(1 minute 41 second read)

There is something very different about being a martial artist; it makes you different from other people, it sets you apart from the crowd.
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We all know that anything great requires hard work and sacrifice. It will be tough, difficult, challenging, and it’s going to stretch you and make you dig deep on the inside.
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Unlike other fitness endeavors, it requires a distinct kind of individual – one willing to invest the time, to make sacrifices for something that unfolds over weeks, months, even years.
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But, the allure of quick results often leads some to abandon their training, sabotaging the very path they once committed to. The transformation is too far away and they feel it will never happen for them.
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The result is that they destroy the only way that ensured they were on this path….. they stop going to training!
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For some, the decision to stop is made in a second, and the sad thing is that all the hard work they put in for years is undone in an instant.
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There is no magic path to get on, no quick fix. Either you train or you don’t. Either you want it bad enough or you don’t. And there is only one person to blame for your lack of progress….. and that’s you.
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The martial arts mimic life, and it takes a long time to realize this. Then, one day, you realize that your martial art has extended itself into more than just the physical and mental, it has become a way of life, you feel a sense of wholeness, a connection.
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The philosophies and practices that drive a seasoned practitioner are lifelong; and a student will benefit so much from all that makes the martial arts the discipline it is.
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Persistence. Whatever you do; persistence is the key for success in everything. When I first started my journey into the martial arts, many decades ago, I looked at practitioners that were really skilled, really accomplished, really knowledgeable. When I talked to them about their journey, most of them had a similar story. Persistence had brought them to where they were.
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So congratulations to you who remain, who are taking the steps and are well into your journey…… Now, let’s turn the spotlight on you. What is your story going to be?
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“We are made to persist. That’s how we find out who we are.” – Tobias Wolff