It's not Difficult, It's just Different

When it comes to the word difficult it is often associated with rarely done. People will speak of the difficult path they took and the difficult career they pursued, and it casts a lot of doubt for those trying to accomplish those same things.

The goal of being a Black Belt is also a difficult task, but the nice thing is people have done it before. If there is a way for students to see difficulties as different, it can alter how we see the challenge. Everything is difficult when you really think about it, no matter how small the task. If you think of the water that flows through your taps at your house and all the processes and pipes and cleaning it must go through to get to your tap, you might start to think about conserving as much water as possible. In life conserving or holding back is sometimes a route we take when we've come to expect things to be so easy.

I'm told that the smartphone that we have in our hands today is more powerful than the computer that Ronald Reagan used to run the United States back in the 1980s. Think about that at the tip of our fingertips we have access to endless resources and information and any questions we could possibly want the answer to. Our lives have become so simplified that we expect things almost instantly and when there is just the least bit of resistance people are willing to throw in the towel.

Committing to something longer term takes discipline and repetition and it is this skill that students must master in the martial arts to truly become a Black Belt from within. Every time you come to a class on that hot summer day and get that lesson in, it is building that discipline that you need to be successful outside the Dojo. Don't think of the task as too great or too big just think of the moment that you're in and take the action forward. You're either moving toward something or away and if you take even the slightest step forward you are still making progress but more importantly, you are building confidence in your abilities.

It's been a hot summer and we do need to take a moment to recognize that we have worked hard and give ourselves that much-needed pat on the back. So next time you're in the Dojo and things seem a little difficult tell yourself…… it's not difficult it's just different!

Sensei Chris