Out Of the Kwoon and Into the World

It is said that if you can master one thing, you can master anything. Anyone who has successfully spent a year in the Ultimate Black Belt Test or the I Ho Chuan can attest to the truth in those words. Mastery is a process, it is not a state. Once you learn and consistently apply the process, the process is applicable to all aspects of your life.

Many people travel a long distance on the road to mastery, only to veer off or give up without ever learning the path’s secrets. How often I have heard the rationalizations. “I am too busy”, “It is too difficult for me”, “I need to concentrate on something else” . . . The list goes on. Ultimately there are a multitude of reasons to quit. Any reason you can think of can legitimately bring justification to a decision you want to make.

My career in kung fu is in it’s fourth decade. In that time I have yet to meet a person who is actually doing the work that wants to give up. This fact is not a coincidence. If you invest the time, you will reap the rewards. Anyone who is engaged and applying themselves is aware of the massive return on their investment and becomes passionate about the art and its value. Not unlike a weight lifter who has stopped lifting weights, those not applying themselves are not gaining those same benefits.

Stop looking at effort as a sacrifice and recognize it as an investment. There is a reason why they say a master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried. If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.

 “From one thing, know ten thousand things” - Miyamoto Musashi (1584 - 1645)