Meditations on God

A Problem’s Opportunity
When faced with a problem, or multiple problems at once, It is important to always look for the upside.

This may seem cliché, but that does not make it any less true.

It is easier to find solutions when we are focused on what is possible, not what is impossible.

The solution to our problem does not exist in the problem itself.

It exists elsewhere.

Solutions exist within the realm of what we can affect, as opposed to what we cannot.

That is where we should focus our time, energy, and attention.

Instead of focusing on the problem, we will have far better results and a far more positive outlook and mindset moving forward if we look for the opportunities it creates for us elsewhere.

Even if the obstacle in front of us is the only way forward, we must be able to see over it or around it in order to get where we are going.

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

Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.

If you found this post helpful or meaningful in some way, please feel free to Share, Comment, and Subscribe below.
Share this:
X
Facebook
Like Loading…
November 30, 2020

obstacles, opportunity, optimism, perspective, problems, solutions
Anxious Action
Anxiousness does not solve problems faster or more easily than patience.

It only blurs our vision, making solutions more difficult to see.

Blinded by anxiousness, we risk acting fearfully, selfishly, and recklessly.

This is not the way to achieve healthy, long-lasting solutions.

We may be able to alleviate some of our anxiety through hasty action, giving us a brief sense of accomplishment.

Typically such immediate gratification has unforeseen consequences for ourselves or the people around us, however.

The relief we feel is temporary, but the damage we do may be permanent.

A better strategy is to practice patience, to wait for our anxiousness to wane, and to allow solutions to present themselves in their own time.

We may even come to find that our anxiousness was all for nothing, that things work themselves out, and that no action was required of us after all.

If nothing else, at least we will have learned to not give in to our emotions when feeling distressed and this is accomplishment in itself.

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

Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.

If you found this post helpful or meaningful in some way, please feel free to Share, Comment, and Subscribe below.
Share this:
X
Facebook
Like Loading…
November 29, 2020

action, anxiousness, fear, haste, patience, practice, relationships
Patience As A Choice
We do not always have to know what to do.

In fact, sometimes it is better to do nothing than to act in ignorance or in haste.

Sometimes, we simply have to wait.

While waiting may necessary, patience is a whole other matter altogether.

Patience is the decision or the ability to be comfortable while waiting.

For those of us who are driven to act by the forces inside us, whatever these forces may be, patience can be quite difficult to come by.

But, with nothing to do, we must choose to either be comfortable or uncomfortable while we wait.

And, if we must wait, we may as well do so with patience, contentedness, and intention.

Otherwise, we are not really waiting.

We are wasting our time.

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.

Photo by Ana.*

*Robert Van Valkenburgh’s black and white photography can be seen at My Darkness To Light

Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.

If you found this post helpful or meaningful in some way, please feel free to Share, Comment, and Subscribe below.
Share this:
X
Facebook
Like Loading…
November 28, 2020

action, choice, comfort, contentment, decision, haste, ignorance, intention, patience, waiting
Right Association
The company we keep has a profound affect on who we become.

If we are unhappy, unproductive, and unsuccessful, in whatever way we define these things, there is a good chance that, if we look at the people around us, we will see the same in them.

Conversely, if we are content, progress driven, and accomplished in our lives, there is a high likelihood that the same is true with the people around us.

It stands to reason, then, that we should actively avoid people whose attitudes, lives, and behaviors we do not want to emulate.

And, we should, therefore, actively seek out the people who we most want to be like.

This does not mean we should cease being ourselves, but it does mean that some of our traits are much more mutable than we may like to think and that the company we keep helps to shape who we will eventually become.

Obviously, a lot of effort is required on our part.

We do not transform overnight through association alone.

But, right association does help to get us started in the proper direction.

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.

Photo by Ana.*

*Robert Van Valkenburgh’s black and white photography can be seen at My Darkness To Light

Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.

If you found this post helpful or meaningful in some way, please feel free to Share, Comment, and Subscribe below.
Share this:
X
Facebook
Like Loading…
November 27, 2020

association, happiness, improvement, life, progress, purpose, success
Effort And Optimism
We do not have to try very hard to find something to be upset about, to criticize, or to complain about.

Negativity is easy.

It is also lazy and selfish.

More difficult, but also infinitely more worthwhile, is finding things to be happy about, to be grateful for, and to celebrate.

Positivity, specifically optimism, requires effort, however.

And, if we do not want to give in to negativity, we must be diligent in our battle against our baser urges.

We have to rise above laziness and strive for that which is difficult.

We have to strive to be optimistic.

Not only will it lift us up, but it will also lift up those around us as well.

The harder we work to keep our heads up, the more we look for and find the good in things instead of the bad, the more we will discover that our life and the lives of those around us actually change for the better.

Paradoxically, this will lead us to having less to be upset about, to criticize, and to complain about.

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.

Photo by Ana.*

*Robert Van Valkenburgh’s black and white photography can be seen at My Darkness To Light

Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.

If you found this post helpful or meaningful in some way, please feel free to Share, Comment, and Subscribe below.
Share this:
X
Facebook
Like Loading…
November 26, 2020

change, gratitude, hope, optimism, positivity, thankfulness, uplifting

A Problem’s Opportunity

Share this:

Anxious Action

Share this:

Patience As A Choice

Share this:

Right Association

Share this:

Effort And Optimism

Share this: