I can think of several instances in my life when I realized that martial arts were life changing. These are the very reasons why I encourage others to give a martial art a try. To boost your life all you need to know is how to create a positive mindset and a martial art is one good way to do that.

A good martial art  mindset is an approach to life with wide eyes, not knowing what will happen next but ready to embrace it if it is good, or knock it out if it isn’t.  It’s about making choices and how every choice you make affects you and those around you, so choosing wisely is a virtue.  Making the correct choice is not always easy.  At times you need to stumble through some very dark mysterious place in your mind before you can right yourself again.  Making mistakes  and making poor choices are as much a learning experience as any.  If you choose to boost your life, you’re on the right track.

Making wise choices starts with being wise.  Maybe that comes with age, maybe with experience, or maybe, just maybe, it comes with a little help from a friend, like me, who has had a lot of experiences as a martial artist,  a mother, a friend, an employee, a woman. I have surprised myself on occasion with just how much I can do. I think if you have read my blog posts you’ll agree that I’ve had to adjust my attitude from negative to positive on more than one occasion to give myself a fighting chance.  The same dwells in you. You can strive to live better by applying a good attitude.

So, what is the mystery to finding this positive attitude?

I’ve got a few ideas of my own, but, don’t let mine be yours.  They are the things that have powerfully boosted my life and attitude above and beyond- yours may be different, but what is important is that you start to use that powerful energy within to make your life even better.

Boost #1:  Create Positive Synergy 

Creating a life that boasts personal success and accomplishment takes some work.  There is not just one accomplishment that makes you a good person;  and not just one answer to the question “who am I?” Finding positive influences and allowing them to increase and strengthen into bigger influences will create a positive personal synergy; an interaction of  all the different elements in your life that, when effectively combined, have a total effect greater than each single element.

If you are a happy person, then that’s a positive.  If you see life through rose-colored glasses, that’s another plus.  If you focus on surrounding yourself with people who care about you and support you, that’s another good step.  If you eliminate negative thoughts, you are on your way.  Start to combine all of these together and you will create a shield against negativity and a propensity toward an overall positive outlook. Each of these on its own is important, but the combination exponentially deepens your life.  Keep adding on and you will notice a change in how you feel.  You might find yourself smiling more than before, or being more outgoing.  You will start to embrace each day more thankfully and feel like you’ve really achieved some personal fulfillment.

Martial arts are full of synergy.  Each little step builds upon another, the same way your character is built as you live life each day.  Each skill on its own is important and helpful, but when each piece finally works in harmony with other pieces, that’s when the masterpiece unfolds.  There is never truly a completion because the more you learn, the more synergy you develop.  The white belt goes all the way to black, yet over time, the black wears and turns back to white.  Synergy holds the cycle in limbo so you can continually develop.

Allow  synergy do its thing. You’ll be better for it.

Boost #2.  Superpowers

Yes, I have them.  How else could I ever accomplish anything in my life?  When I consider all of my roles, responsibilities, and projects, I realize how superhuman I really am.

If you take your busy life and start to make a list of everything you have to do, you might feel the same way.  For instance, being a parent in itself is wonderful but exhausting.  How about paying all those bills? Somehow they keep adding up. And getting to work on time, keeping up the yard at home, working out….geez, I never realized how much stuff can be crammed into one day. It’s all good, isn’t it?  I may have a myriad of difficulties, like you; yet, I’ve always found a way to overcome.  I believe we are all given the types of burdens that we can carry.  I’ve had sadness, and doubt, regret and indecision, too.  Through it all, I ended up being just fine.  If you ask me, that’s pretty super!  I must have a force field around me or some magnetic shield that deflects my troubles just enough to carry me through.

Practicing, learning, and teaching martial arts makes me a superhero, too and creates superheros around me.

Who doesn’t like a good martial arts movie?  Heck yea, those are real kicks and leaps through the air!  Yes, those martial art weapons are swinging mightily around and around so quickly they blur your eyesight.  I see incredible feats of martial arts amazement all the time on social media.  Real life practitioners who perform skills that I never thought were humanly possible.  These are just everyday folks who, via martial arts, explore their personal powers that simply astonish me.  I can’t compare.  Can’t even come close.  Not even one really high leap off the ground.  But, what I can be is the martial artist I am meant to be.  You see, we all have a purpose.  Not every martial artist is the same.  That’s why I know there is a martial artist in you.  There is one in all of us.

My karate superpowers come in the form of my own personal strengths, in teaching others, in keeping rock-solid in the basics.  Maybe I can’t flip on demand, or break a ton of cement blocks, but I still have a whole slew of techniques that I can do well, and that is what matters.

What are your superpowers?  If you don’t think you have any, then check again.

Superpowers=finding your own strengths and using them.

Boost #3.  Icing on the Cake

La la la….I love a good birthday party, with singing, presents, candles and cake! We all know that the best part of the cake is the icing.  Along with tasting good, it sure looks beautiful, all smoothly spread and decorated with beautiful trinkets.

Life with a little bit of sweetness on top and a good filling inside is nice, too.

A rush of wind blowing through your hair at the beach.  The smile on a child’s face.  The breath of a newborn.  The way love feels.  Your most basic senses and emotions are perfectly good on their own but when something special or out of the ordinary is added, a sort of icing on the cake, it makes the experience incredible. In a sense, martial arts are the icing on my life.  They are the delicious, smooth, sweet layer that brings out the very best in me.  They fill in the gaps, divert my attention from my flaws, and smooth right over the problems.  They make my life better in the same way that icing smooths the surface of a beautiful, delicious cake.

When I’m practicing, I forget everything except what I am doing.  And when I finish, I suddenly realize I had no busy thoughts! What a great way to refresh and be ready for the next task I need to accomplish. Martial arts add another dimension to me; a side that I didn’t know existed until I started to learn.  It’s me, but stronger.  Me, but happier.  Me, but braver. It’s another layer of accomplishment and physical activity, fitness and motivation that has been added to my otherwise already good life.

You can layer your life like a cake, with everything you love.  Frost it up with opportunity and exciting expectations.  Your layers are up to you.  I know mine consist of family, love, martial arts, writing, working out, good food, and awesome friends.  So, if you are going to indulge in life and live it to its fullest, add some icing to your life.  It could be a martial art or another passionate challenge. Whatever it is, it will make a delicious difference in you.

It’s up to You

You can see how I’ve made some strides through martial arts in boosting my own life. Your boost can be any hobby that you love, any creativity about which you feel strongly, and any desire to better yourself.  Once you start, let it roll like a big ball of synergy, put your strengths to work, and top it all off with some sweet accomplishments.  After that, well….you’re on your way to living your best life ever.  For me, martial arts paved the way.  Confidence, attitude, physical and mental strength have all given me the lifelong boost that I need to live a rewarding, accomplished life.

And… I’ll meet you for a slice of cake with a lot of frosting one day very soon, if you like, because sometimes the best layers in life are simple, sweet indulgence.

Boost your life.

Andrea