I’ve been thinking lately about what it takes to really accomplish something that seems insurmountable. There are many things in my life I’ve set out to do with incredible naivety only to discover, after already being committed to the project, how much I was in over my head. These moments of discovery and the decisions that followed are what have defined me as a person. I think what builds character most at these times is not what we decide, but how we decide it.
Budo Taijutsu (our martial art), is a perfect example of that. I am not a natural martial artist. I’m a natural teacher and leader, but when it comes to figuring out where my body is in space, I have to work much harder than some of my peers in the dojo. I didn’t know that coming into it. I actually thought, after a few years dabbling in dance, that I was fairly coordinated!
But after I committed to this path and got deeply involved in the training, I had that moment of discovery. I realized that to really progress to an advanced level, I would need to call on types of strength I wasn’t sure I had. What defined me in this moment was not the fact that I decided to stick with it, but how I made that decision.
I looked at myself honestly and peeled away the layers that might be surrounding my true purpose. I knew that to make this decision, I had to look at what the Japanese call the ikigai, my “reason for being”. 
What I found in my contemplation is that Budo Taijutsu is an integral part of why I am here on this Earth. Once I made that part of the decision, none of the rest mattered. If I had decided to quit, it would have been because I had really looked at this art and decided it held nothing for me. And, difficult as the high level training had become, I knew that the answer was to stick with it. It is part of who I am.
From that decision has flowed every other decision I’ve made about training. Now, it doesn’t matter how much harder I may have to train than someone else, or that there are concepts I have to learn 5 different ways before I’m able to remember them. In fact, I decided that all of that extra work will just help me be a better teacher.
I can’t tell you how this resolve, this resolution to follow the path I know is right for me, regardless of the challenges along the way, has shaped me. Not only my training, but my life. A challenge holds joy for me now instead of fear or frustration. I delight in the bumps along the road because I really, truly love the road I’m on.
In my first class in the Spring of 2008, there were 2 students, including me. One of the greatest challenges and joys I’ve taken on is to stop at nothing to be sure this beautiful art became more accessible to people in our town. Now, at 140 students and counting, I could not be happier with the news we are about to announce – our next delightful challenge! Please stay tuned to our Facebook Page tomorrow to see what this big announcement is all about!
In the dojo this week, we’re exploring the theme of resolve through these techniques:
- Front, Back and Side break falls
- Hicho no Kata (kids)
- Principles of Pinning. Basic arm and body pin (advanced kids, teens, adults)
- Te and Tai Hodoki (hand and body escapes)
- Hanbo Kamae and Strikes
Thanks for reading! See you in the dojo,
Sensei Nesta