Today’s post is going to be short. It is a rest day, and I have black belt camp coming, so am timing things out for the master’s workout Friday.
Last week, I was not feeling very great about my leadership abilities at work. I spent some time thinking about that over the weekend. I found a quote from Simon Sinek that sums things up nicely. “Whether individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead not for them, but for ourselves”. This week my focus is on inspiring people at work and in class.
My body felt pretty good today. I got a little extra sleep, which was glorious. The little bit of stretching before getting out of bed in paying dividends.
Today, my motivation comes from a short poem by William Ernest Henley called “Invictus”, which means unconquerable or undefeated. This poem is one I turn to on my most difficult days. It tells me that no matter what, I control myself and the mix of perseverance and conviction I wrote about yesterday turns into unrelenting resolve. No matter what the world wants to throw at me, today I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.
Today this image really fits. There were many frustrations this week, and I tried really hard to stay positive and keep moving forward with perseverance. The cherry on top was that there was some pretty nasty weather last night. I had made plans to have my daughter and we were going to my mom’s Friday night and my son was going to meet us there. With that storm the roads were not good, and the decision was made to not risk it with my daughter. This afternoon was very sad for me and added to my frustration. I was able to get out to my mom’s and then I get a call that the roads had improved enough to get to my daughter. So I jumped in the truck and made the drive. It was so worth it. It made all the frustrations and challenges of the week melt away. Sometimes, we get frustrated with progress on our goals, and this is where we are tested most with our perseverance. When we apply perseverance to our convictions we get a new alloy in our life skills which I term “unrelenting resolve”. We don’t always know when that good karma will come back to us, but a whole pile came back to me today, and my heart is full
Today was a bit different. Today I felt flat. I get that there are days like this in everyone’s journey, and today was one of those days. I don’t necessarily feel very inspired, but I did find inspiration from the students at class tonight. They brought energy and effort and it really helped me today. I’m grateful that I was able to teach tonight, because every time I get ready to get on the mat, I know that I am there for all of them.
Tonight in class we focused on the basics. Every once in a while, I like to bring back “throwback Thursdays”, and train on some drills we used to do long ago. While I didn’t get a full workout in, I was able to keep the saw sharp and not go backwards at least. So, there isn’t a section tonight for a physical workout, but I’m still able to train the mental pieces, and also start some of my reading assignments. I have several books to read and I’ll be starting a book tonight, as well as visualizing my form material. Today, that will have to be enough.
Carpe Diem! This morning was noticeably better than yesterday. I think my trick is to do a little bit of stretching before I actually get out of bed, so I am planning on trying that for a few days to see if there is a pattern.
I’m not entirely sure what drew me to today’s picture. There are some things that appear in the moment as massive mountains to climb, and the task is daunting. I think training and skill development in anything is more difficult before it gets easier. I have a brand new form to learn and there are details and moves I’ve never seen before. Like every form before, the first time learning it is awkward and difficult. Now looking back, all of the previous material is relatively easy. We continue to train the lower ranking material, not because it is easy, but because we are now ready for the depths of the detail. I like to look at this much like someone making a stone sculpture. Starting with a big block of stone, the sculptor removes everything that is not the sculpture. They begin with larger chisels, and working towards the tiny tools used to make the smallest details. While the lower ranking material is easier, I believe that part of this journey is to make the smallest of adjustments to refine the detail to limits of precision. Often, we train or perform something until we get it right. I am choosing to keep training until I can’t get it wrong. Since there is always more to learn, this will be a lifelong pursuit.
Today’s workout
Theme of the day – Focus
Training qualities – Starting Position, Direction, Ending Position
