Three years ago, almost to the day, I underwent a serious shoulder reconstruction to repair a torn labrum on my left arm. So today’s Monday Mindset feels appropriate.
When you have a chronic, debilitating injury, you rehabilitate it.
To re-habilitate is to come back and build new habits, essentially. To “re-habit.” To create a new, healthy balance in your behavior that allows everything to work optimally.
When your self-confidence, self-control, and self-discipline are damaged, you must rehabilitate them as well.
Martial Arts training is rehab for the mind, body, and spirit. And we are creating stronger habits to improve character, strengthen our mind, and create a healthier life.
After 18 years training, competing, and coaching in the martial arts, I have noticed patterns.
Generally speaking, the students with the best habits also become the best martial artists. They show up regularly, they seek improvement over gratification, and they always keep the long term plan in mind.
In fact, students with talent are almost always outpaced by students with good habits (except in those rare instances where talent and commitment are in harmony).
As such, your main focus as a martial artist is to simply develop and maintain the best habits. It is the pursuit of consistent, healthy behavior that will naturally flow downwards into improvement in all other areas.