When Sibak Nicolas was young and was given a task or assignment he would always ask “And then what?” Every morning he liked hearing the “daily plan” and would check the family calendar several times a day to see what the next activity was. Obviously, some part of him wanted to know the details and the chain of events that were about to occur or perhaps he was impatient with the current situation and wanted to know when the next series of events would unfold.
Many times we can be like that in our training. We often want to know what material is next and worry about mastering that material. Sometimes we are impatient with our progress or our expectations for our progress are not realistic.
It’s more than okay to want to do more and to be better. It’s okay to want to know what’s going to happen so you can make plans to overcome any situation that might arise. However, it’s not okay to put unreasonable expectations on your progress based on your efforts and the time needed to master certain skills.
When you have done everything in your power to plan and set yourself up for success, patience is needed most while going through the motions and executing your plan. Sometimes we see the end result so clearly in our mind that we expect the results to be now, when in reality more work still needs to be done.
Patience doesn’t mean being lazy and waiting for something to happen to or for you. It’s a state of mind that accepts where we are at this moment and allows us to be at peace with the current situation. It allows us to be happy while we strive towards our goals. It means we can be happy today, right now.
As martial artists we can learn a lot by simply being patient and enjoying the journey as it occurs. Take a moment and enjoy your successes! Let’s incorporate patience into our goals for 2014!
-Sigung Kelly
2 comments:
Just when I thought I was understanding and applying this concept, I got hurt. It's always been easier for me to be patient with others, but now so much with myself. It's been hard to wait until I'm ready to get back into the dojo...but I think I am now. I just need to be more patient with myself during the workouts! Thanks Sigung Kelly!
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