Get Physical!

We live in an age where technology has made things very easy for us, and sometimes it becomes a bad substitute for other activities we should be doing.  Many modern careers are "desk jobs", and entail very little physical exertion, to the point of sitting down for up to 8 hours a day.

Lethargy and laziness can easily result from this.  Especially if the job, or the people you work for/with are mentally tiring.  This compounds the problem, and through my own personal experience, I've discovered that it can lead to an extreme lack of desire for physical work, even training.  An object at rest, tends to stay at rest.  It becomes a habit, and a terrible one at that.

We've all heard stories about legendary martial artists "back-in-the-day", when technology was a minor convenience in one's lifestyle.  How many of those legends came from farming backgrounds, and had an excellent base of physical strength before/during their training?  They didn't have television, or internet, or smart-phones, and relied a lot on physical activity to keep them busy, even outside the dojo/kwoon.

I bring this up because I have recently (somewhat) returned to these roots, and I can honestly say I love it.  Consistent physical work can do nothing but help me in my training.  Although many people may supplement their martial arts training with trips to the gym, full-body (circular) physical labour can be incredibly varied and dynamic.  My current employment is not back-breaking, it won't kill me, but it will reshape that base of strength that I had somehow forgotten.  The bonus is collecting a paycheck for essentially "working-out".

Transferable skills: Martial arts can change your life, and sometimes, your life can change your martial arts.

Learning how to... walk?

Teaching is both an old and new path in my life.  From a martial arts perspective, I have taught many classes over the years in various arts that I belonged to, but it always consisted of classes of people that I already knew.  Depending on how long you've been training with these fellow students, there is a good base of respect and camaraderie.  It is relatively painless.  The students have a default faith that their head instructor would not put someone in charge of the class if that senior student did not know what they were doing, and did not have good character.  It's a lot like being a toddler that is almost ready to walk on their own, and their parent still holds them by the finger to keep them safe and on the right path.

This method is required of anything though, learning the how by doing.  The major test is when the parent finally lets go of the toddler's finger.  That doesn't mean the toddler is ready to run, or jump, but they can take their own steps while still having the parent keeping a close eye on their progress.  The child will skin knees and injure things by falling.  They will feel the fear and exhiliration of stumbling and not having a safety net attached to them.  The excitement of the new first steps.

I find it incredible how quickly children learn how to walk.  They are completely free of preconceptions about what walking should or shouldn't be.  They have no concept of success or failure to hold them back.  They just do.  Their cups are always empty.

This is where I am now.  My sifu, has in a sense, let go of my finger.  I'm not ready to jump or run, but I will get there eventually.  I still need to be pushed, and guided down the right path, but I am becoming more and more self-motivated to walk it on my own.  I am trying to wipe my slate clean, to continually empty my cup,  and realize once again, what it is like to learn like a child.  If people see me learning how to walk, and it inspires them, then I consider that a successful first step in becoming a good teacher.