Not all battles are not meant to be won.
The best way forward is not always through.
Sometimes we need to step back, regroup, and look at things from a different perspective.
Commitment to a direction, an idea, or a relationship is important if we want to be successful with it.
Nothing worthwhile is accomplished half-heartedly.
We cannot allow ourselves be so committed to one course of action, however, that we lose sight of all of the other possibilities, options, and alternatives available to us.
Over-commitment in the wrong direction is as bad as under-commitment in the right direction.
We must find a place of balance and integrity within ourselves from which we are able to move freely and stably in the best direction, understanding that the best direction may not be our original direction.
Nothing worthwhile is gained by sacrificing our own balance, integrity, or stability.
This does not mean that we live a life free of restrictions, limitations, and boundaries, only that we do not allow restrictions, limitations, and boundaries to compromise who we are.
Freedom is the ability to be our best selves, without compromise, in any and all circumstances, directions, and environments.
If the only way to move forward is by compromising our morality, we must come to accept that some battles are best left unwon.
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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