Aspirations arn't enough ..


We can aspire to anything - but it doesn't automatically follow that we will get there. I learned long ago that wanting is not enough you had to either 'have skills' or if not, then you had to 'get skills'. When we are children, we need to learn lots of things. We need acquire language for example, so that we had a means to express ourselves and thereby begin to shape our world. But often, as adults, the need to learn, the need to acquire new skill sets, is simply not as powerful as it was when we were young - but if we want to continue to shape the world we live in, then 'learning new skills' (particularly nowadays) is simply a must.
I love learning new things; for me is is not so much that I really 'need' the new skills as much as it is the enjoyment I get from cultivating them. For me, the mental exercise of learning new things and acquiring new skills keeps my mind in shape ... just as the physical exercise I get from grappling and martial arts practice keeps me in physical shape.
Aspirations are not enough ... we need to learn, understand, acquire new skills and take action to better shape the world we live in. Moving from thought (daydreaming/musing) to taking action is a very significant step.
I built a model of my dream home out of a set of kids blocks way before I found the money to build it. I made a mock up copy of Blitz magazine from a scrapbook and glue before I even got a quote on printing what has now become Australia's only martial arts magazine. I designed the covers of my Rogue Black Belt book series before I had even typed the first word. Taking small, seemingly insignificant actions can lead to big things. Learning about new things is fun and is a natural process - to be creative and to enjoying being that way is the natural way of carving out a landscape that we are excited to live in. On or off the mat ...
Best wishes
JBW

Comments

Matt Klein said…
That first initial headrush you get from diving into something new is one of life's great wonders. The world is a big school and we will never graduate, but being in it is so interesting.
Anonymous said…
The most accelerated learning curve we experience is when we are kids - we try, we fail, we try again, we learn. As adults, sadly, we become fearful of living life this way. Not I ...
JBW

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