It is easy to become complacent in life. The daily grind becomes, well…a grind. You begin to believe that life is made up of commitments, chores, and responsibilities. These things seem to suck your energy and time into a warp, never to be recovered again.
It’s called life and adulthood and it is filled with drama, extenuating circumstances, and obstacles. Just when everything seems to fall into place, another catastrophe fills the void. You wonder why one day out of many can’t just be perfect or just quiet or just a little more normal. A little sun shine, friendly people, no hassles, and no troubles would be lovely for a change.
I agree that life can get a little monotonous, but guess what? That is not life’s fault. It is yours.
No one is responsible for your happiness, your time management or how you decide to fill the hours, except you. We are all given the same amount of hours in a day. Why, then, do some people seem so productive, happy, and forward-moving, while others are dreary or negative? Part of the answer is that the the cheerful ones use a positive mindset, but the negative ones do not understand how to train the mind to see the glass half full, not half empty. Even more, the negative and complacent people do not seek or understand their purpose.
Trust me, I’m not judging. If you had asked me a few years ago what I thought my purpose was, I am not sure I would not have an answer. Back then, I was caught in the web of thinking I was too busy to accomplish anything more, and I was to wrapped up in every day demands to step outside the boundaries and push myself to achieve.
That is when I heard it. A very faint, but precise voice. Call it a spirit or faith or anything you would like, but it clearly gave me direction. It said “Start.”
The “start” was referring to self-expression and opportunity to help others. It was a push to write this very blog, a thought that had been floating in my mind for a while. But, I had no technical experience on how to make a website. Using a YouTube video, I set up a simple website. I began to write posts about martial arts and life and they were well-received. I never imagined that there it could be that simple.
But the impetus to “start” was much more than just writing blog posts and hoping people would read them. This was purpose knocking at my door. The only reason I even heard it was that I was open to listening. That is the thing about purpose. You can easily deny it and keep it at a distance because in the back of your mind you know it will take some work and some effort and your fear of failure drives your decision to wait. In many ways, it is easier to just follow that boring path paced with commitments, chores, and responsibilities, without adding more effort and work into the mix.
Once I heard the message, though, there was no turning back. The spirit, voice of reason, or whatever it was that I heard was much more powerful than I ever realized. Following a calling brings personal success and awareness and a new vibrancy to life. This voice was a magnificently steady and slow step that opened up other doors. I had been holding out on myself, by not being confident enough to do that of which I knew I was capable.
My purpose not only rejuvenated my life, it rejuvenated my martial art practice and mindset. It was an opportunity to bring every passion together, as I should have done long ago.
I recall my first day as a white belt so many years ago and how unsure I was about myself in my first few classes. I looked around at the others and questioned if I could never be as good. What I learned from this moment so many years later, and what has prompted me to follow my purpose today, is that comparisons do not matter. Everyone has different strengths and talents. Each martial art practitioner applies the physical and mental components of martial arts differently.
In my podcast, I often ask the women martial art guests what advice they want to give to women interested in learning a martial art. Often, they respond to not put it off any longer, to just begin and stop questioning yourself.
While this particular blog post appears to be about how I followed my calling and my mission, it is really about you. I simply serve as an example. Your life has a spirit of its own. Stop and listen for a moment. Do you hear it? The only word you need to hear is the same word that quietly rushed into my head that day. It is the word that prompts you to move forward with whatever vision, mission or purpose that fills your heart. The word…the action…is clear.
Just start.
xoxo
Andrea
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The Martial Arts Women Book:https://www.amazon.com/Martial-Arts-Woman-Motivational-Stories/dp/1544916213 (or contact me for signed copies)