It Never Ends... EVER!

I received a text from a student of mine which stated, "Your last 3 blogs were lame! I already know that stuff." (Oh, you little college freshman girl). She was half-kidding, but that means she was also half-serious. Because she's heard my rants so often about figuring out what she wants, visualizing, and taking action, she thinks she's got it! I know, I know... 18 year old girls know it all -- then they turn into 40 year old women who know it all!

She instinctively thought that because she's heard me talk so much on those subjects, she didn't need to hear, read, or practice much anymore. WRONG, LITTLE GIRLIE! 

*If we want to gain muscle mass... we must lift weights and eat correctly ~ all the time!

*If we want to lose weight... we must exercise and eat correctly ~ all the time!

*If we want to get better grades... we must study more efficiently (or in some cases, study- period!) ~ all the time!

If we want to create new, better ways of thinking and acting... we must practice ~ all the time!

I remember walking into a martial arts class when I was younger, super excited, yet scared out of my mind at the same time. I hated anything new and out of my comfort zone. What finally got me in the door was the fact that I knew (or so I thought) that I'd be working with all beginners, so we'd all be in the same boat. See, back then, I'd never do anything that I knew I wasn't going to be great at... so for me to take a class in which "failure" could be a possibility was a huge leap of faith. 

The first thing I remember seeing when I walked into the studio were 7 guys flipping each other, practicing wrist locks, and working on what looked like to be some very advanced moves. I asked the instructor if I was in the wrong class. He said I was in the right place... actually, I'll never forget what he told me, because it made me forever alter the way I thought and how I was teaching. 

"All black belts work with beginners because they were once beginners, and will always be beginners... they just have a different color belt than you," he said. "They will give back to the new students, as well as learn from them. You're in the right class, my son!" 

Son? Dad?? My dad's not Japanese! Did you give me away at birth? Sorry, back to my point:

I hadn't been there for more than 5 minutes, yet he completely changed my way of thinking, doing, and the way I'd teach for the rest of my life. We never stop learning, improving, and growing... EVER! There isn't a finish line, no matter how many classes we've taken, no matter how well we've eaten or how often we've exercised. We're never done, we never truly get it, and there's definitely no such thing as a master. We may think sometimes, that we've "mastered" something, but that's just an illusion. The instructor in that class was something ridiculous like a 10th degree black belt, but said that he's still, and always will be a beginner. 

So... to my young student who "doesn't need those lessons anymore," and has mastered her techniques: I envy you. I'm jealous that you've found a way to be done. Actually, in our next session, you'll be showing me how you did it!