Be passionate about your martial arts training and your martial arts training will improve.
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People join martial arts schools for many different reasons, perhaps wanting to learn how to fight, how to protect themselves, get fit, gain confidence or a combination of all those things. Often times those reasons change when there is a connection made to a system, teacher or school. In order to make that connection however, you have to let go of your ego.
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Your expectations can become bogged down by your own reality, and you will progress at the rate in which you train. There is nothing magic to it. Either you train or you don’t. Either you want it bad enough or you don’t. There is only one person to blame for your lack of progress, and that’s you. More importantly though, you are the one responsible for that progress!
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The martial arts are rooted in tradition, rich culture, and profound philosophy. Many students pause or stop attending regular training for whatever reason, but those who persevere with this enriching practice ultimately experience more, much more.
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Success in anything requires consistency, commitment, resilience, and drive. Strong discipline and passion are the keys to achieving your goals in any area of life.
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In any sport, coaches and trainers will encourage athletes to push past their physical limits, going beyond what their mind is telling them they are capable of. A coach’s role is to help push athletes to excellence throughout the training, doing things they never thought they could. And the martial arts are no different. Experts and masters consider discipline one of the fundamentals to success in the martial arts.
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Passion is another key attribute. The rich history and philosophy of karate and other martial arts speak volumes to anyone willing to listen. Some are immediately drawn to martial arts through the overall philosophy. Others have personally experienced how the martial arts have changed their lives for the better, which fires their passion. Once passion is discovered, an exciting journey of growth and mastery begins.
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Their passion for the martial arts moves beyond any inconvenience it may have been in their lives and they make training a high priority, because it is the heart and soul driving the desire to succeed.
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Passion is when you feel the energy….. it’s more than just enthusiasm or excitement. Passion is ambition that materializes into action, to put as much heart, body and soul into something as humanly possible.
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Remember what it was that you loved about your passion in the first place. Become obsessed. Make karate yours, live it, breathe it, find the beauty in it, go to sleep thinking about it. Don’t let your busy life get in the way, set aside time and stick to it.
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If you feel like giving up because it’s too hard, or because you think it’s not relevant to your life, this is when you will have that breakthrough, you just have to keep trying.
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Working hard for something we don’t care about is called ‘stress’. Working hard for something we love is called ‘passion’.
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There are lessons that are learnt in the dojo that we can apply to the challenges faced in everyday life. It is the journey that’s important. What we do with ourselves, our responses to times that are hard and exacting upon us. Whatever it is you want to achieve, it is going to require effort and time…… Make that effort.
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“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” – Ferdinand Foch (1851-1929)
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