A true martial artist is a person who is striving to realize their fullest potential. The teacher is not a guru, the dojo is not a church and Aikido is not a religion, but it is the training which changes us and helps us to realize our fullest potential. Once, I was having dinner with another Aikido teacher and his student. During the course of the conversation, we started talking about another student who the other teacher thought had the potential to be very good. The student having dinner with us asked, “Do I have potential to be good?” The other teacher replied, “no” and as a concession said, “but, you could be a good teacher.” The student turned to me, and I said, “You have the potential to be good as long as you apply yourself.” What that other teacher got wrong is that every person has senshinryoku (潛心力) or “potential power.” President Calvin Coolidge said, “The most common commodity in this country is unrealized potential.” Thus, the real problem is that we have lost the awareness and ability to use our power, but training is how we re-discover our power. I am not sure what it is but there is something about the training which helps us to unblock our energy and then enables our power to start to flow. This flow is known as ki no nagare (氣の流れ) or “the flow of ki” and this is where we get the power to accomplish our goals. Prior to getting a black belt in Aikido, I had never accomplished anything before in my life. After training hard and passing the black belt test, I realized that anything is possible as long as I applied myself. I then applied the template of training over other aspects of my life and used those lessons to accomplish things off the mat. It is never too late for a person to realize their potential. Some realize it early while others realize it late. It doesn’t matter when as long as it is realized. Every person has jiriki (自力) or the “self-power” to change themselves. Training teaches us how to do it. The normal person is satisfied with their lot in life, but a martial artist is not a normal person. Former Navy Seal, David Goggins came up with the 40% Rule which states, “That when our mind is telling us to quit, that our body has actually only used up 40% of its potential.” A martial artist understands this and therefore wants to see where the limit to their potential power lies. That is why the true martial artist strives to realize their fullest potential.
Today’s goal: Let go of what you “think” is holding you back from realizing your fullest potential.
Watch this video to better understand potential.