A few years ago I was competing in a karate tournament. I was
in the black belt division, so all of the people competing were
of decently high caliber. I was a fairly new black belt at that
time and this was my first tournament competing at that level. I
must say I was a bit nervous about going against people with
such a high ranking. I fought my first fight and won. Then it
was my turn to fight again. I had already seen my next opponent
fight and he put on a pretty good performance in a winning
effort. We squared off and began probing to find each other's
weaknesses and to try and score some points. Suddenly, I sensed
an opening, spun around and delivered a spinning hook kick to
the side of his head. It was not that powerful of a kick (this
was, after all, a "touch" tournament and the object was simply
to make contact, not to maim), but it completely caught him off
guard. He never saw it coming. From that point on all of the
poise and confidence he had been showing went right out the
window. With him in shock, I was able to finish him off fairly
easily. Later, as I watched others from his do-jo, I noticed
that none of them were using spinning techniques. What I figured
out later was that since people in his group never used those
kind of attacks, he never practiced against them. When I used
that kick on him, it completely caught him off guard and caused
him to become disoriented. I was able to use that skill to
achieve victory.
Pursuit of Victory
The pursuit of perfection and victory in karate is no different
from any other activity of life. It requires that we identify
the skills that we need to use and practice them over and over
until we become their master. If we do that, we will be able to
achieve victory in our own lives and keep from getting knocked
down when life's difficult circumstances attack us. So, what
kind of qualities do we need in order to grow to the place in
our lives that allows us to be ultimately successful? Looking at
it from one perspective, there are literally dozens of specific
skills that we could talk about. These various abilities are
important. But beneath the specific skills are categories which
the skills fit into. We need to define the categories so that we
can be sure that we are going after all of the issues that are
necessary for our growth. So, just what are those categories?
Emotional Control
The first quality is emotional control. We live in a world
where people "want it now" and are not willing to take the time
necessary to become a master. The problem is, most of the really
significant things in life take time. This is especially
critical in developing emotional skills. Our emotions happen
largely as a result of reactions to outward circumstances. The
only problem is, we don't usually control those circumstances,
so our emotions tend to ebb and flow outside of our control.
While that is our tendency, it is not a necessity. We humans
have a unique ability to become the master of our emotions and
control how we experience them, regardless of the circumstances.
It is not necessarily an easy process but, if we clearly define
in advance how we want to experience emotion, we can do things
that cause us to experience what we want.
Physical Health
The next quality is physical health. Living in a physical world
requires that we exert physical energy. Everything we do
requires us to engage our bodies. What if you needed to walk up
the stairs but your legs were not strong enough to do it? What
if you needed to concentrate on a lecture but you were too
tired? By strengthening our bodies with good nutrition, rest
and exercise, it becomes possible to create high levels of
stamina. This allows us to engage the world and to accomplish
the things we have set out as our goals. It doesn't come
automatically, though. We have to create a lifestyle that
supports it - and that takes consistent effort.
Mental Dexterity
Next comes mental dexterity. This involves developing the
mental skills which allow a person to grasp more information, to
focus, to control mental state and discipline the brain. I have
not always enjoyed writing. In fact, I used to hate it. I didn't
like taking the time to do the research and especially despised
the editing which is necessary to put a paper into final form.
The one thing I didn't mind was knocking out a rough draft. For
some reason I was pretty good at getting the material organized.
Over the years, though, it has been necessary for me to refine
my writing skills. I have needed them for my schooling and in my
work. As I have labored, over the years, I found myself getting
better and better. I also found myself enjoying it more. Now I
would just as soon write as do anything. This improved skill in
writing has allowed me to become a published author.
Positive Relationships
The ability to create positive relationships is the last
quality. This is not just a matter of getting along with other
people. Relationships are the primary outward expression of our
spiritual personhood. We operate in this arena not only with
other people, but with ourselves and with God. Back in 1965,
Simon and Garfunkle wrote and recorded "I am a Rock" - a song
about relationships. Part of the song went like this.
I've built walls, A fortress deep and mighty, That none may
penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain. I am a rock, I am an
island.
Some people really do try to cop out of relationships because
they don't like dealing with the struggles that it entails. But
we are social beings who live in a world which requires
relationship networks to operate. To the degree we master the
skills of operating in the arena of relationships, we are able
to sculpt our lives to be productive and meaningful.
Ultimate Success
Success is a very personal thing. We each define the specific
areas where we want to be successful with our own lives.
Regardless of our own personal specifics, we will end up being
blind sided by the spinning hook kicks of life if we don't train
in each of the areas above. Each one is a necessary part of
life. If we neglect to develop each of these areas, we will
constantly find ourselves knocked down and disoriented. But if
we train in each area and become proficient, we will achieve
success in virtually everything we do.
About Author :
Dr. Freddy Davis is an author and owner of TSM Enterprises. He
conducts conferences, seminars and organizational training for
executives, managers and sales professionals to help develop
greater effectiveness and productivity. On the web at
http://www.tsmenterprises.com. You ca
