Procrastination will get you nowhere and it will take a long time to get there.
If we are honest with ourselves from day to day, we know what we must do for the betterment of our lives. We know what we want to do, how we want to spend our time, who we want to spend our time with, and what we want to create. We also know all of the things that we put ahead of these, our deepest desires, as a way of postponing risk, reward, and potential success or failure.
Knowing all of this, however, is, as a favorite cartoon of mine as a kid always reminded us, only half the battle. The other half is action. Without positive action in the direction of that which calls to us from within the depths of our truest selves, all we are doing is wasting time.
If each of us has a purpose, or perhaps more than one, it may be most easily found by looking at what we are putting off doing in our lives, by focusing in on the things we are avoiding and procrastinating around. By facing that which we seek distraction from, we uncover the truth about ourselves and our potential. The things we avoid most strongly are also the things that will bring us the most regret later on, but they are also the things which will bring us the most satisfaction, fulfillment, and contentment if we shine a light on them and take action.
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 and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as well as a founding member of the Severna Park and Baltimore Holistic Chamber of Commerce.
Street art photo taken by Robert Van Valkenburgh, artist unknown unless otherwise noted.
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