武運長久
Buunchoukyuu
Continued luck in the fortunes of war - Japanese idiom
The best martial artists are one of the lucky ones. Oftentimes, our egos make us think that we are somehow the best because we are gifted or talented. Being able to become the best is really more about luck than skill. In Japanese, one way to say blessed, luck, or fortune is sawai (幸い). Luck is defined as “success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions.” In the Professional Athlete Index, it states that “only one out of 51,346 golfers become a professional in the United States.” That’s a shocking 0.001946%! To become good at something is a function of five things: time, opportunity, wealth, energy, and, of course, discipline. If you aren’t lucky enough to have every single one of these, then you can’t get good at something let alone become the best. Luck is not about being able to hit the target but about being in a place to via to hit the target. Thus, luck plays a huge role in becoming successful not only as a martial artist but in all walks of life. To be lucky enough to have time implies that we can allocate our time to getting good but also that we don’t have any other responsibilities that are burdening our schedule. Sun Tzu wrote that “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” If, to name just a few, we are lucky enough to have a place to train, someone to teach us, and people to train with, then these opportunities add up enabling us to get good. If we can afford to take a martial art, then we are lucky enough to be among the top eight percent of the world’s wealthiest population who can afford it. Martial arts training requires having a body which is capable of strenuous movement. Thus, if we have the energy or youth to train, then we are luckier than the nearly 150,000 people who won’t wake up tomorrow. Most importantly, success is directly related to having the discipline to finish what we have started. Martial artists are lucky enough to be people who have either learned or were born with a sense of discipline which enables them to see things through to their end despite setbacks, obstacles, or lack of talent. Most of those 51,346 golfers, if not all, were lucky enough to have had the time, opportunity, wealth, energy, and discipline to devote to their craft, but still didn’t make it - they weren’t lucky enough. The kanji for saiwai (幸) also means “happiness.” One could posit that happiness is not the obtaining of one’s goal but in its pursuit. I wonder how many of those golfers who didn’t make it would still consider themselves “lucky.” Lucky enough to have had the chance to pursue their dreams. Furuya Sensei used to say that “training is a privilege.” It is a privilege because not everyone finds themselves lucky enough to have the time, opportunity, wealth, energy, or discipline to follow their desired path. Rabbi Hyman Schachtel said, "happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.” If that is true, then happiness is being able to appreciate how lucky each and every one of us is to be doing what we are doing despite the outcome. Happiness calls us to be grateful and we show our gratefulness by not squandering the privilege that we are being given. The best aren’t the best because they are the best. They are the best because they make the most out of the luck that they have. If you find yourself lucky enough to train, then you are one of the lucky ones - don’t squander it.
Today’s goal: Furuya Sensei said, “When the opportunity presents itself, throw yourself into your training.”
Watch this video to better understand luck