determination
I just got home from jujitsu class around 7:30 tonight. That’s a bit unusual in that I don’t normally go to the dojo on Tuesday nights. However, it looks like I’ll be going to class more than 3 nights a week when its available.
This April, I will have taken classes on and off at the dojo for 5 years - longer than two of my three marriages lasted. I had stretches where I went to class 5 nights a week, and other stretches where I didn’t go to class for months. Had I attended class regularly over this past 5 years, I would have had my black belt already. But each person makes their own way through the curriculum, and not everyone who starts stays long enough to reach black belt.
I bring this up, because this year, right now, my number one goal for the year is to take and pass the black belt test. That’s going to mean a lot of time and work, both at and away from the dojo. It means commitment.
Not coincidentally, the title of this post relates to the techniques I’m currently learning. In our art, our techniques are sorted into lists, or scrolls. Each scroll has a characteristic associated with it - the first scroll is called Yawara Te, or techniques of gentleness. The particular scroll I’m working is called Oku No Kata - or deeper techniques. It is also known as the scroll of determination. The attitude here is that though you may be in an unfavorably position, you don’t waste energy trying to resist. Rather, you are patient enough to wait until an opportunity presents itself to reverse the situation and gain an advantage, or escape from a bad position.
From the techniques I am studying I am learning determination. I am learning to be persistent, to wait, to continue working until I achieve what I want. I will reach black belt this year. I will do what it takes to get ready and pass that test. I will put in the hours off the mat, studying and refining, doing what I need to do to achieve that. I will not put myself in situations that will cause even more delay, such as being injured or ill.
I see what I want, I know how to get it, and I will see it done. End of story.