Mountains of Arizona
Partly Cloudy 64 Degrees
6:06 a.m.
So yesterday I got my 1st degree black belt in the Filipino martial art that I study.
Had you told me 10 years ago this would happen, I would have laughed. I’m not a violent type of guy. I don’t even like competing in much of anything. And enduring pain? Well, let’s just say I’ve come a long way.
For some reason, I’ve stuck with this for years. Each week I get to be pushed beyond a limit of what I think might be possible.
This is the real reason I go. Because I know that when THAT happens, it stimulates a growth process from which I benefit over time.
In my opinion, there are two primary qualities required to be a great teacher:
First, you can’t be locked in to a rigid structure of “how it has to be done.” In other words, if you transform your teachings into another religion with rules to follow, that’s when you go blind to seeing real possibilities.
Second, your ego can’t be so fragile so as to keep you from celebrating any student who moves beyond your own level.
I’ve been blessed to have teachers like this throughout my life. And this is certainly the case with my martial arts teacher.
We don’t learn an endless amount of forms that we regurgitate like trained monkeys. We learn principles that we are expected to call on and combine in new, unique and effective ways.
Watch what I do. Think about it. Practice it. Discover what it is that YOU should do.
That’s the recipe that works over time to build freedom and confidence.
And wouldn’t you know it, it works in life, business and everywhere else where you want to learn something.
That leads me to a new project I just released today. It’s for people who want more demonstration about taking ideas and making them real in the land of the Incomparable Expert.