Mindset
Mindset
Martial Artists arrive to classes across the world daily.
From Ju Jitsu to Krav Maga, Tae Kwon Do to Shot-Kan, the styles change, the movements, the style of instruction, even the language-spoken changes. Everything in Martial Art can and will change, however, the successful students have one thing in common. No matter the style, brand or place of origin; excellent martial artists have a trend. These students have a tell. It’s not a secret handshake or membership card. These individuals don’t have a chart hanging up nor do they wear a belt around at all times. Long time practitioners and instructors recognize those students quickly. What is it that seems so obvious to the instructor and so difficult for the new student to see?
In a word: Mindset. It is the mindset of a martial artist.
These students have confronted a difficulty during training and pushed through it. These students have decided that no matter the difficult journey in front of them they will choose to train hard, with nothing held back. This mindset is not just a simple decision. Hundreds of people have made decisions to do something difficult. Making a decision and acting on it does not mean you have developed this mindset.
The decision is just the first step. The second step is that these students have not only made a decision to begin their journey but consistently push themselves, with little encouragement to the uncomfortable zones and move past it. These are the students in class whose legs are shaking and they refuse to let themselves relax. The one who is gasping for air but continuing to push through the cardio workout. You hear this person next to you in class on repeat, “just once more.” They are the students digging into their souls, finding that there is more to them than just the minimum. They are discovering that there is potential for them if they choose to push through.
This mindset is fueled not by success. You do not require a competitor or special skills.
In fact, you can come disabled, broken, old and young. Martial Art is not restricted to any one culture, sexual orientation, gender or race. The mindset of a martial artist is available to any who choose to push themselves to what others think impossible. Our mindset is forged and developed through failures. When we reach muscle failure, it is a failure of preparation. When our mind can no longer focus on the task at hand, we recognize a need to train harder. We continue to strive for more results when everyone else quits.
We continue to train to the highest standard, with no excuses. When our bodies and our minds are exhausted we continue to function at peak performance. The students that have developed this intrinsic motivation will find that this mindset of pushing the boundaries begins to spill into all parts of life. They are driven to beat themselves and have decided that they intend to continue to set the bar as high as possible and exceed it. They are making that decision every day, consistently. In turn they make their impossible goals real and once they are achieved they set the next impossible goal.
This Mindset is something that becomes a habit.
In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an achievement, rather a habit.”