7/27: IT’S THE STRUGGLE
This past weekend we had our annual summer picnic. It is by far my favorite social event of the year each year. It’s a great time to get to know many of our members on a more personal level without the formalities that are required at the gym. It’s the perfect time to unwind and forget about the struggles that we put ourselves through every day at class. But is precisely those struggles that bring us together and make the celebrations that much more meaningful.
When I was in the Michigan Junior Chamber, the primary purpose of the organization was to build your leadership skills through running projects in the community. Along with running the projects, there were many social events and parties for people to get to know each other. There were many people in the organization that felt the parties were the primary focus of the organization, and felt that friendships were made through the parties. They had it totally backwards, in my opinion.
The best friends I ever developed in that organization were the people that I was in the trenches with, fighting the battles needed to put large projects together. It’s in the trenches that you very quickly see the people that you can count on, and those that crumble when the going gets tough. When you struggle together with someone, you really get to know who they are at their core. There are people in the organization that I haven’t talked to in years that would be there for me in a heartbeat if I needed their help. Relationships are built in the trenches, and the occasional party is there to celebrate those victories. But if you only get to know people during celebrations, when everything is positive, you are only getting to know those people on a very superficial basis.
Every single day in the gym is a struggle, and quite honestly, it SHOULD be a struggle. If it was easy, then where would the personal growth come from? It bothers me greatly when people come into the gym looking for certain benefits, then after we show them that we can provide those benefits, they walk out saying they “need to think about it”. How are you going to improve yourself if you don’t go through the struggle of overcoming the things you came in to fix? Sorry, but that is a weak response. There is no magic pill. You simply need to slog through your issues, getting 1% better each day until you reach your goals.
I don’t want people in my life that are going to make excuses for why things can’t be done. I used to be that person. It’s not a part of me that I will ever be proud of. I want people around me that ask how things CAN be done. I love the saying, “Whether you think it can’t be done or can be done, you are correct.” Martial arts teaches you to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Once you have that mentality, everything else is achievable. So, enjoy the struggle. Enjoy looking back on yourself from 1 year ago and how far you have come. Then next opportunity we will celebrate those achievements together.
