What Happens When The Shine Wears Off?

The trouble with journaling every week is sometimes I can't think of anything to say. I'm excited about next week's training opportunity. I'm pleased to have the chance to meet in person the members of my team. I'm looking forward to a weekend of rolling, getting hit with sticks and rock climbing on the beach.

But since when is "I'm looking forward to something fun" anything new or exciting? As stunning insights go, that one is pretty weak.

At times, this whole test is like that. Actually, many of the important things in life are like that. You get started on something: a project, a task, a job, a relationship, whatever. It's new. It's exciting. It's shiny and grand and a big ol' adventure. But sometimes the sexy wears off.

You're left with work, sometimes toil, and nothing much to say. What separates success from failure sometimes (at least for me) seems to be our ability to but head down and move forward during those times. This takes grit, determination, discipline -- something we have as martial artists. Again, this is not a new insight.

But it also takes faith. Faith is a loaded word in our culture. Makes the atheists twitch and the religious talk too much. But what about simple faith that the path, no matter how hard, is taking someplace worth going? What about faith in your own ability to make it over the next hill. What about faith in the wisdom of the folks who have walked ahead of you and are just waiting for you to come 'round the bend?

Tonight, I have faith that somebody, somewhere might find this inspiring, or at least interesting. Thanks for listening.