Here’s how martial arts are taught: everyone learns in the same room together, the black belts, the white belts, and everyone in between. When it’s time to spar, everyone joins in. When I started learning karate, I found out I was merely a mobile punching bag. The other students hit me and kicked me at will. They moved too fast for me to keep up with. I was disorientated, hurt, and usually angry. The only ways to stop the pain and confusion were to quit or to accept that it was a bear hunt. I had to go through it.
I went through it. Because karate. (My seven year-old self would have been proud!) After a few years, I was the guy calmly hitting and kicking people at will.
What thing do you want to do? Get in that game. Start now.
Yes, you will be surrounded by people who can do it better than you. You will get beat up. You will look stupid. You will be disorientated. But you will be off the sidelines and in the game. That’s the only place to actually learn how to do it.
Get in the game.
Go on that bear hunt.
Speaking of getting in – I’m intrigued by the social audio platforms that are popping up. I’m playing around with Cappuccino. You’re very welcome to join me. It’s easy. Install the app on your phone, then use this invite code to join the group TREE falls in a FOREST: 185237
Grow slowly.
Jeff
The Memory of TREE playlist – every song from every email:
I'm interested in this idea Jeff - what about self esteem and confidence? For some that would be a big barrier to getting beaten up for fun. How did you keep going through it? A bear hunt is fun unless the bear is hunting you....I know that folk often lack the right kind trigger for internal motivation so they don't start a thing, or they give up quickly. You must have had some kind of push-pull factory that helped?