The barriers between us and our freedom and fulfillment often look and feel a lot like the exact things inside us that we do not want to face. We each have within us a compass of sorts, but it works backwards. Instead of pointing us toward our true north, it actually points us away from…
Tag: obstacles
Imagine If You Can
Along the path, your greatest obstacle is not going to be some thing, some person, or some event, but your own imagination. When we pursue some goal or dream, it is inevitable that there will be obstacles along the way to achieving it. There will be people, attitudes, and barriers that stand in our way…
Leading Through Impossibility
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 Artwork by Ana, except where otherwise noted If you found…
Survival is Underrated
“There’s a lot to be said for surviving.” —Anonymous In my early 20’s, I was going through a rough patch. I had moved to a new town to start a new life. A high school dropout with no goals or aspirations, I was awkward, antisocial, and broke. In spite of my better judgement, I got…
Clarity of Vision and Overcoming Limitations
Children are less afraid and more motivated if they can see where they are going and how much farther they need to go to get there. Watching my daughter learn how to swim has provided me with multiple insights as both a parent and a teacher. At the swim school she goes to, the teacher…