"It takes 10 years of extensive training to excel in anything" - Herbert Simon-Nobel Laureate
Listening, observing and training people can be very interesting. I assume when people come to me, that they are looking for change. What I often witness is that people want this now, tomorrow or the next month - they want instant gratification. What happens when you try to change everything now? Usually you go back to what you know, what’s comfortable.
Many people say they can make drastic changes easily and are committed to doing "whatever it takes" to get results, but in reality this is short lived. This isn't to say that not a single soul can make it happen; some people have what it takes to make cold turkey changes. But what about the other 95%?
I can only talk through my experiences. During my time so far I have had a passion for physical preparation and the martial arts. I can only explain it as “moments of clarity”. You've been doing something the same way for the last 5, 10 years, when all of a sudden you have a thought or you see something which makes you look at it in a whole different way - and it changes everything! It makes me think of people who have been specializing, studying and practising something for 30, 40+ years, how well they must understand the bigger picture!
What I can tell you is this: after training for an extensive period of time, it’s not only what you do inside the gym (any training room) that gets results, it’s what you do outside that matters. Your training becomes a part of you: in your actions and thoughts every day. It affects everything!
With a “short sighted” approach to training, or by taking short cuts, you lose the foundation of body and mind that I believe are the most important. It's impossible to learn some characteristics in 3 months: traits such as patience, consistency, understanding and discipline.
So if you decide to train or you are thinking of training again or like most of you now in training, think of the “Bigger Picture”. Look outside of your present training and look at what's really going on ... for the long term.
Essay by Sensei Tom Cako
Tri-City Training, Guelph Ontario