An interesting thing happened to my car recently.  When I was driving, the brake lights came on.  When I was braking, the brake lights went off.  I learned that this was a common issue in my make and model of car.  It was a little scary, though!  If I was braking quickly or just braking at all, the driver in the car behind me would never know.  I could get rear-ended; or make someone swerve to miss hitting me.  I drove with a lot of fear in the back of my mind every time I got in the car.  I knew I had to get it fixed.  Life was busy.  I put it off a little longer than I should have.  Eventually, it was repaired and now I am so appreciative that the brake lights no longer come on when I am accelerating.

It was a great life lesson reminder, though.  I bet that you put the brake lights on, too, when you should be accelerating.

On occasion, or maybe frequently, you procrastinate or push your passions to the side. When you should be pursuing new interests and relationships, skills or goals, you put the brake lights on by telling  yourself, “I’m not good enough or smart enough to do that.  It’s not the right time.  I don’t know how.  I’m not worth it.”  The big red stop sign comes up right in front of you and you stop dead in your tracks.  These warning lights control your actions because of fear, lack of self-confidence, laziness, or because you think you are too busy.  It may not be dangerous, like brake lights not working properly in a car, but it is not the most productive way to live your life either.

Have you ever seen a front kick?  It looks easy, but I always explain to my students that there are four distinct parts to the kick in the style I teach:

1. Bring your knee straight up and high in front of you.
2. Shoot your leg straight out forward to kick with the ball of your foot.
3. Bring your knee back in.
4. Put your foot down.

You need all four parts for a good kick.  The higher you bring your knee, the higher you can kick.  If you only bring the knee up a little, you can only kick with a low kick. If you skip one of the four steps, you can lose your balance or strength.  It sounds easy, but it does need practice. When you get it right, it boosts your confidence.

You might wonder, what is the most important step?

The most important step is also the most difficult step, and that is to believe in yourself.  When you believe in yourself, you pull your knee up high without any thought.  You focus your energy without any effort. You shoot your leg out and project your confidence without thinking twice.  The steps to this kick are the steps to your well-being, martial art mindset, and personal growth.  As the kick becomes natural after much practice, you no longer think about the steps, but rely upon your reflexes and insights.  Only when you start braking backwards or unintentionally, through irrational worries or fears, do you inhibit how well you kick; or how well you live your life. When the brake lights come on in your mind, and they shouldn’t, you must readjust and get them in the right working order again.

Martial arts have small life lessons interwoven into them.  A kick is not just a kick.  To limit your thinking that this is just a physical application of a martial art, is to limit your growth and potential as a martial artist and as a person.  You must always see beyond what you learn into how it applies to you and your life, then practice to become proficient. Technique in a kick is important, but just making the effort is important, too. Walking into a dojo the first time, learning from new instructors, and just “trying,” are a few of the ways you can stop braking or hindering yourself.  You see, you do not need to be a martial art genius to master the kick, you just need to give effort, learn, and prepare.  These same three steps in life effort, learn, and prepare) can help you master your life.

You have the power and the energy to be who you want to be.  You don’t have to be afraid of failure.  Lift your knee higher and you’ll have a better kick.  Raise your level of expectation and you will have a better life. Stop braking backwards.  Repair the broken thoughts that tell you that you cannot do something.  Get your life in working order.

Don’t let the brake lights come on when you should be accelerating.

Andrea