6/15: IF NOT NOW, WHEN?
I have always remembered this ad I saw decades ago for dental care that said something to the effect of, “Ignore your teeth, and they will go away.” I thought it was a clever message for people that just want to ignore their problems hoping they will go away, instead of trying to fix them. I really, really wish I could say I’ve never taken that path, but this past week this type of thinking caught up with me, and but for the grace of God, it could have been a very tragic outcome. I’ve never been so rattled in my life at how putting something off that was so simple could have resulted in consequences so bad by not addressing an issue in one of our vehicles. It has put a new level of frustration in me when I see people looking for answers in their own life but not willing to put a little bit of time and a little bit of money into themselves to solve their problems.
Life seems busier and busier every year, and it’s easy to put off things that need to be fixed until something breaks. While I think we all agree that is probably not the way to attack our problems, I think it is also a function of how we prioritize the limited time we all have in life, and a natural outcropping of those circumstances. Every single person that comes into the gym has a problem that they want solved. It could be a child that needs a structured environment, it could be an adult that wants to get in shape or lose weight, or it could be a person that is simply new to the area and wants to be part of a positive community. What most people don’t realize (and how could they) that being a part of a martial arts community has so many benefits beyond that, but until you jump into a program, you will never know.
It's true that the average time people say they have been thinking about joining a martial arts gym is a year. Once they finally come in, it always amazes me when they talk about saying they need MORE time to think about it. I know life is short and it pains me that so many people are truly leading lives of quiet desperation when the answers are right in front of them. How much longer are you going to kick the can down the road? How much longer are you going to let your problems own you? How many more excuses are you goingto give yourself? How much longer are you going to let fear rule over you? How many more times are you going to avoid investing less money in yourself than you will on your cable bill or phone bill? Ten years from now, YOU, yes YOU, could be a black belt in one of the hardest martial arts to master. The question isn’t whether those 10 years will go by, the question is, “Where will you be at the end of those 10 years?”
If not now, when? The best time to have started a martial arts program was yesterday. The second best time is TODAY. I used to have my bio posted at the gym, and maybe I need to post it again. I haven’t heard a single excuse from someone not joining that I haven’t personally experienced myself. “I’m not in shape”….. I had back issues so bad when I started martial arts I was regularly bed ridden. “I have kids”….. I had 2 kids, 7 and 8 years old when I started this business. “I’m too old”…… I was 45 and out of martial arts for 6 years when I hopped back in. “It’s just too far of a drive”….. I drove 50 minutes each way for 12 years, 3 times per week when I found a place I wanted to train at. “I’m afraid I might get hurt.”……. I’m afraid of living a life never taking a chance on myself. “I’m too small.” ….. Do you have any idea how rewarding it is when you devote yourself so thoroughly to an endeavor where your skill overcomes larger opponents? “I don’t have the time.”……. No, in most cases time is not the issue, your priorities are. Do you spend more than 3 hours per week on your phone? Well, then you have plenty of time to join a gym.
If not now, when? Had my life ended last Tuesday, or should my life end tomorrow, I will be comfortable in the knowledge that for most of my life, WHEN was THEN, and WHEN is NOW. Life is shorter than we think. Like one of the technicians I used to work with 30 years ago said, (After I said, “I think blah blah blah…..”) “Greg, don’t think, do.” So, whether it’s martial arts or some other goal or dream. Stop thinking, and start doing.
