competent at that |
| from our losses than our triumphs. Every loss | | | | skill. When you are injured you train |
| is a tool for improvement. Because it's only | | | | yourself to work with your injury. |
| when you fail, that you look inside yourself | | | | |
| to determine what went wrong and how to | | | | What's the difference between an injured |
| correct it. With each failure you are forced | | | | shoulder, a bad back or a broken hand than |
| to rally your courage and rise to the | | | | someone who is short, slow and slight of |
| occasion. | | | | build? Should those people not even try? |
| | | | Maybe we should tell everyone under 5'5" and |
| After you win, you concentrate on the | | | | 120 pounds, "Don't Bother". |
| achievement of your goal rather than the | | | | |
| mistakes you made. Your very nature allows | | | | Last week we concluded a five-week training |
| you to enjoy the accomplishment and gain | | | | course with a group of people with a wide |
| confidence and attitude. Which are extremely | | | | variety of disabilities from slight learning |
| powerful tools, because BELIEVEING you can be | | | | problems to severe physical issues. All of |
| successful is a lot more powerful than | | | | these people, everyday learned to adapt and |
| THINKNG you can be successful. But these | | | | over come themselves and their environment. |
| don't help you improve technically or | | | | They developed the skill of overcoming |
| spiritually. | | | | obstacles. They came to the same conclusion |
| | | | that this is my life and like the man says, |
| Every loss, every injury, every defeat is an | | | | "Get busy living or get busy dying". This is |
| opportunity for growth. It's easy to have fun | | | | the real reason you study bushido. |
| when everything goes smoothly, but when does | | | | |
| that ever happen? We think everyone has it | | | | Skills are habits, habits, and both good and |
| easier than we do. This is obviously not the | | | | bad are learned behaviors. On the mat you |
| case. EVERYONE has the same issues that you | | | | learn how to overcome set backs and |
| do. It's all relative to everyone: a hangnail | | | | adversity. Listen, you will never be 100%. |
| seems like a big deal to someone who has | | | | You will never be perfect. There will always |
| never broken a finger. The difference is, | | | | be something wrong. It's how you handle your |
| some people deal with them and move forward, | | | | setbacks and obstacles that make you who you |
| others rationalize their decision and go | | | | are. Martial Arts are about overcoming |
| home. | | | | adversity. It allows you to practice these |
| | | | habits in a "controlled" environment. It |
| Dealing with a setback forces you to be | | | | teaches you to develop these habits. These |
| honest and critical with yourself. This isn't | | | | habits are imprinted on you and become a part |
| an easy thing to do. But once you've | | | | of your behavior. These behaviors are what |
| abandoned the excuses and stopped pointing | | | | make the difference between a life lived and |
| the finger, only then will you really grow | | | | living a life. |
| and improve. | | | | |
| | | | The more and more I study; the more I realize |
| All natural ability aside, what separates the | | | | what a genius Kano was. He developed Judo to |
| good from the not so good and the God-awful, | | | | articulate the real benefits of bushido. He |
| is the ability to take a real long and hard | | | | developed a way to train life's most |
| look in the mirror and take stock. You will | | | | important skills: appreciation and respect of |
| always hear excuses, we all have them. If you | | | | one another, efficiency or best use of |
| chose to stop at the excuse, you will remain | | | | resources, and purpose. |
| there.; technically, mentally and physically. | | | | |
| You will be forced to repeat the same failure | | | | Enjoy your setbacks, learn from them, because |
| over and over again. It's a cycle of habit. | | | | after you accomplish your goal, they are what |
| Because if it's not this, it will be | | | | you will remember and they will matter most. |