What Defines Me

This week CBC Radio ran a story about the The Ground Floor Choir. This is a choir that will take anyone, whether you can sing or not. Many of the people in the choir are disabled. An aha moment for me occurred when one of the participants, a senior with cerebral palsy, stated that she won’t let her disability define her. What a perfect attitude.

This got me thinking about myself and what it is that defines me. I think anyone who grew up with me or who currently trains with me would vouch for my bad knees as big defining factors. Yes my kung fu also defines me but my kung fu itself is defined by my bad knees. Do I really want to be the guy known for his bad knees? How did I let this happen? Five surgeries, custom braces, chronic limp - yeah that definition is pretty legit, but I used to be known as a fierce fighter, a decent forms competitor, and a guy who could really handle a spear. Now I am the guy with the bad knees.

My mastery journey has to address this. I have and always will have bad knees, but I do not have to let them define me.

“You come up against challenges in life, and it’s how you deal with them that defines you. - Harry Kane (b. 1993)