Mindset Shift
When one question changes everything.
I went away for the weekend to what I affectionately call my martial arts family reunion. It’s an annual gathering of people from all over the country that I see about once or twice a year. The biggest draw for me, besides the training, is always the discussions we have after training is done for the day.
Normally, I have at least one mind-blowing moment during the event, usually about my training. This year I had two for my training and one that will be carried into my regular life.
I was having a conversation with one of the teachers I’ve known for almost as long as I’ve been training. We were having a long and windy discussion of training and what I was currently doing and why I had been driving so far for so long to get my training when there were other teachers in my area.
And then he asked me a simple question: What do you want out of your training?
To say my mind was blown is an understatement. It’s not like I haven’t had versions of that question asked of me over the years because I have. But it’s never resonated with me the way it did this weekend.
I’ve spent most of my training following my training partner from one instructor to another as he sought out what he needed, but I never questioned what I needed until a few years ago. And now I’m at a point where I know what I need to do and where I need improvement.
But for me, this question resonates with other areas of my life, mostly my writing. What do I want out of this book? And depending on which one we’re talking about, the answer is different, but I didn’t think about it much before this weekend.
A lot of people ask for your why when you’re setting goals and it’s important to know, but I think examining what you want out of them is as important. Why I exercise is so I can live longer, but what I want out of my workouts is more flexibility and strength. They are two pieces of the same puzzle that are making me reexamine my goals, especially going into the new quarter.
What is the off-handed comment someone said to you that made you rethink everything in your life? Let me know!
