It’s why I’m still here…
The only session to miss
For 50+ years this has been my mantra …. and it’s absolutely why I’m still here after all these years! I’m still donning the kimono almost daily and often more than once daily! I may not be training/practicing as hard as frequently as I did in my youth but that’s because being in your 65th year means you are not in your youth! Yet I’m still moving better than most guys half my age without any of the ailments that afflict the majority of guys of my age! (a future blog on that coming up for 100% sure). That said, you can rest assured, almost daily training for 50+ years hasn’t been plain sailing by any stretch of the imagination.
My resolve has, through life’s ups and downs, pulls and challenges been sorely tested believe me! So much so in fact, I’d bet I can pretty much guarantee that whatever you are going through, have been through or will go through.. I have been there, done that and got the t shirt! … and yet I’m still here!
Do you think I haven’t ever come home after a physically hard or S##ty day at work or a painful/awkward/heart breaking/difficult day and sat in the chair with the heating on, mid winter when its dark, cold and maybe raining outside, with my beloved dog/child/partner fussing me …. and never contemplated not going to class? Ill be straight with you … it’s a challenge EVERY single time!
That’s where the mantra comes in…. it reminds me that I am a better man at dealing with all of these things BECAUSE of going training… this is something I have always done for ME, the only thing I have done for me alone, it’s not been for work, career progression or family, but for me! and here I am all these years later, still investing time and energy in me .. why? .. because it’s where I bolster my resilience, reinforce belief in my self, check my ego and daily grow into a better version of myself by stepping outside of my current comfort zone ! … and you know what? the added bonus is that these things that can never ever be taken away from me! This is an investment that never goes down in value! … the profits of this investment can’t be stolen or misused by someone else for their own agenda, they cant be bought, sold or rented out either, and importantly, the government of the day can’t change the law of the land to tax them either :-)
Net result.. I am a better Employer/Employee/Dad/Gym Owner/Partner/Pack leader than I believe I would have ever been otherwise … and also, that feeling of being warm and comfortable when I am, is all the more enhanced by the contrast of having experienced the feeling the cold & wet!
So… the moral of the story is… only ever miss the session you really wanted to go to … in other words, don’t go training because real life stopped you… don’t go because you cant go, because actual events stopped you .. but never because you decided not to! …here’s is my guidance … there is a big difference between actual events and the mind created ones (aka EXCUSES) … and developing your ability to differentiate between these two will pay you back tenfold in life, this it’s worth thinking seriously about !
Murray