I Am Project - Intrepid

I’m not much of a talker or socializer. I prefer to listen to a story than tell one of my own, and new experiences have always been a social challenge for me. Ironically, all my growth and personal successes have come about through intrepid decisions that have taken me way out of my comfort zone where I have exploited the opportunities that have presented themselves.

The biggest factor holding many of my students back is their fear of failure. So many avoid anything too far removed from familiar ground. Sure they have other excuses like “I’m too busy” or “I’m too broke”, but in almost all cases the reality is that most of us will find any excuse to avoid the stress that is associated with situations that induce anxiety.

Opportunity only knocks so many times and life is too short to let these windows close. When I look back at my past, I have more regrets for the moments I never seized than any actions I have taken. The best lesson my father ever gave me was when he advised me during a crossroads in my career. He said: “Jeff if you don’t take this chance, you will spend the rest of your life wondering what if.” I have kept his advice front and centre and it has never failed me.

When I am intrepid, I create opportunities for personal growth and open myself up to new experiences and new people. If I had never contacted Tom Callos about the 100. I would never have made my first trip to Alabama where I met Master McNeill. These two great teachers have given me so much over the past two years and their influence has fueled my resolve to challenge myself to the fullest so that I can honestly say at the end of every day that I am a different person than I was when I woke up this morning.

Whether it be a seminar in forms or chi kung, if my students are intrepid they will value the opportunities that cross their paths and become the martial artist that they want to be.

“When I look back now over my life and call to mind what I might have had simply for taking and did not take, my heart is like to break.” - William Hale White (1831 - 1913)