MONDAY MINDSET: THE REAL TREASURE IS THE FRIENDSHIPS YOU MAKE

WEEK OF 9/9/24

 

There’s a cliche in storytelling that’s crossed over into meme territory at this point. That being: at the end of a long journey, when you finally reach the buried treasure, it’s empty — there never was a material prize at the end of the quest.

The treasure, it turns out, is the friends you made along the way!

And as cringe as this is in the stories we read and watch, it does become true when you run the neverending race of martial arts.  There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow here.  The black belt, or its equivalent, is just a new beginning, and you will constantly be reaching new vistas that overlook new, uncharted territories for you to explore.

As such, much of the real value in the training is the connections you make with other people.

Combat sports provides an usually deep and intimate environment for connecting with other people, many of whom you’d never meet in any other circumstance.  It’s an environment where people across a diverse spectrum can come together and work towards a common goal.  Where we can learn about different perspectives, develop emotional maturity, and build strong networks that can serve us in other life pursuits as well.

So I encourage you to invest in the people around you.  Make connections.  Build bridges.  Serve others.  It’s one of the most rewarding parts of what we do, and small investments into the people around you will often come back to you in positive and unexpected ways.

Don’t take it for granted!

Often the greatest motivation for training on days where you really, really don’t want to go is just simply feeling responsible to show up and help everyone else.  That’s a powerful call to action, and something that can carry you through those long, confusing stretches that challenge your resolve.