Hey, Amy here.
I was chatting with my martial arts teacher last night.
He shared with me that in the 40+ years he's been doing martial arts, he has had many, many times that he has been frustrated and many times that
wanted to quit.
He said lately at the end of every year of classes he tells himself he is going to retire from teaching... but that he's never able to actually retire because when he walks in to the room and is surrounded by the positive energy that his students bring and the community brings, he just can't quit that.
He said it's an energy and a comradery and a level of positivity that the people in other areas of his life don't even comprehend.
He even shared a story about something negative that happened at his day job
earlier in the day... just as an illustration of how the energy is much different there and in many places in the world outside of our studio.
And how great it is to be able to walk into the studio after a day like that at his job.
He was talking about how everyone at the studio is there to learn and grow and
evolve... not because they have to but because they want to.
And everyone respects each other in a different way... which creates an energy that is so positive and so much different than in other places we find ourselves as we go through our days.
As
he was telling me this, I was thinking about other places in my life that feel like this to me.
I was thinking about the different communities in my life that feed my soul and my spirit and make me want to show up even when I'm having a bad day (especially when I'm having a hard day... because I know I will be loved and held in
these places).
I find myself gravitating toward these types of communities in my life... and it's in these communities that focus on growth and expansion that I've made some of my best friends.
My teacher was also talking about the meaning of Black Belt being 'beginner'... how getting your black belt just means you made it to the beginning without giving up.
I love this. I feel like this is the type of humility that will help us to be better students in all areas of our lives... never considering
ourselves a master and knowing that there's always so much more to learn.
