Seeing the Connection

So many decisions we make are emotional decisions. They are not necessarily well-thought out, nor do they always accurately reflect our needs. Wanting a black belt is not the same as wanting to be a black belt. It is very difficult to resolve the difference if you do not fully understand what a black belt is.

Earning a black belt has to be about mastering kung fu. Mastering kung fu is about sustainable training and mindful application of everything you learn in the process. Earning a black belt is a process, it is not a destination.

Do the work. Recognize the benefits. Practice gratitude.

“In every passionate pursuit, the pursuit counts more than the object pursued”. – Bruce Lee (1940 - 1973)

The Process

Take consistent action. This is a vital and integral component of the Black Belt Success Cycle. The logic of this is easy to follow and understand. If you breakdown your goals into bite-sized achievable actions, taking consistent action is also a relatively easy habit to achieve. Yet many struggle with following through with their commitment to consistency, making mastery a difficult process to perfect and implement.

The word consistency conveys an important distinction that can be easily overlooked. Defining and then adopting a daily routine that reflects your achieving your long-term goals is a simple, first step. The reason why people fade away and fail to follow up that first step consistently is because habitual action without mindfulness is an obvious foothold for mediocrity. It is easy to become complacent if you forget that mastery is a process and not a destination. The second you think you have achieved mastery in anything, you let your guard down.

Mastery is all about taking mindful consistent action. Three degrees to the left of mastery is consistent action without mindfulness - the friend of mediocrity.

“Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” - Dwayne Johnson (b. 1972)

Space, Our Salvation?

Richard Branson completed his first flight into space today. Of course this flight is controversial and accompanied by much negativity concerning a billionaire spending his money on something like that. There is a lot of social benefit that could come from spending money on other things than space exploration. Of course this flight takes place while most of the western portion of the North American continent is enduring an unprecedented heat wave and wildfires.

Mankind is truly a unique species. Only we knowingly and willingly destroy the very planet that gives us life when it means more money in our pockets. We are quick to point fingers at people like Richard Branson as if a billionaire investing money in social programs is going to solve our greed focused societal problems that get ignored by the politicians we perpetually put in charge of our welfare.

Bill Nye the Science Guy changed my mind about space exploration. I used to disagree with the resources that were being expended to explore outer space while things were falling apart on our planet. Bill Nye’s opinion on the situation makes a lot of sense to me. He sees the biggest problem we face on earth is the abstract perspective that we are alone in the universe. Religious dogma and blind faith encourage many people to ignore their responsibilities as citizens of this planet and justify their conspicuous consumption of finite resources. Bill Nye believes that the massive paradigm shift that is going to be required to get people to prioritize the health of our environment over the economy will only be initiated by changing everyone’s world view. Finding intelligent life outside of planet earth could be the catalyst we need if we are going to save ourselves from the self-destructive path we are on.

“When we explore the cosmos, we come to believe and prove that we can solve problems that have never been solved. It brings out the best in us. Space exploration imbues everyone with an optimistic view of the future.” - Bill Nye (b. 1955)

Self Aware

Everyone has goals and ambition but without self-awareness, progress can be elusive. This is why many fail to recognize the difference between activity and progress. Activity is RPMs and progress is km/H. Both require a lot of work but only one gets you to where you want to go. 


With kung fu, like anything one wishes to master, success is all about taking consistent, meaningful action. I usually only mention the consistent action but the meaningful aspect is assumed. If you recognize that you need more flexibility in your hamstrings to improve your kung fu, spending all your training time focused on pushups is not going to get you to where you want to be, no matter how hard you work. 

We all want certain things. Unfortunately we’re not always willing to do what needs to be done to earn what we want. If that is the case we need to retool our attitude or change our goals. 

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” - Zig Ziglar  (1926 - 2012)