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 the things we need, desire, and will benefit from the most. This compass uses fear, resistance, insecurity, justification, rationalization, and a hundred other forms of procrastination and avoidance in order to drive us away from who we are destined to be.
There is a quiet voice inside each of us, our true north, telling us what and who we are truly capable of becoming and how to move toward that. Much louder, however, is the voice that tells us all of the reasons we can not or should not move in that direction. This latter voice, this negative compass, if we learn to recognize it for what it is, is an invaluable tool for finding our way and this is done by simply moving toward that which it points us away from.
By stepping back and listening to, identifying, and acknowledging the things we fear and most want to avoid, we shine a light on the obstacles in our way to becoming our best selves and living our best lives. If we decide that we do not want to know what is on the other side of these obstacles, we can turn away from them and walk back into the shadows. If, on the other hand, we choose bravery, courage, and curiosity, we now know which way to find these in ourselves, and that way is through.
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 