Many people want to learn a martial art but worry that they will not be able to fit it into their busy schedules. They are waiting until they have the time and space in their lives – next week, next month, next year.
But let me let you in on a secret. You are NEVER going to have the time. This imagined time in your life where you will leave the office on time or when your kids no longer need parenting or when your study load eases is NEVER going to come.
The boss is not going to walk in one day and suddenly ask you to do less (unless she’s firing you!). The competition to do well in exams is not going to cease and your 8-year old child is still going to need his parents less when he is 9 years old.
Here is what will really happen. The boss will give you another project and the next exam will be harder than the last. You will get a year older, then another year older and your dream of learning a martial will slip further and further away. Viewed this way, you will see you that you actually do not have the time NOT to learn a martial art now – because time itself will pass you by.
In my more than 20 years of studying and teaching martial arts, I have seen one common trait in those who succeed – they MAKE THE TIME to train. They find a way to squeeze one or two lessons a week into their schedule, even if it means sacrificing a few other things (and it will) or getting an hour less sleep a few times a week.
They do this for a reason – because they believe it’s worth it. They fulfil their dream of being a martial artist and the discipline, confidence and focus they learn makes them more successful in other parts of their lives. It makes other parts of their life easier.
Prioritize. Make the time to begin your martial arts journey and you will find it’s worth it too.
There is a Chinese proverb that “life unfolds on a great sheet called time and once finished it is gone forever”.
Now is the only time you have.
