Seminar has been this weekend. As usual, I have enjoyed it even as I am reminded once again of how little I actually know about Iaijutsu. This year's take away for me? Seriousness.
I realized is practicing and my attendant continued issues of not performing correctly that I am not serious about iaijutsu the way I should be. I get to a certain level in this (or really in anything) and then I get bored with it. I am not on the path of continued improvement and truly knowing that which I participate in. I allow myself to be satisfied at a certain level and consider that to be having "achieved" something.
As I reflected on this Saturday night I realized that this is not only true of iaijutsu but of my life in general. I want to do things but I never pursue them to the level that I should but only to the level that I am interested in or does not bore me. The result? I know a lot about a great deal but am an expert at or achieve very little.
What does this mean? I need a renewed commitment. A commitment to actually completing that which I start, a commitment to accomplishing fully that which I set out to do. A commitment to be serious about that which I undertake, to accept and realize that any decision to start to something is a decision to follow it through to true completion or mastery.
I took the time to list out the things that I feel are important to myself and my life. 10 things. I am going to use as the basis of my commitment and seriousness. If it is on the list, it needs to become an item which I intend to either complete or master. And for those which I complete, I will place another item on the list.
Life is to short to not be serious about that which we do and seek to do it to the best of our abilities.
I think you have the jack of all trades gene and it was historically a very useful trait to have. Only in the day of the modern times super specialist is it viewed as some type of flaw.
ReplyDeleteI think you have nailed me Preppy, and thanks for the kind words. I guess what I am trying to get at is I do not know that for those activities - and there are a multitude - that I do, am I really seeking to do them to the best of my ability or do I just get a certain point and are satisfied?
ReplyDeleteI will admit I do the same thing and I am not sure it is a bad thing. You learn as much as you want to learn until you find that special talent that clicks. Nothing is wasted and you never know what might be useful down the road.
ReplyDeleteI think many who appear to work on some thing until they do it perfectly have just found that talent that clicks and haven't necessarily worked at it longer or harder.
I saw this when I was doing SCA combat. Some people just had the talent while others could get good but no matter how much they tried or hours put in would never reach the same level. Yet switch up weapons styles and see the situation reverse itself.