I often get asked — Why “North Star?” Guesses range from The Fist of the North Star (an awesome 90’s anime) to something related to my middle name (Baer, for those wondering — the North Star is on the tail of Ursa Minor, the little dipper).
But, nope. Those are good guesses and would fit nicely but the origin is a little different.
The North Star, also known as Polaris, is the only star in the sky that retains a relatively fixed position. For thousands of years, humans have navigated the globe using Polaris as their guide.
In my own life, whenever I’ve found myself lost or unsure of where to go or what to do, I’ve always been able to fall back on my experience as a martial artist to help me make the proper decisions. In many ways, my martial arts training as been sort of a North Star — an unwavering set of principles that guides me throughout life.
In 2017 when I opened the gym, I wanted to share my passion for the athletic side of martial arts, but also hoped to spread the deeper benefits of it as well. And I’ve definitely had to tap into my training to navigate some of the challenges that the last six years have brought and am a living example of this idea in action!
Like the old Hair Club for Men commercial goes (you Gen Zers have no idea what I’m talking about here), “I’m not only the president, I’m also a member.”
I hope some of you have also had experiences falling back on lessons learned on the mats to help you navigate rough patches in your life, too!