二河白道
Nigabyakudo
The harder path
“There are two paths people can take. They can either play now and pay later, or pay now and play later. Regardless of the choice, one thing is certain. Life will demand a payment.” John C. Maxwell
The best martial artist eats their vegetables first. Eating one’s vegetables is more metaphoric than literal. The idea is that there are things that we have to do (vegetables) and there are the things that we want to do (dessert). The things that we have to do are oftentimes the things which we perceive to be boring or too much work. In class, it is easy to fall into only doing the techniques which are fancy or fun as opposed to things which are seemingly boring or difficult. The problem with only choosing fancy or fun is that the student’s kihon-waza (基本技) or “basics” never develop and their techniques never have any shitaji (下地) or “foundation.” Leadership expert John C. Maxwell’s quote reminds us that sooner or later we are going to have to eat our vegetables or put in the work in order to get good. Usually, it is better to lay the groundwork properly beforehand so that we don’t have to go back and re-lay our foundation later. Having to re-lay our foundation wastes precious time and effort and so most times it is better to just put in the hard work first. French President Charles de Gaulle once said, “Always choose the hardest way, on it you will not find opponents.” What he means is that the harder paths are the ones that are less traveled, and we are less likely to see our opponents on them. If someone wants to beat us, they will have to catch up to us on the harder path and most opponents are not willing to put in the work. As someone once said, “Sooner or later, you will need to eat your vegetables.” We “gotta eat our vegetables” because the mastery of the martial arts or life only comes to those who put in the work. Therefore, we might as well put in the work now so we don’t have to put in the work later and that’s why the best martial artists eat their vegetables first.
Today’s goal: What are the vegetables that you should start eating?