Just being aware of where you are in your training can give you clarity. Being clear about what needs to be accomplished next takes the guesswork out of the equation. And when you’re not guessing and have a clear vision of what’s possible, rapid progress can be made. When you continue to dedicate yourself to the martial path, things can become much simpler.
“The art of Jeet Kune Do is simply to simplify” – Bruce Lee
Although this article is not specifically about JKD, Bruce Lee’s wisdom can be applied to your martial training in a broad sense. Forgive me if this seems to wander a bit, I hope to make an important point at the end.
The subtle art of simplification.
When you recognize that you didn’t have this simple approach in your training before, consider that you probably weren’t even aware of the idea. Maybe at times you felt a nuisance in the back of your mind. So you decided that you wanted a guide for your training, almost like a manual that shows how to do something efficiently and properly so that you can get a positive result efficiently.
Be open to the idea that a mindset shift in your approach to training may be necessary to make faster progress. Don’t be of the opinion that just because things have always worked one way, they must stay. Nature evolves, people mature. Personally, I spent many years working in a juice and snack manufacturing plant. I learned many lessons about life while working as a factory worker.
One life-changing observation for me was that most of the people who worked there the longest had a mindset or way of thinking that I just didn’t subscribe to. I remember one particular day when I was reading a financial planning book, and one of the grumpy older ladies was really questioning me a lot. “Why do you bother reading that? Don’t you know those people are just going to steal your money?” She asked me. She continued, “Don’t you realize that because you’re working here now, you’ll always work here? You’ll be here until the day you die, you’re a for life.” (lifer = One who stays in the same workplace until he can no longer work)
And there it was. The Statement that snapped me out of my haze and fog. The statement that forced me to acknowledge where I was and literally decide if I wanted to continue on that path or find a new direction.
Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made to achieve a simpler approach, but when you make these decisions and stick with them, you simplify. Move forward in faith. It is not a question of if, but of when you proudly wear that coveted black belt.
Modern Samurai Society — Standing together we make a punch
al bargen