Regret is knowing the truth and going in the opposite direction.
The truth is a whisper and, if it is to guide us, we must first be quiet enough to hear it. Once we hear the truth, we must then be brave enough to follow through on what it is telling us. This requires a degree of trust that is best described as faith.
It might start as a hunch or a suspicion that we should head in some new direction. It may feel like instinct, insight, or even curiosity. There may be no obvious logic or reason behind it. It is simply there, quietly nudging us nagging at us.
We do not have to believe in it. We cannot justify it or rationalize it. There is no explaining it. The question is only whether or not we are willing to allow ourselves to trust it and to experience whatever is on the other side of that trust, knowing that the only reward may be the knowledge that at least we tried.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
-Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body, Severna Park’s Holistic Chamber of Commerce, and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu