Post by Jonathan Anderson on Sept 21, 2012 18:18:46 GMT -4
I’d like to ask everyone to consider excising the word “perfect,” and all its derivatives, from your vocabulary, at least with regard to your martial arts training; and replace it with the word “improve.”
I have long maintained that what anyone thinks of as “perfection” is merely what we are willing to settle for.
I’m hard pressed to think of a word that, while seeming innocuous and even positive, has so much potential to create a negative result. If one sets out to attain perfection, there exists a strong possibility that they may become discouraged early on, and give up. This is to be avoided, but even worse is the person that feels that their technique/art has become perfect, and therefore sees no further room to grow. This person may become egotistical regarding themselves, and may not feel that any other person can offer them any new insight or understanding. This person will stagnate, and I believe, eventually give up as well; after all, what is the point of practicing anything with which you no longer feel you can progress? Case in point, when was the last time any of you practiced the alphabet for your own personal development?
Those that are not busy being born/growing are busy dying. If my belief that attaining perfection equates to stagnation, and a general lack of growth, then it follows that seeking the plateau of “perfect” leads to the demise of your training. Seeking constant improvement, on the other hand, avoids any plateaus, and implies an ongoing increase in the quality of skill, mindset, character, dignity… the list goes on. It is said that martial arts training is like climbing a mountain that has no peak – it isn’t easy, and there is no end to how high you can go. You are only limited by your own drive to improve and succeed. I’ve been climbing this metaphorical mountain for over 20 years, and I can tell you, there’s no peak in sight for me.
This point may, I grant you, be a bit of a philosophical conceit, and you may feel perfectly free to set it aside. As I said at the beginning, I’m just asking you to consider this. Whether you find any value in what I’ve said, and whether you choose to explore these thoughts, I leave entirely up to you.
I have long maintained that what anyone thinks of as “perfection” is merely what we are willing to settle for.
I’m hard pressed to think of a word that, while seeming innocuous and even positive, has so much potential to create a negative result. If one sets out to attain perfection, there exists a strong possibility that they may become discouraged early on, and give up. This is to be avoided, but even worse is the person that feels that their technique/art has become perfect, and therefore sees no further room to grow. This person may become egotistical regarding themselves, and may not feel that any other person can offer them any new insight or understanding. This person will stagnate, and I believe, eventually give up as well; after all, what is the point of practicing anything with which you no longer feel you can progress? Case in point, when was the last time any of you practiced the alphabet for your own personal development?
Those that are not busy being born/growing are busy dying. If my belief that attaining perfection equates to stagnation, and a general lack of growth, then it follows that seeking the plateau of “perfect” leads to the demise of your training. Seeking constant improvement, on the other hand, avoids any plateaus, and implies an ongoing increase in the quality of skill, mindset, character, dignity… the list goes on. It is said that martial arts training is like climbing a mountain that has no peak – it isn’t easy, and there is no end to how high you can go. You are only limited by your own drive to improve and succeed. I’ve been climbing this metaphorical mountain for over 20 years, and I can tell you, there’s no peak in sight for me.
This point may, I grant you, be a bit of a philosophical conceit, and you may feel perfectly free to set it aside. As I said at the beginning, I’m just asking you to consider this. Whether you find any value in what I’ve said, and whether you choose to explore these thoughts, I leave entirely up to you.