Trust your enthusiasm.
Follow it wherever it leads you.
Not all paths will be fruitful.
You will face many obstacles and run into many dead ends, but do not lose heart.
Adapt to these challenges, pivot, and keep moving.
Let your enthusiasm guide you.
Do not let fear, doubt, or insecurity dissuade you, slow you down, or redirect you.
These are the enemies of progress and happiness.
Pursue that which gives you energy and brings you joy, and you will find more of both.
If our heart is pulling us in one direction, but our feet are pulling us in another, we will inevitably find ourselves conflicted.
This internal conflict may manifest as confusion, discontentment, or frustration.
But these feelings are symptoms that something is out of balance, that the needs of our heart are not being honored by the movement of our feet.
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Sometimes we get an idea in our head that just will not leave us alone.
It nags at us constantly in all of our waking hours.
Regardless of what fears arise or what logic is thrown at it, it persists.
It feels as if the only way to quiet this relentless whisper is to act on it, to follow through, and to see what happens.
There are many names for this type of persistent thought that pulls us toward it no matter what we do.
Whether we refer to it as our passion, our dream, or our calling, it feels like destiny beckoning us in its direction.
And, why shouldn’t we listen?
So long as this idea is not immoral, unethical, or irresponsible, why should we not act on it, even if only to see what happens?
If we do nothing, nothing will change.
We will continue on as we are.
But, eventually, when our opportunity has passed us by, this idea unfulfilled will become regret.
Ideas that will not leave us alone can be resolved through action.
Regrets that will not leave us alone can only be resolve through time and even that may not work.
Action, therefore, no matter how frightening, risky, or uncertain the outcome, is a far better gamble than regret.
It is highly unlikely that your boss calls you every morning to ask you if you feel like going to work.
Your feelings have very little to do with it.
You go to work because it is your job to do so.
Why, then, do we think that we have to wait until our feelings are right before doing something that matters?
Why are we waiting to find ‘our passion’ before seeking greatness in our lives?
What if it were our job to do something that matters, to seek greatness in our lives, and to make positive change in the world?
What if our feelings had nothing to do with it?
It is quite likely that, much like our work, the effort we put into everything we do has more to do with the results, benefits, and outcomes we will get than the feelings we have while doing it.
Instead of waiting for our feelings to be right, instead of waiting to find our passion, maybe we should start by showing up and doing the work.
Our greater purpose is not going to call us to ask us if we feel like showing up any more than our boss is.
We have to show up for our greater purpose just like we show up for our job.
That means showing up on time, without excuses, and ready to put in whatever amount of effort it takes to get the job done.
Our principles should take precedence over our desires.
What we want should never be more important to us than what is right.
The problem is that, without a clearly defined, tested, and proven set of first principles in our lives, it is very difficult to know the difference between what we desire and what is good, true, and just.
We are not born understanding this distinction.
We are born only with needs.
As we get older, these needs turn into wants.
It is not until we gain the ability to make decisions that morality becomes something we must concern ourselves with.
Even then, morality is something that must be taught.
If we are not taught do discern between right and wrong, it is very difficult to understand that what we want, or even what seems to get us what we want, is not necessarily what is right.
In fact, the more that we try to dedicate ourselves to what is right, the more we find that our desires, and sometimes even our perceived needs, are often in direct conflict with what is moral.
This does not mean that we should adjust our morality to suit our desires.
Instead, we must work diligently to train, shape, and focus our desires toward that which is right.
The more we do this, the more consistently we are able to put our principles, our morality, ahead of our desires, the more we find that what we want is actually what is right and that passion, frivolity, and selfishness are undesirable distractions from our purpose.
Our purpose is to live a principled, meaningful, and impactful life.
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.
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Meditations on God 