My Path to Martial Arts Redemption
We all need to make choices in life. We all have 24 hours in a day. We have priorities and responsibilities. We also have excuses. I made choices and excuses over the last year when it came to my martial arts. I was very busy and I was a bit overwhelmed. I was not sure what I wanted to do with my career. I had a lot going on outside of work and I was feeling a lot of stress.
As I have mentioned in earlier articles, the martial arts are a great way to relieve stress, focus and get back on track. I did not take that path. I began stress eating and other unhealthy habits. I found my energy declining, my weight increased and I was less motivated.
I was only training two or three times a month and there were a couple of months that I did not train at all. I was getting farther from my martial arts. I was losing my inspiration. I was distracted and I slid backwards. I stepped off the martial arts path but the path was there waiting for me when I came back. I got back on the path and am training regularly again. I am not happy about the poor quality of my technique, but that is the result of not training regularly.
It was hard to go back. I was nervous. I knew my technique would not be great and as a black belt my technique should be excellent. I needed the classes to help me improve but I had to show my rusty techniques when taking a class. I decided that it was my pride keeping me out of class. I needed to be humble and take the criticism. Now that I am back, I do see fast progress in my improvement. I feel more flexible and am on my way back to my previous skill level.
I am glad I bit the bullet and started training regularly again. I feel more at home in the dojo each time I go. I am more comfortable with my techniques and I am practicing correctly at home.
If you have stopped training and are hanging around the edges, get back to it. It is not easy at first but it is worth it.
