He Never Saw It Coming

A few years ago I was competing in a karate tournament. I was in the black belt division, so all of the people competing were of decently high caliber. I was a fairly new black belt at that time and this was my first tournament competing at that level. I must say I was a bit nervous about going against people with such a high ranking. I fought my first fight and won. Then it was my turn to fight again. I had already seen my next opponent fight and he put on a pretty good performance in a winning effort. We squared off and began probing to find each other's weaknesses and to try and score some points. Suddenly, I sensed an opening, spun around and delivered a spinning hook kick to the side of his head. It was not that powerful of a kick (this was, after all, a "touch" tournament and the object was simply to make contact, not to maim), but it completely caught him off guard. He never saw it coming. From that point on all of the poise and confidence he had been showing went right out the window. With him in shock, I was able to finish him off fairly easily. Later, as I watched others from his do-jo, I noticed that none of them were using spinning techniques. What I figured out later was that since people in his group never used those kind of attacks, he never practiced against them. When I used that kick on him, it completely caught him off guard and caused him to become disoriented. I was able to use that skill to achieve victory. Pursuit of Victory The pursuit of perfection and victory in karate is no different from any other activity of life. It requires that we identify the skills that we need to use and practice them over and over until we become their master. If we do that, we will be able to achieve victory in our own lives and keep from getting knocked down when life's difficult circumstances attack us. So, what kind of qualities do we need in order to grow to the place in our lives that allows us to be ultimately successful? Looking at it from one perspective, there are literally dozens of specific skills that we could talk about. These various abilities are important. But beneath the specific skills are categories which the skills fit into. We need to define the categories so that we can be sure that we are going after all of the issues that are necessary for our growth. So, just what are those categories? Emotional Control The first quality is emotional control. We live in a world where people "want it now" and are not willing to take the time necessary to become a master. The problem is, most of the really significant things in life take time. This is especially critical in developing emotional skills. Our emotions happen largely as a result of reactions to outward circumstances. The only problem is, we don't usually control those circumstances, so our emotions tend to ebb and flow outside of our control. While that is our tendency, it is not a necessity. We humans have a unique ability to become the master of our emotions and control how we experience them, regardless of the circumstances. It is not necessarily an easy process but, if we clearly define in advance how we want to experience emotion, we can do things that cause us to experience what we want. Physical Health The next quality is physical health. Living in a physical world requires that we exert physical energy. Everything we do requires us to engage our bodies. What if you needed to walk up the stairs but your legs were not strong enough to do it? What if you needed to concentrate on a lecture but you were too tired? By strengthening our bodies with good nutrition, rest and exercise, it becomes possible to create high levels of stamina. This allows us to engage the world and to accomplish the things we have set out as our goals. It doesn't come automatically, though. We have to create a lifestyle that supports it - and that takes consistent effort. Mental Dexterity Next comes mental dexterity. This involves developing the mental skills which allow a person to grasp more information, to focus, to control mental state and discipline the brain. I have not always enjoyed writing. In fact, I used to hate it. I didn't like taking the time to do the research and especially despised the editing which is necessary to put a paper into final form. The one thing I didn't mind was knocking out a rough draft. For some reason I was pretty good at getting the material organized. Over the years, though, it has been necessary for me to refine my writing skills. I have needed them for my schooling and in my work. As I have labored, over the years, I found myself getting better and better. I also found myself enjoying it more. Now I would just as soon write as do anything. This improved skill in writing has allowed me to become a published author. Positive Relationships The ability to create positive relationships is the last quality. This is not just a matter of getting along with other people. Relationships are the primary outward expression of our spiritual personhood. We operate in this arena not only with other people, but with ourselves and with God. Back in 1965, Simon and Garfunkle wrote and recorded "I am a Rock" - a song about relationships. Part of the song went like this. I've built walls, A fortress deep and mighty, That none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain. I am a rock, I am an island. Some people really do try to cop out of relationships because they don't like dealing with the struggles that it entails. But we are social beings who live in a world which requires relationship networks to operate. To the degree we master the skills of operating in the arena of relationships, we are able to sculpt our lives to be productive and meaningful. Ultimate Success Success is a very personal thing. We each define the specific areas where we want to be successful with our own lives. Regardless of our own personal specifics, we will end up being blind sided by the spinning hook kicks of life if we don't train in each of the areas above. Each one is a necessary part of life. If we neglect to develop each of these areas, we will constantly find ourselves knocked down and disoriented. But if we train in each area and become proficient, we will achieve success in virtually everything we do.