People may not take our ideas seriously until they see them materialize.
If we have unpopular ideas, that is to say, if we have ideas that are not popular because they are too new, too different, or too disruptive to have caught on yet, we cannot expect people to believe that we are serious unless we show them proof.
The best evidence that we are serious about something, especially something extraordinary, innovative, or outlandish, is to do it.
No one owes us belief. No one owes us trust. No one owes us respect. All of these must be earned through effort, through action, and through results.
Over time, if our ideas prove out, if they do what they say they would and if we do what we say we would with them, we may gain a reputation for having good ideas that are worth pursuing, worth believing in, and worth investing time and resources in.
There is no guarantee of this, however. In the world of unpopular ideas, there is a fine line between perceived genius and perceived madness, and that line is drawn with results.
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.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.
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