The best martial artists give it their all. In Japanese, “to give something one's all” is kiai wo ireru (氣合を入れる). Kiai wo ireru translates as “to put your fighting spirit into it.” The more we train, the more we realize mononoaware (物の哀れ) or “the transience of life.” There is an awareness that comes about when we realize how lethal a martial art can be but also how fragile life can be too. In class to honor 2nd Doshu, Kisshomaru Ueshiba’s passing, we displayed Japanese fan with calligraphy 合氣道一路 that he had brushed in 1997. 合氣道一路 or “aikido ichiro” could mean Aikido one path or the straight path of Aikido. The meaning is supposed to be pondered by each person. One way to think about it is that there is a large element of luck involved in order for things to line up so that we can do the things that we want to do. Some people might be thinking, “No, I am a motivated person.” That might be true, but we must also realize that we are lucky enough to find ourselves in a position to follow our passion. We are lucky enough to be “able” to train, to have a teacher, to have our life circumstances line up or just simply have the time to train. Therefore, if we are able to study a martial art, we are one of the lucky ones. Understanding the role that luck plays in giving us the opportunity to do something, we shouldn’t squander it. Those that study Aikido understand this and should ichiro or put their all into following the path of Aikido. We should be grateful that we are fortunate, and we show our gratitude by applying ourselves. Life is like that too. Each day 150,000 people die and those people don’t get a tomorrow. Realizing this, we don’t squander the opportunity that having a today brings us. A martial artist doesn’t put off until tomorrow because they realize that tomorrow might not come and that’s why the best martial artist always gives it their all today.
Today’s goal: You have the opportunity, what are you going to do with it?
Watch this video of David Goggins talking about putting your all into something.