In trouble again!


'You'll be 'trouble' when you grow up' - one of my teachers used to say. This particular teacher was one who didn't like being asked questions he couldn't easily answer. Where I saw opportunity for discussion, he saw 'threat'. pretty sad really. As it turned out - he was partially right - I do like a little bit of 'trouble'.

When all is well - when I have my house just right, plenty of money in the bank, food on the table, family all happy, the right circle of good friends, etc - when everything is just rolling along nicely - I feel quietly content - for about a week or so! After that, I find myself seeking out situations that provide me with a mild dose of stress (trouble). As my friend Steve Lavalle in Florida is fond of saying "pressure makes diamonds".

Gains arn't made in the 'garden of Eden', under ideal conditions, when everything is rosy and sweet - 'gains' are made, when necessity calls for them. We lift weights and our muscle fibers adapt and thicken; competition arises and we improve our own business practices; we put ourselves into a little debt, we need to find ways of making money to pay that debt down. A little 'trouble' causes us to 'overcome'.
The trick is to get the balance just right; enough 'trouble' to keep us moving forward and growing, but not so much as to threaten our physical or mental health.
BJJ is an art built on this principle - applying this particular lesson to our larger lives will afford benefits beyond expectation.

See out a little trouble ...
JBW

Comments

Unknown said…
Truth.
I've been trying to get out of trouble for most of my life.
I'd have nothing to do otherwise...
Anonymous said…
It sounds quite like the concept of FLOW as it is described by the psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi.

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