Some ideas are worth pursuing and some are not, but there is no way to know the difference without trying.
By definition, an idea cannot be great without its potential to create some kind of change. Change is a risky proposition because change requires movement and, in order for movement to occur, friction, resistance, and inertia must be overcome. This process of turning an idea into change, of overcoming the forces that impede us, requires effort, dedication, and persistence on our part.
Meanwhile, as we struggle to make progress toward the realization of our idea, we have no guarantee that we will get the results that we originally imagined or hoped for. Life is complicated. The only guarantee we can be sure of is that, if we take no action or if we hesitate, compromise, or quit along the way, whatever potential our idea had or has for greatness and change, will never be realized.
Once we begin pushing forward, once we muster up enough courage to take the first step, we must maintain our bearing and we must and stay the course. Of course, we will want help and support along the way, but creating change is dangerous and others may not want to risk their safety, their security, and their reputations on our ideas until there is some proof or promise of reward. If that is enough to stop us, we should not have ever started.
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, as well as a founding member of the Severna Park and Baltimore Holistic Chamber of Commerce.
Street art photo taken by Robert Van Valkenburgh, artist unknown unless otherwise noted.
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Positive change begins by asking newer, better questions. Inquisitiveness, then, can be seen as a positive trait. This is generally true, but there are times when asking questions hinders progress, rather than aiding it.
Sometimes we do not need to know everything in order to accomplish the mission, task, or goal at hand. In some cases, the need to know more is actually just a means of procrastination or resistance to the process, a way of injecting our ego, opinions, or prejudices where they are not needed or wanted.
Other times, having too much information too soon will actually slow us down, either when time is of the essence or when the ‘why’ will become evident as the result of the action, not before it. Knowledge without understanding can cause unnecessary friction, especially when we face something new or frightening wherein understanding is the result of hindsight not forethought.
Action has a greater potential to change our thinking than our thinking does to change our action. Too many questions prior to action can lead to conflict, both internal and external, inaction, or both. Our instincts are more reliable and powerful than our intellects anyway, so we are better served by quieting the latter to listen to the former if we truly value growth and progress.
Meditations on God 