Even the greatest achievers had hurdles to overcome. Motivation, enthusiasm and perseverance are all necessary parts of getting ahead. But sometimes it’s about getting some skill or habit right, knowing that we cannot progress till we get this one thing right.
Frustration and failure can go either way, working for or against us. Sometimes this type of thing can really motives us to get things right; or we can take a defeatist attitude and give up. This seems to be a choice we consciously make, and we can always change an earlier defeatist choice latter on.
Some learning points
- SMART has become a popular acronym in many education courses. It breaks down to Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based Goals.
This means set realistic goals that you can achieve and measure. Being able to see legitimate improvement is great for motivation. And there may well be some unmeasurable, less blatant improvements as well. Like just feeling more confident.
- Learn according to style and subject. Some people learn only by doing. Others learn first by observation, and then by doing, by applying what they observe. A few people learn a lot by books and study, and then rapidly gain skill by applying what they studied. Most of us find that we learn in different ways according to the subject. But participation / doing is always part of the learning process.
- Use technology. If there’s is an app for monitoring you progress, then use it. Or just video yourself to get some insight into the things you get right and wrong.
- Individual training is good. Group training is good. There is no reason why we have to choose one over the other. Have both on a weekly basis.
A good teacher and regular classes are the best way to develop martial arts skills. All the better when this training help us in other aspect of our lives.
