The Quiet Enemy

[Caleqs]

There are so many clichés that come to mind when I think about how easily we are lulled into complacency, where we are slowly led to believe a lie. The frog in the pot of water comes to mind immediately. For the couple of people that don’t know, it goes like this, “Throw a frog into a pot of boiling water and he will immediately jump out, but put a frog in a pot of tepid water and slowly bring it to a boil and the frog will cook to death.” You see, the frog’s mind never hits the action mode in response to danger because the danger is not obvious until its too late.

So it is with us. We respond to imminent and obvious threats and actions easily and without thought. We respond to a car rushing toward us. We respond to someone screaming at us. We respond to a misbehaving child. What we don’t respond well to, what we can’t seem to recognize, are the quiet enemies in our lives. Laziness. Apathy. Gluttony. Lust. Selfishness. Greed. Comfort. Work. The list is endless.

These are the little things. The things on the margins. The corners we cut. The excuses we make. The things we don’t do instead of the things we should do. The things we do that we shouldn’t do. It’s a battle fought minute by minute and day-by-day. It’s a battle we are losing every day and the world is telling us its ok.

Except its not. Look, we should never major in the minors, but it’s the little things in life, the little battles won, that make the war easier to win. The battle we fight is one of attrition and we are our own worst enemy. It shows up in what we chose to eat. It shows up in what we choose to do, or not do. It shows up in how we treat those around us. Our laziness, greed, apathy, etc. is apparent in everything we do, if we just take the time to look for it. But we don’t.

So it is with training. Losing in a violent encounter doesn’t happen during the encounter. The battle is lost way before the fight. The battle is lost when we eat one more doughnut or when we decide to sit on the couch instead of getting up to train. We lose it in our prayer life where we refuse to acknowledge God in our motivations and actions. We lose it bit-by-bit and day-by-day and we think its no big deal. We lose in our marriages, we lose in our work, we lose in our life because we don’t get up and do the hard work of being deliberate about what we are doing.

So, what are you going to do about it? What am I going to do about it? Start being more deliberate today. Look at your calendar for next year. Start to schedule your training year. What are you going to do weekly, monthly and quarterly? What refresher classes do you need to take? Where do you need to get initial skills training? Companies all over the world right now are working on their vision, strategy and budgets for their business for next year. We should do the same.

Here’s my plan for next year:

Weekly: Martial arts training 2 nights per week. CrossFit 2 times a week. Running 2 times a week.

Monthly: Teach a class either in martial arts or other combatives to hone my teaching skills and my own proficiency in certain topics. Half day solo training in shooting skills (movement, pistol, rifle, shotgun).

Quarterly: One seminar or training class per quarter.

It’s an aggressive plan, as it should be. I won’t hit it every time, but, like a budget, this is what I will use to measure my success next year.

When was the last time you slowed down long enough to actually think about what you’re doing, much less reflect on what you’ve done? I bet it’s been a while, if ever. Our constant busy-ness and pursuit of our own comfort keeps us from taking a minute to explore the small things in our lives that are literally killing us, or at the very least, making our lives miserable. Don’t let this year end the way it started and don’t let next year start the way this one did.

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[lowly monk]

Good call, I have been in the same mode for 30 years. I have also taken the time to enjoy life to its fullest! It is a choice. So have some Fun and remember teach your students as individuals, They have different physical capacity's. So modify the modality to fit the student. Personally try internal arts as well for balance.
Be well,
Shawnzai!

 

[Caleqs]

So have some Fun and remember teach your students as individuals, They have different physical capacity's. So modify the modality to fit the student.

Heh, yeah, I teach attributes, so the students are always required to adapt them to their personality, body style, etc. etc. I don't believe they have to do it just like me before they can understand it for themselves, undo what they've learned and then adapt it to their own lives. Its a ridiculous approach unless your culture dictates it. That's my thinking with training. Don't try to emulate my movement unless you are me. Take the theory and ideas behind the movement and make it yours. Its funny though, I find that many students are really uncomfortable with this method of teaching. I also find that the "technicians" hate this!

 

[evltwn]

Here's my plan for next year:

Why wait until next year?

 

[Caleqs]

Of course. Ideally, you'd already be working last year's plan this year. Unfortunately, as I have found in the folks that inquire about training, and just looking around at the general population, 90% are doing nothing. Either way, plan the work and then work the plan.

 

[Sabertooth]

Don't know if this fits here but. Good info.
Safe In The Streets, written by Sandra Merwin. TigerLily Press. ISBN: 0-9628522-2-8