“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.” – Epictetus
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There are situations that arise in which we wish to influence other people and make them understand something that we believe to be important.
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But no matter how hard we try, we cannot force people to comprehend and accept what we’re telling them. No matter how much we’d like to, we cannot force them to understand.
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There are many ways to do something….. many ways to interpret “bunkai”, techniques and principles….. there are many ways to achieve a goal. You just have to listen (or read), and be ready and willing to accept something different. It’s not always about what you know.
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Being open-minded is really important in advancing your knowledge in the martial arts…. you really DON’T know it all. And of course it is only possible to deepen that understanding if you ACCEPT that you don’t have all of the information…. and that you really don’t know everything. Of course this can be difficult when the new information counters your long-held beliefs.
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“Through my years of training, the only thing I’ve learned is that I don’t know everything.” – Doug Perry 10th dan Shorin Ryu
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People have different ways of doing things. Just because it’s different doesn’t make it wrong. I’ve learned that the smallest shift in focus can often open our eyes to those “Aha” moments that are right in front of us.
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Take some time to challenge your old ways of thinking and practicing, to make room for the new. Ask yourself if you are open to doing things differently and then commit to looking at things a different way.
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The best you can do, and the best something can be done…. are two entirely different things. Simply defaulting to what you know, or how you do something, doesn’t mean you’re doing it the best way.
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You have to be willing to acknowledge that what you know and how you are doing things, may not be the best solution.
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Be open to all possibilities. 
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“‘What is’ is more important than ‘what should be.’ Too many people are looking at ‘what is’ from a position of thinking ‘what should be’.” – Bruce Lee
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