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Old 11-07-2009, 02:07 PM   #9
Kevin Leavitt
 
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Dojo: Team Combat USA
Location: Olympia, Washington
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,376
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Re: Taking yourself to seriously?

My thoughts run fairly concurrent with Josh's. What do you mean by serious? This is serious business we practice and we should approach each training encounter with the same level of energy, intent, and sincerity as we can!

Ushiro Sensei a few weeks ago really tried to drive this home and he is not the only one that has said similar things, Soatome Sensei also expects this and tries to bring this out of you.

You approach a handshake or an attack with your full self...always on, always engaged always fully embracing of the situation.

So, in that vein, yes, you always approach training and engagement with the utmost seriousness.

I see a few things going on in training that is not good. Vanity, ego are two..these have nothing to do with being serious at all...entirely different issues.

I also see folks passing judgement on others for being "too serious" with their training....which really means "I am not really willing to commit to that level of effort, so instead of calling myself lazy or uncommitted...I will call you too serious."

I also like what Janet has to say as well.

Emotional context is also important and that also gets translated into serioiusness.

I think this is also different. I agree, that it is good to try and approach training as Joyful as possible. However, somedays you show up mad and aggressive and you have to study that and work through it.

Also "too serious" can mean "self depriecation". Many people, myself included, get caught up and frustrated with how they are doing in their training. That will then begin to push and try harder and harder...this is usually noted by a frown, tension, or furrowed eyebrows. They do need to relax and try and cut themselves some slack and get back in the right frame of mind...it can be hard to do.

However, this is related to self in the moment, and related to emotional context..and has no reflection on how they are approaching their training...they can have the right amount of honesty and sincerity in their training, but still be in the wrong state of mind.

It all needs to be in balance.

Again, usually when someone says to me that so in so is taking their training too serious...is usually a sign to me that the person saying it is probably not taking their own training serious enough and is looking for a good excuse to validate the fact they they really don't want to commit themselves to the appropriate level of effort to study properly!

They should be worried about their own training and how serious they are taking it as that is all you can really effect. Yeah as Lyle says, the dojo is full of folks with different agendas..as is life. You are gonna have to learn to work with that as that is what you have to work with all the time!

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