Starting something new or even changing the old is very difficult. For some, it may come easier than others but regardless, it is a challenge to implement changes into our lives. We cannot expect ourselves to be good at something when we first start–that’s unrealistic. Through continuous practice, we instill a memory of new skills and patterns allowing our bodies and minds to embed them into memory. With almost everything we do, this may be true. This is especially so in learning meditation, fine arts, flow arts, and martial arts.
If we accept that at first we will not be good, we allow ourselves to learn. Our ego will often times shame us away from learning these new things in fear of looking unsightly or unskilled. It is very important to overcome this fear as it will humble ourselves allowing for growth and healing. Instilling concentration in our new challenge helps dissolve this fear as your mind is fully focused on your actions. Increasing awareness allowing us to take in what we need to learn and gaining awareness of the self polishes the new techniques.
In time, the difficult becomes much easier and the awkward becomes natural. What was once challenging becomes the normal and we aspire for new heights as we instill these new practices in our lives. Creating new ways of thinking and being, it forces us to grow and change our old habits. This can only be attained through continuous and regular training. Just a one off session makes it far more difficult to integrate change into our lives. If one does not delve deep into learning, it may take some time in order to make a true change and that can be discouraging. Regardless of time, it’s important to push through and persevere through hardship. Allowing confidence to replace insecurity creating an indomitable spirit that knows they can achieve their goal regardless of difficulty. We teach that a black belt is a white belt that never gave up for the only ways to not attain your goal is to quit or never start.
Different people may encounter different challenges making certain skills more difficult to learn. It’s important not to compare ourselves to other people while learning and growing. Our journey is our own and we are each unique in how we learn, grow, and take in new information. This is critical in developing the self as others progress can appear discouraging if we do not attain the same level as quickly. Respecting our own process and not giving up is the way forward.
Through practice we make permanent. You cannot make anything perfect but what you practice is what you do. To practice focus makes it your normal allowing progress to increase. The training then becomes instilled in the muscles making you each kick and punch as you embody those techniques. This evolution in the training reaches a height of technique few achieve and requires constant practice to maintain. This is why we call martial arts a lifestyle because it requires constant practice to not only progress but also maintain the flexibility, strength, and techniques.
We each have our own journey and through that journey we discover the depths of ourselves. We learn about our minds, our emotions, and bodies. We learn to feel the moment exiting the mind and emotions allowing a true expression filling the moment with our true selves. Through this awareness, new insight is gained allowing our minds to perceive a greater aspect of our internal selves that was once dulled by previous focus points. The path of martial arts is one self discovery instilling peace and joy in every moment furthering our path in self realization.
