This morning I woke up and had this major epiphany or “ah ha” moment that was like a nuclear bomb went off in my head. If you train for any length of time you are going to deal with pains, strains, and injuries. Much like losing in a competition, your loses define you. What you do in the face of adversity and loss brings out your character and shows everyone your true colors. The old saying, “You either win or you learn.” is perfectly true in this situation.
If you’ve ever dealt with an injury then you know what a true challenge it can be. When you are injured your whole flow in life is thrown off. You have to do things slower and even modify the simplest of tasks. This can really crush an ego and for many it can cause them to quit the activity they are doing.
It isn’t complete weakness that causes this. It is in our DNA to survive and when we experience discomfort or pain; our minds immediately tell us to stop doing what causes that pain. It might not be right away; but if we don’t stay consistent with discipline and structure, we will gravitate away from that activity instead of towards it.
Another large hurdle we face when injured is what I have identified as the “100 Percent Mindset.” This is a perspective that says, “If I can’t do it at 100% of my ability then I am not going to do it.” I get it. You don’t want to look foolish or even loose because you can’t do everything you would normally do. Your ego is bruised from the injury and you are still fragile. You can’t fathom getting hammered with anymore emotions at this point. It makes sense. I have been there, got the t-shirt and maybe even the bumper sticker. This is where your real training begins. This is the real test of all your martial arts training.
We are all injured right now. We are experiencing the same despair. The life style we have created for ourselves isn’t the same right now. The freedoms we had before are temporarily gone. The way we enjoyed doing things isn’t possible right now. We can’t train face to face. We aren’t allowed physical contact with our training partners. But as always, there is a silver lining. Many of our students have expressed something very powerful after their Live Virtual Training sessions. They have conveyed that they are really appreciating the chance to work on their technique more. They are also thrilled to see how they have progressed once we are all back together again.
“Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.” Paulo Coelha
The world as we knew it isn’t the same anymore. But do you want to forget all your training? Do you want to lose the skills that you have worked so hard for recently?
“No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.” Isaac Asimov
We must breath. We must be patient. We must understand that now is the time that we get to be pioneers. Now we can forge a path that will help forever shape our minds and bodies for the rest of our future. Like a survivalist in the woods, we need to learn to do what we can with what we have.
So now is the time to accept your “new norm.” This too shall pass if we look at the “100 Percent Mindset” through a different pair of glasses. If we take the “100% of my ability…” and do what we can with what we have, we will have the biggest break through in our training.
Most of us probably took for granted our schools, equipment and maybe even training partners. Show your classmates you miss training with them by doing the one thing we all love to do.
“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” Voltaire
Question your conviction. Question your desire. Question your discipline. You are being tested now more than ever. Focus on what you can do. Strip the excuses from your mind. See what can be possible. Get creative. Have fun. Train and as David Goggins says, “Stay HARD!!!”
#FightTheGoodFight #NoExcuses
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