forward
Despite the demands on my time, I have taken an interest in the sport of Parkour and freerunning lately. I haven’t actually done it yet, but it has caught my eye, and it won’t be too long before I’m trying it out, I’m sure. Yeah, I’ve seen it in the movies (opening sequence of Casino Royale), and seen some of the demo videos online. I’m not kidding myself here - I may never be that good, and that’s not my goal. It just looks cool, and I think it would be a good way to improve my cardio, and maybe lose some weight.
As usual, though, I’m drawing a lesson from it already, one that I’ve had and seen in my martial arts classes, but is really only now starting to sink in - it’s about direction. As part of our ground fighting training, we learn that often the way out of various holds is to go forward, though the hold into the empty space. Parkour is very much about moving forward, through and around obstacles.
That philosophy serves people well when applied to life too. The people that get ahead in life aren’t the shy, retiring types - they’re the people that move forward and do things in their chosen fields. Think about it for a moment - how many wealthy, famous, or otherwise notable people have you heard of that haven’t done something big or amazing? Things don’t come to those who wait, but to those that go put themselves in a position to receive them.
Which brings me back to myself. My style is one that does tend to wait. When I played chess, I would prefer black because I would wait for my opponent to make a mistake. When we randori in jujitsu class, I tend to be defensive, waiting for an opening. Basically, I try to get to a position of strength and then look for openings. What I’m finally learning after living 43+ years is that this approach will only take me so far - at some point I have to stop waiting and start doing. In chess, all other things being equal, the person who moves first has the advantage. In jujitsu, I can’t submit someone if I don’t improve my position. I can’t overcome obstacles if I don’t move forward and reach them.
Intellectually I know these things. I’m still learning how to apply it to my life. For me it’s one of the things that provokes the question, ‘What would you do if you weren’t afraid?’ I’m not sure that it’s fear that holds me back, but sometimes it seems that way. I just need to do more and think a bit less - get over my analysis paralysis.
Alright, I’m tired, and it seems like the best way forward at the moment is sleep.