I’m part of a small challenge because I mentioned in a prior blog that I could find a way to relate anything…even a hamburger…to my martial art.  Geez, what was I thinking? When Joelle, of http://abeginnersjourney.azurewebsites.net, called me to task and challenged me to write a meaningful blog about…all things, a hamburger, I had to accept.  After all, I’m the one who came up with the idea!  Surely, I’m not going to ruin my bright reputation as a woman who lives every moment of her life with a positive and charismatic martial art mindset and who can apply her martial art philosophy to any part of life.

I have to admit, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to equate a hamburger to martial arts.  Am I going to choose the cheap, but delicious fast-food kind as my reference?  Am I going to refer to the big, fat gourmet kind garnished with mushrooms and steak sauce on top?  What about the kind that is grilled for a summer barbeque?  Like figuring out what kind of martial artist I am, I had to first identify what kind of hamburger I really wanted to use as my example, something I could somehow equate to my important and worthwhile martial art.

At first, in that light, I thought it would be the gourmet one. The expensive, juicy, fancy burger would be worth the most and be the most valuable, wouldn’t it?

Then, I realized something. The most inexpensive and the one thought to be lesser of all burgers still fits the bill.  It still fills the tummy, removes the hunger, and has a purpose.  Depending on my perspective, and my lot in life, a simple hamburger is all I really need.  It is not really what kind of hamburger I eat, but what perspective I have when I am eating it.  And, that’s my delicious connection between hamburgers and martial arts.

Keeping that in mind, I realized that learning a martial art can satisfy me.  It can fill the kind of hunger that I have to live better, be stronger, and be the person I’m meant to be. If I am super hungry to practice a martial art, then the right place could be anywhere from a very simple, bare room to a garden, to the most immaculate and luxurious of dojos.  The learning is absolutely the same; the perspective is different.  Either way, I am getting exactly what I need. I can grab any  kind of burger, devour it, and fill my hunger.

It’s all about perspective, isn’t it?

Perspectives that are stringent do not allow for alternatives and are limiters.  They are self-imposed boundaries that have no merit. Being closed-minded about anything, a martial art, a hamburger, a judgment, or an opinion, never works in your favor. What is most important?  What suits you the best?  What has meaning and influence for you right now?  Your responses may depend on your current circumstances, this moment in time, and your financial stability.  Should you choose the specialty burger, the fast-food one, the training in your backyard or the dojo training?  Question yourself.  Through your perspective, you start to determine what is important to you…and why.

Being stringent in your thoughts about simple things, like perhaps a hamburger, means that you are a somewhat closed-minded about life.  Your controlled thoughts might persuade you to think that you should not try something you’ve always wanted to try, and that negativity impacts your life.  For instance, there are a lot of people out there who have always wanted to try a martial art, even become a black belt, but they didn’t follow through. It’s because their perspective is skewed.

The inexpensive hamburger vs. the gourmet comparison brings it all to light.  Is one really better than the other?

There have been times in my life where I had to choose the quick fast-food burger because budget did not allow for the gourmet one.  In fact, I ended up more rewarded in the long run.  I’ve learned how to be creative with my resources, flexible in my mindset, and willing to work harder for the things that really matter to me.  I couldn’t afford costly martial arts instruction either, but I ended up learning from a Grandmaster who was skilled and reputable.  What I thought was an inexpensive approach actually turned out to be some of the most valuable training I could ever receive.

The martial art-hamburger theory isn’t the most intellectual theory out there, and it just makes a point about perspective.  A hamburger is sustenance at times; junk food at others.  It is gobbled up into a hungry belly by one person; tossed in the garbage, half-eaten, by another.  It might be the only food a person has all week; or part of an amazing summer day atmosphere at a cookout, combined with a slice of cold watermelon and corn on the cob.

The theory just comes down to this.  What you take for granted about a simple hamburger is the same you take for granted about life.  Your perspective is the key.  Don’t limit your potential based on your circumstances. If you are hungry, any hamburger tastes great.  And, just because you can only afford a certain kind does not mean that your potential for a successful life is limited.  What you can afford to eat and your current circumstances can never deter you from trying.  They can never define you.  They can never close the door.

Do what you need to do to fill your empty belly so you have the sustenance that you need to keep going, to follow your dreams and reach your goals.

Personally, I’m fine with the inexpensive burger.  I mean, no matter how you dress the gourmet one, it still is just a burger.  Give me a fancy, expensive gi or a simple cotton one, it’s still just me inside.

I know that I cannot be that picky when I’m really hungry and I cannot be that stringent when my choices are limited. Fortunately, the very aspects of my life that appear to limit me are the same ones that force me to discover creative options and fascinating alternatives.  Many of my accomplishments in my life would not have come to pass if I had not been dealing with an “inexpensive v. expensive” alternative.  Whatever my perspective, I know I’m going to get where I want to go.  I might need to take a bite of success on a smaller scale first, but that is exactly what is going to lead me to the “gourmet” life I’ve always wanted.

Hungry?  Take a bite of a big juicy hamburger.  What kind? Well, that’s completely up to you.  Who am I to judge?

I just hope your hunger has more to do with your personal success and capacity to Win at Life, than it does with what kind of hamburger you choose.

Andrea