A little effort

Because of my years of training in karate, I had to do some visualization prior to tournaments, to prepare for the big fights, or for belt tests. I did it often. I trained my brain as I did my body. And most of the time it worked. I say “most” because at times I failed to believe in what I was trying to visualise. I do believe in this. Call me stupid if you want, maybe it’s projecting, or wishful thinking, but I say it’s simply “doing”.

I truly believe that if you want something, and do something about it besides simply thinking about it and saying that you want it, that you will get it. Yes it does involve efforts on our part. But hey, we get nothing for nothing right?

Remember that old expression: “You reap what you sow”? Even back then the old farmers knew that is the way things work. Someone you never buys a lottery ticket will never win anything, and it won’t be because he or she is unlucky. In order to get a chance, an effort has to be made, i.e. go to the store and get a ticket. And that’s where a lot of us give up. We give up even before starting. Just by the way we think. A lot of old Quebecers had this mentality that French people were meant for less than the English people (“Si t’es né pour un p’tit pain…”). Maybe it was because English people owned most factories or businesses of the time and French people were the “little workers”? Whatever the reason, some people still think that way, and it infuriates me. I think it has to do with how bad you want it; how much you are willing to sacrifice to achieve that goal.

Are our fears keeping us for becoming more successful? I think so. It may not be conscious, but I think we have all we need somewhere inside of us, but are too afraid to let it out or don’t want to make the extra effort. We want it all with as little effort as possible… isn't it sad when you think about it?

Everything comes back to the same thing: if you do something, you start a motion that will set other things in motion, the “domino effect” if you will, or the “butterfly effect”, whichever it may be, for a little effort lots of ripples can be generated. We just have to see that pebble and be willing to make the effort of bending down, despite a sore back, and throw that rock in the lake… and then it will begin.

A few years back, a good offer was made to me; I could teach karate full time, train and have a place to stay, in Australia. I thought about it, talked about it with Hubby and in the end I declined. I had always said it was a dream of mine to be able to teach karate full time. But I refused it. I wasn’t ready to leave Hubby behind, and I was afraid that doing karate full time would kill the fun out of it. I still think about it. I realise now that it wasn’t really something I wanted because when the opportunity presented itself I didn’t take it. How many opportunities like that did I miss? I wonder at times if I just don’t see or take advantage of what life is offering me… because I'm not willing to do something...

How about you, do you think you’re “holding yourself back”? What would you be willing to give up and for what?

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. "
Bill Cosby
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Image: Effort