Some of you might have already practiced the horse stance. I chose this picture because it is a staple in most Asian martial art styles. It is a practice I do almost every day. We will go over the horse stance posturing later.
Now that you are showing an interest, let’s discover why you chose to begin. You must begin to answer some questions to find the intrinsic (internal) motivators to keep you going in the training, and for that matter, anything in life. Many of these will take time to answer, some you already know. But for you to be successful, you need to find your reasons.
What are your Goals?
There are as many goals as there are people. You can have as many as you want. Just be careful of expectations. Everyone’s path is windy, and can easily loop back upon itself as life progresses. Sometimes you think you got it, and life throws a curveball to show that you didn’t actually finish that particular goal as you thought you did. So, don’t be surprised.
In my personal philosophy, have at least 3 timed term goal setting: short term (1 month-1year), medium term (5 years to 10 years), and long term (not to be grim, but before you die). Define them carefully, with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time Bound) goals, yet have a flexible mindset (wu wei, or naturalness) to be able to change or alter your goals as you get closer, clearer, or as you learn new things.
For example, a common, ultimate goal, from the Daoist point of view, is to Return to Nature. But before you get there you must clearly understand each word in complete detail. As you practice it will change because you have grown, matured, grown wiser and more knowledgeable.
When you have an idea of the goals you want to set for yourself, see yourself getting there. Be the change you want to become. For example, if you have a desired weight loss goal, see yourself in that healthy weight body and work hard to get there. Include a specific, realistic and reachable weight within a time frame. Do not let things get you down. And if things get you down, use the training to pick yourself back up. “Why do we fall down?” “To learn how to pick ourselves back up”. (You can always set up an online Health Coaching Session with me.)
This is part of learning positive psychology. There will be a future blog on what it is and how to use it.
Here are some typical short-term goals. Health or wellness: weight loss, overall feeling better, more energy, helping a specific ailment or illness/disease, feeling happier, improving physical/mental abilities such as training goals like being able to do the splits or holding a standing meditation for a certain amount of time, or meditating for a period of time every day for a year. These are just ideas. You must come up with your own. And you must figure out the specific wording that will make sense to you for your specific needs. You can always add new goals when something comes up. You must also realize that physical training is only one part! Check your whole life! What is your diet like? What is your attitude like? What is your character strength?
It is important to maintain or even expand your short-term goals for your medium-goals. And then add completely new goals like a new/better job, having a better family life, overcoming difficult obstacles that take more time than a year, or whatever you personally have to overcome.
Long-term goals are much more integrate to our whole being. It must be specific to your personality and beliefs. It is a guiding light from the distance that will help you make decisions. These can vary. For example, I have two children. My long-term goal for them is to teach them how to be good people for society, family, friends and how to be happy. Therefore, some my short and medium goals are guided by my long-term goal. Another long-term goal is to increase my personal peacefulness. And eventually leading a deep spiritual understanding.
WHY?
This is the question that is most important. Why did you choose your goals? What is it deep down that drives you to these goals? ‘Why’ is a question you rely on to get you to do things that you might not necessarily like to do. If it is an extrinsic motivator (from an outside source), then it won’t stick and change your life in a positive way.
For example, if a short-term goal is to lose weight, is it to be healthy or to look good? If it is to be a better martial artist, is it for a trophy for bragging rights or is to be a better fighter or performer (movie star) or another reason for personal benefit?
Life will always try to throw you off your path, and it is always in an unanticipated fashion. It is in a sense, a test, are you truly succeeding toward your goal? In Chinese the concept of 吃苦 or eat bitter is understood as suffering. Kung fu training is the ability to endure… endure the self-doubt, the wanting to quit, the failures that life wants to test you on. But when you can honestly answer your question of “why”, then you can overcome obstacles, failures, disappointments or anything else that will bring you down.
Who am I?
This is a deeper question that takes time to discover. It is a common meditation question that takes years to explore. But here in this context, it is important to be honest with yourself. What kind of person are you? A health nut? Philosopher? Fighter? Spiritual? What do you naturally love to do? So I ask again, what kind of person are you? We all have all elements within us. Some are more prevalent than the others. Personally, from my point of view, I am first a philosopher, spiritual, health and then fighter far behind. I still study all of them, even though it seems to go against my personality; that element is still part of who I am. I have a family and they are my top priority. But my family does not make my personality. They definitely help me discover more about myself. Your personality comes from things that come from the inside, not an outside influence.
Internal reflection is a central part of the training. It not only helps you discover who you are, but also how to make you a better you. Be very accepting of who you are, but never be complacent of where you are; always know that you can grow, mature and wiser. There are many ways to go about it which I plan to write about later.
Now that you have some questions to think about, begin your training. Let these questions swim in the background.
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