When I began my training over 30 years ago, one of the main questions was “Why?” Why bother with Yoga? Why worry about nutrition? Why this, why that, and so on. The answer I was giving then, and this is what I’d like to talk about today, everything has a price. The only difference is, are you prepaying now and enjoying the benefits, or are you choosing to enjoy now and later pay with interest?
Often people have an idea in their mind, but if you ask them to articulate it, they get some kind of a mental constipation. Goal is not clear. And if you are shooting at nothing, you will get it every time.
I’ve heard a statement from several different coaches, and I read it as a quote from some of the most successful people in history. It basically says, If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.
What visualization does, it creates in our mind an image of exact goal we are trying to reach. Whether you are playing basketball or golf, throwing darts, shooting the gun, or trying to achieve some life goals, business or personal, career, fitness, or whatever, it really helps to imagine yourself achieving these goals, in your mind, first.
Now let’s look at every day life. Let’s pretend I have an argument with a person who loves to scream. Most of the time subconsciously, my opponent will try to pull me into the screaming zone, where he is a pro, and I am a guest.
There is an ancient game that exist in many countries. In the US it is known as paper-rock-scissors game. Perhaps everybody knows it. But today we will look at this game as a manual to our daily communication.
Martial arts are about developing inner balance. Yes, there’s interaction with a partner that some people perceive as fighting. However I’ve been observing every day conversations - at the store, or at the office, or just between neighbors - that have much more violence then any of the martial arts I’ve seen.
Our brain is a very complex computer. It is a controlling device of a very complicated machine which is our body. Our brain has no moral judgement or common sense. Our mind does, but not the brain. So, if we ask ourselves “Why I am feeling tired?”, trust me, our brain will come up with a very elaborate and logic explanation.
I’ve been practicing Yoga, Martial arts, Tao Yin, Qigong, Taoist and Zen practices and many other things. Not that I am practicing every discipline one hour a day. There will be not enough hours in a week to study everything. But all this knowledge helps me to develop a better picture and understand how one philosophy relates to another.
Why don’t we just love each other? Why don’t we say some good words of appreciation now? Don’t wait for the right moment, because the right moment may be one day too late. Think about that.
So, what’s the best fitness system in the world? That’s easy to answer: the best system is the one aligned with your goals and your personality type. Ultimately, that’s the one you will stick with. If you don’t know, get yourself a coach. I can recommend a couple if you need.