Making a Change
To reach the top . . . you have got to climb.
You know I get members asking me all the time how I make all this stuff that we do up here at Ocala Karate and Fitness look so easy. I really think that some believe it just came naturally to me. Well I think tonight that I’m going to spill the beans and let the cat out of the bag.
Okay, so I’m going to tell everyone my secret. Here it is in a nutshell, so read it all very close and try to unlock the secret that I’ve kept hidden for so many years. Here we go.
It all starts and is fueled by this one little element that each one of us is born with and ALL can use if we are capable of reaching it.
But to do so takes a great deal of courage and discipline. It takes pride and the desire to do something positive about not only yourself, but to those around you as well.
To make not a change in just the way you walk or carry yourself. But to make a change in the way you approach things. The way you look at things, and go about daily life. Most people don’t realize how good positive, and confident people make OTHER people feel. All these and more can be accomplished through Okinawan Karate.
All the secrets are right there in front of you the entire journey. Waiting for you to discover them one by one. And make no mistake, that there is no greater feeling than to discover one if these little treasures all by yourself. You see, Karate teaches us more about ourselves than anything else. It is the key to all your hidden strengths, ideas, and talents.
It is also however, the key to all your hidden or unrecognized weaknesses. So how does Karate produce these truly amazing attributes and mental discipline. It does so in a way that limits the amount people that will ever be able to see and experience these truly amazing things.
So many people come to me, and really want to find the secret. And it really is frustrating for me to have to sit back and watch them slowly fade away. So why is it only 1 in every 5000 will make it to Black Belt?
The secret to it all is called Dorrokyu. This is a Japanese word that does not really translate exactly to English, but the closest meaning we have to it is this. Effort ! !
That’s the secret ladies and gentleman. If you want to experience a level of understanding that cannot be fully expressed in words, you simply have to Want It! To Believe in yourself. You have got to make an effort to reach it. Not just showing up a few times a month. Not just trying to remember a few punches or kicks. Or to count to 10 in Japanese. Don’t get me wrong. All that stuff is fun too, but . .
You have to walk out on the floor every night and push yourself a little harder than the night before. Think about why your foot needs to be right there. I promise you it does not need to be there because that’s where Sensei told me to put mine. It’s there for a reason. A purpose. And every time you push yourself to figure out why, you will suddenly find yourself trying to understand a few more things that you never noticed before.
This is what Okinawan Karate teaches us. Look at what you don’t see, and try to see it. Then try to figure out why you never saw it before. And Dorrokyu is the key that fits the lock. We all have it with us. We all CAN utilize what makes us the dominant species on our planet. But unfortunately, only a small group of people have the spirit to use it. And the ones that do, will hopefully read this one day and smile. Because they too will at that time have found “The Way”. And for those of you that didn’t know this, Dojo means Place of The Way.
Hope to see everyone in class tomorrow. And for those of you that have not started remember, the hardest step forward is always the first.
Robby Bray