能ある鷹は爪を隠す
Nouarutakahatsume wo kakusu
The skilled hawk hides its talons
A true martial artist does not seek validation. Seeking out praise or validation is the most dangerous path in the martial arts. The ego is fed by validation. In trying to quench our egos, we seek out validation which could cause us to do dishonorable things like lie, cheat or steal. In the Hagakure, Yamamoto Tsunetomo writes, “It is a wretched thing that the young men of today are so contriving and so proud of their material possessions. Men with contriving hearts are lacking in duty. Lacking in duty, they will have no self-respect.” Therefore, the best thing to do is seek a humble mindset. One way of doing that in class is to always think that the teacher is correcting you whenever they are making a correction. Developing this type of technique has many benefits. First, it helps us to develop a 360-degree awareness to “know” what is going on all around us which later becomes the basis of situational awareness. Also, we learn how to do more than one thing at a time which teaches us how to think ahead. Next, regardless of who they are correcting, we can get the benefit from that correction even if we don’t need the correction. Finally, we gain humility or a mindset that isn’t searching for validation because we are accepting the correction by employing this technique. Miyamoto Musashi said, “Do nothing which is of no use.” A martial artist knows that if we can’t eat it or use it as a weapon, it is useless. Validation and praise are ephemeral - it makes us feel good in the moment, but it can cause us to become too prideful and as they say, “Pride comes before the fall.” There is always something that can be learned in every situation regardless of how “good” we are. Knowing this, the skilled hawk hides its talons and that is why the true martial artist does not seek validation.
Today’s goal: Remember, you are enough. Nothing more is needed.
Watch this video of Jim Carrey to better understand validation.