What style do you practice?  For how long? Have you ever received a black belt in…humility?

New visitors and friends to my Facebook pages see my interesting posts,  and fancy photos of me doing kicks with intensity on my face. The truth is that it is all very exciting, but just a very small part of me. The real me is just a person, like the real you. I’ve been fortunate to have some people help me along in this journey, who readily share my words and my inspirations with others without hesitation. You may be one of them.

While I might seem a bit “fancy” on my pages, I am a hard-working and hopeful person.   None of that changes if I sign an autograph, write a book, or smile pretty for a photograph. That is because I believe in living my life with martial art humility. While I work diligently to promote my book, for instance, it is the end result that is so important to me, and the chance to share the insights of female martial artists, and why being a woman in the arts is so important.

Being humble in the martial arts borders a very fine line. How do you create and maintain self-confidence, yet minimize it enough to not appear as boasting? How do you win a sparring match with grace, without pounding your chest with delight over the win?  How do you use what you know to help others by sharing, without being self-indulgent at the same time? All good questions, when it comes to being humble.  And, while it is easy to fall over the edge of ego and self-promotion, the other side of the cliff offers a safe haven to just be you.

As long as you are focused on doing good for others, even if you stumble into amazing opportunities, you can be sure that your humility is in tact.  Putting others ahead of you in your martial art practice, or having their best interests in mind, is an essential element of this trait.  My focus right now is about writing and sharing martial art insights so others can improve on their own abilities and dreams.  It is where my heart says to go, so I follow.  If the output of that is signing an autograph or two, or responding to Facebook messages, my humble spirit is not diminished; rather, it is growing. The more I turn inward to make sure I am following my calling, the more my ideas and thoughts and writings are well-received by others.

Being humble does not decrease your chances for success, but instead enhances them through your true and genuine approach. Any success requires a passion and a persistence.  Believe in yourself in a healthy, non-boastful way,  and you will not need to find success because it will find you.

What about all those martial artists who are so highly ranked?  What about those who perform in movies? What about the famous ones? Do they still exude humility? Yes, they are in the same category as you. It is not what they do, but how they do it, that defines humility in their lives.

Do you remember all the blood, sweat, and tears that dripped from your tired body during some intense training? If you keep that experience in your memory, you will never lose what it means to have a humble spirit.  Those who helped you achieve, trained you, watched you, and guided you, will always mean something special to you.  Wherever you are in your life or martial art journey, you did not get there alone. There is always room for appreciation and always room to be humble.

You can be rich, strong, special, or brave, and still be humble  It is more about imparting respect to others in your martial art, and in your life.  Am I better than you because I can write well?  Are you better than me because you have many stripes on your belt? Is another better than both of us because he has more money or better looks ?  You get the idea.  Strengths and weaknesses in life, and in martial arts, exist and if we share in them, we learn from each other.

What does the opposite of humble look like? It might be a martial artist professing to be the “very best martial artist” ever, or the one who claims he never fails.  It could be the martial artist who criticizes or condemns the styles of others, or who uses his martial art as a crutch to hide who he really is.

I’ve met all kinds of martial artists and the ones who are great, but humble, are the most amazing because greatness needs no introduction.

On those days, when I question myself about who I am as a writer and a martial artist, there is one distinct question I always ask.  “Am I following my mission?”  If I can answer, with a sure and steadfast, “Yes,” then I don’t need to worry about a face-off with humility. I want my personal greatness and my humility to work hand in hand. I want it to surround me as I walk through my martial art journey.

I am thankful for martial arts.  Because of my learning, I have the strength to step outside of who I thought myself to be, to someone much stronger and warrior-like.  The same force that pushed me to not quit when my martial art training became more demanding, and gave me the fortitude to face devastating personal struggles with perseverance and dignity, sits humbly within.  Nothing I do will ever change that.  I am grateful for the martial arts experiences that I continue to have each and every day.  No autograph, no photo, and no book, can ever remove the essence of who I am. As if just another stop in my journey, I will continue to share myself openly so others can learn from my experiences.

Today is a great day for you to practice a new martial art.  It has all the elements of a great style.  The only way to get better is to rehearse it and internalize it.  Continue to be who you are, delve deeper into the person you are meant to be, and step forward in confidence. Your black belt in humility is ready to be wrapped around your martial art waist.

Always remember how you got to where you are, wear humility proudly on your sleeve, and it will never, ever turn inside out.

Andrea

 

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