I’ll never forget the time a fellow black belt asked me the the following question, “Sensei!  In your opinion, “what is the secret of the martial arts?”  At first, I have to admit, I thought the question was funny.  I still wonder to this day how he would have responded if said something sarcastic like, “Just think about the acronym W.W.C.N.D.  ‘What would Chuck Norris do?’” and followed up with a blank, non-expressive stare! 

In our society today, commercials and media promote the “quick fix,” “”fast track to wealth,” “secrets to success.”  Blah, blah, blah.  Think about this for one second: “Who was the last person to attend a learning/ real estate/ secrets to success seminar (one time) and actually  become rich?”  There are no magic tricks like waving a magic wand and reciting a line from the latest Harry Potter movie!

The truth is that there is no secret to the martial arts.  There are, however, answers to way we evolve, not just as martial artists but as human beings.  Below are a few of those answers:

1. Practice to own it!: Instead of thinking about secrets and quick fixes, practice with the intention of mastering.  My music production teacher constantly remarks, “Key Board Mastery boils down to repetition.”  Such a true statement for anything we pursue in life.

2. Nurtured motivation: Motivation comes and goes as we all know!  With that first Cup of coffee comes the desire to conquer the world, change the way we do things, “yes we can!”  Once that coffee wears off, we crash.  Nurtured motivation is the process of sustaining a quality level of motivation during the day.  To quote Zig Ziglar “Motivation is like taking a shower.  It must happen daily in order to work.”  Read, listen to your favorite music, keep your personal mission statement/ goals right in front of your face, speak to a mentor…Do whatever it takes to stay motivated.

3. Preventing the “what if?”: What would have happened if I only…?  Ask yourself this question as if it was 10 years from  now.  Scary thought, right?

The bottom line is that there are no secrets.  All the answers are right in front of our faces.  It’s simply up to us to put in the appropriate action!

CM