Improvement does not simply require practice.
It is a practice in itself.
We have to work on working on ourselves, our lives, and our relationships.
But, the more we do, the easier it will be to make progress.
This is true for a while anyway.
As we move past some of our grosser and more obvious defects and shortcomings, however, things begin to get a bit more complicated.
The further we progress, the more we need to dig into and fine tune some of our deepest flaws, fears, and most longly held beliefs and behaviors.
This is not an easy endeavor, nor will it happen overnight.
We have spent years or even decades becoming the way we are now.
It will take a lot of time, a lot of effort, and, most likely, a lot of pain and struggle to change these parts of who we are.
It will take a lot of practice.
And, we will probably need help.
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 Kogen Dojo Self Defense Academy where he teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.*
*Robert Van Valkenburgh’s black and white photography can be seen at My Darkness To Light
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