The Daily DojoForget Self-Help Gurus, Get Grit |
It was 1992 I had just finished my electrical apprenticeship. I had gone back to train Hapkido in Santa Monica under GM Bong Soo Han. But instead of doing jumping kicks, punching and sparring, I was laying in the ICU of the hospital. And I had just spent the last half hour explaining to a nurse why not to take her kids out of karate. Martial Arts Isn't About Making Life EasierI was in the hospital because of a freak impact accident of a head-on collision. My partners fist and my mid-section. It happens. That's what sparring is all about Sparring helps you to take the theoretical and make it practical. And dealing with the consequences. Better in the dojo with training partners than out on the street with bullies, idiots, and assholes. But too many people are afraid of conflict. Afraid of heated words, emotional intensity, and differences of opinions and beliefs. And because of that fear, they live a hollow life, not fully engaging with or connecting to other people. It took me 10 weeks to recover from the splenectomy, but with the recession I was laid off. It took me 18 months to land back on my feet. And back in the dojo. Some students were shocked, even some of the instructors. But some of them knew it for what it was, the grit to take setbacks and keep moving forward. Martial arts will give you that, if you let it. Life will also but it's a bit less nice about it. Anything valuable take grit to achieve, you can get it on the mat but regardless, life will teach you that lesson. It's up to you whether, warrior, whether you embrace the lesson or not. Until next time, |
Helping young men to become warriors, leaders, and teachers. Showing them how to overcome fear, bullies, and life's challenges so they can live the life they were meant to live, for more, check out https://CharlesDoublet.com/
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