Self knowledge alone does not change us.
Change requires effort, dedication, and discipline.
In order to change, we must do the work.
Simply knowing our obstacles, problems, or shortcomings does not, itself, overcome them.
We must do that.
‘Work For Change’ by Robert Van Valkenburgh
HOLISTIC BUDO: As in Life, so too in Budo. As in Budo, so too in Life.
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.
It is important to look outside of ourselves for inspiration.
It is equally important to look inside of ourselves for effort.
We need to see others being creative, innovative, and successful so that we know that it is possible.
But, this alone will not move us forward.
We have to do something with the inspiration we receive.
We have to apply effort.
We have to use inspiration as fuel for the work that we must, ourselves, do.
Without our own labor applied to the inspiration we have received from others, it was all for nothing.
Inspiration without follow-up is a hollow sentiment, a life lived vicariously instead of actually being lived.
All too often, inspiration is wasted on the inspired.
We must not let this be so with us.
We cannot allow the inspiration we receive to wither and die in our possession.
We must do something with it.
At first, what we do may not, itself, feel inspired or inspiring.
But, it is not up to us to decide.
It is up to us to practice, to put in the time and the effort, and to share the results of that effort with the world so that others may be given the same opportunity we have been given.
This is what it means to do generous work.
We can either wait to be happy or we can take action toward that result.
Neither choice guarantees us success.
We may fail either way.
The difference is that waiting is almost certain to result in failure.
While action, on the other hand, at least gives us a fighting chance.
Happiness, as it turns out, rarely ever comes to us on its own.
It must be sought and worked for.
In this way, it is like everything else worth having in life.
We must be careful that we do not allow ourselves to become so immersed in the seeking itself, however, that we miss our target altogether.
Happiness is not actually that far away.
In fact, most of the work we need to do in order to find it is within ourselves.
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 Kogen Dojo Self Defense Academy where he teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.*
*Robert Van Valkenburgh’s black and white photography can be seen at My Darkness To Light
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Do the difficult thing first, but do not stop there.
As children, we want to have fun. We want to play. We want to do what is easy, what feels good, and what makes us feel free. We want what we want immediately, with no compromise, and we want to be able to change our minds on a whim with no consequences.
We must be taught to do that which is difficult, that which is necessary, that which is for others, and that which is for the future. We must be taught to think beyond the moment, beyond ourselves, and beyond immediacy and want. We must be taught to be disciplined, considerate, generous, and to do what we must in this moment so that we can do and have what we want in the future.
While these lessons are vital to our development, equally important is the lesson that all of the work, the discipline, and the drudgery should be for something, that it should serve a greater purpose, that our time is valuable, and that we are doing that which is difficult not for difficulty’s sake, but to improve the quality of our lives, our circumstances, and our relationships.
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.
Meditations on God 