CYCLES

WEEK OF 12/30/24

 

Everything is a cycle; everything has a rhythm.

From the beat of our heart, to the respiration of our lungs, to the path of the sun, to the changing of the seasons, to the orbit of our planet.  And on and on in both larger and smaller scales.

Training, too, is a cycle.

Ups and downs.

Give and take.

Glory and humility.

Achievement and loss.

As we close out a new year, I always try and reflect back on the cycles that have persisted throughout my life — of which more than three quarters have been occupied with the martial arts.

For every crisis and looming catastrophe, there have been amazing accomplishments and incredible successes.

I don’t think you can have one without the other.  Finding “balance” is not about suppressing everything (after all, if we suppress every cycle we are simply flatlined — i.e., dead as a doornail!) but rather about understanding that the bad stuff is inherent to the good stuff, and that we need to find ways to appreciate the cycle as a whole.  And that, naturally, includes the “bad stuff.”

I am extremely excited about the new year, about the progress that everyone at the gym has been making, and about the new opportunities and challenges that are in the pipeline for 2025.  I hope you’ll join me on that journey from start to finish!

Happy New Year!