Meditations on God

Looking For A Detail Of Hope
The ability to appreciate and rejoice in the tiniest details of our lives can be extrapolated out to an immense sense of gratitude for the bigger picture if we allow it to.

Sometimes life, with all of the complexity and challenges it presents to us from day to day, can become overwhelming.

There are times when it can be difficult to imagine how to overcome some of the trials and tribulations that come our way.

Unexpected tragedy may strike, we might experience troubles at home, problems with our health, or financial struggles that seem, from our present perspective, to be insurmountable.

Our burdens may feel like too much to bear.

Obstacles may appear to be blocking our every path forward.

At times like these, it may help to look closer, to hone in on one single detail, moment, or experience that brings or has brought us joy, to hyper-focus on this and to consider the beauty of it.

If even one thing can make us smile, can give us a sense of awe and gratitude, even if just for a moment, there is hope.

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.

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…
July 23, 2020

gratitude, hope, Inspiration, joy, obstacles, perspective, struggles, the journey, the path, the way, trials, tributlations
Meaningful Connection
Are we looking in the right places for that which we are most deeply craving?

Deep down, we all need connection.

We all want to feel as if we matter to someone in some way.

Whether to our family, friends, or community, we want to feel as if our presence and our work means something.

We want to feel that we are useful, that we are contributing something worthwhile to the culture and subcultures we are a part of, and that we would be missed if we were not around.

We also want to know that we are supported in who we are, in the work we are doing, and in who we are trying to be, that we are seen, heard, trusted, and accepted.

We want to feel as if the emotional, intellectual, and physical investment we make for the good of the group will be reciprocated in some way and that we are not merely wasting our time and energy on those who would not or will not do the same for us.

But, not every relationship will give us what we need or crave.

Not every connection is a healthy one.

If we want to find our place in the world, if we want to feel connected in a way that is deep, meaningful, and fulfilling, we must learn to give the best parts of ourselves to those relationships that matter most and that give us the same in return.

To the rest, we only owe that which is necessary.

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.

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…
July 22, 2020

community, connection, family, friendships, fulfillment, meaning, priorities, purpose, relationships, service
Easy Requires Effort
It takes a lot of planning and preparation for things to be easy.

There is a lot of effort and hard work that goes into things running smoothly. It does not just happen on its own. We need to plan, prepare, and set up the conditions for things to go well.

Things still may not go the way we want. We cannot plan for every contingency and every possible variable. We can, however, try to do so.

We can educate and train ourselves and our teams. We can communicate clearly and consistently. We can evaluate and mitigate whatever potential risks may exist to the best of our ability.

We can work harder, prepare more, and be more disciplined than is perceived as necessary so that, when it matters, even if something changes or even goes terribly wrong, it is neither surprising nor derailing because something going wrong was part of our plan from the beginning.

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.

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…
July 21, 2020

discipline, effort, hard work, leadership, leading, planning, preparation, risk mitigation, success, teamwork
Results Precede Popularity
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.

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…
July 20, 2020

action, belief, creativity, evidence, ideas, innovation, leadership, proof, results, trust
Changing Our Story (From Victim To Hero)
Our feelings are ours alone and it is up to us to change the narrative.

Unless someone causes us some kind of direct physical harm, most likely the way that we feel about the actions of others toward us, good or bad, is more a matter of the story we tell ourselves about who we are to them and them to us, than something real.*

That is to say, quite often, our psychological-emotional anguish over the words, attitudes, and behaviors of others is more the result of our perception, our imagination, and our experiential filters than it is the result of something tangible or even intentional.

This does not mean that our pain, insecurity, or internal turmoil are not real. They are very real to us and have very real physical, psychological, and emotional consequences. Even if it is only imagined, our hurt hurts us.

In spite of our feelings and the stories in our minds that feed into them, if we are able to step back and look at our lives and our relationships objectively for a moment, we may be able to see that, except in some rare and extreme circumstances, very few people have done or are doing anything actually harmful to us. Most of our psychological-emotional distress and discomfort is a self-made narrative we use to justify our inability to face and overcome our own insecurities.

No one is going to change our story for us. We must rewrite it on our own. This may be a long, difficult process and we may need help along the way, but, if we have the ability to recognize the difference between the story and the story teller, there is hope that we can transform from victim to hero.

*PLEASE NOTE: This is not intended to diminish or downplay the experiences of anyone who has survived or is currently living with physical and/or emotional abuse. Physical and emotional abuse are very real and very serious. They can and do have longterm, even deadly consequences, and anyone who has or is currently experiencing abuse of any kind should seek professional and/or legal help immediately.

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.

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…
July 19, 2020

belief, bravery, change, courage, improvement, intention, life, love, pain, transcendence, transformation, vulnerability

Looking For A Detail Of Hope

Share this:

Meaningful Connection

Share this:

Easy Requires Effort

Share this:

Results Precede Popularity

Share this:

Changing Our Story (From Victim To Hero)

Share this: