Little things can be heavy things
I’ve begun to follow this blog called Martial Femme, which I highly recommend and you can check out here, and towards the beginning of September there was a blog post about the little things affecting the big things. The author of this particular post was inspired by a quote she heard in an audio book called “The Tools of Titans” by Tim Ferris. The quote went like:
“What you do in little things is what you do in life!”
The post then explores what that means in reference to Martial Arts and in life off the mats. The author, of the blog post, talks about how doing the small things to the best of your ability leads you to feel more confident with the big things.
In Martial Arts, the small things mentioned are things like bowing to your Instructors, bowing when you enter your training area (dojang, dojo - they’re different - or even your home gym), keeping your uniforms clean and folded and organized. Also, giving it your all when you train.
Yes, that’s a small thing, though it may not feel like it. When you’re tired, hungry or just burnt out, it feels impossible to dig down and give practice your all. So how can you do the impossible?
By doing the small things. Make yourself breakfast in the morning, or at least grab an apple. Do something you enjoy, even if it’s only for half an hour. Cuddle and play with you pet. Get outside before it’s too cold (I don’t like the cold. At all). Read a book - I can’t explain at the moment how important that is! That will have to be another article.
But I also wanted to address how heavy the little things can feel. There can be so many little things that you have to do that you get overwhelmed and shut down. Or maybe you just can’t focus. On anything. At all.
And that’s ok.
Yeah, it is. And to do those heavy little things, pick the lightest one and do it - like getting out of bed. Like making your bed. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but make it look comfortable so at the end day you can collapse into it.
But what does making my bed have to do with Taekwondo? It adds up. By making your bed in the morning, your mind is like “ok, that was easy, and now there’s one less thing to do”. Then you pick the next lightest little thing, like grabbing an apple before school or work. Again, your brain goes “oh man, that was easy too”.
By the time you get to or log in for Taekwondo, you’ve done numerous little things in your day and you feel a little bit lighter, so digging down to give practice your all might not be so hard this time.
It also really helps that you have a snack 30-40 minutes before practice, especially the later it gets in the day.
Little things can be heavy things, but by picking up the lightest ones and getting them done, you build metaphorical muscle. Then all the sudden, the big things don’t feel that heavy anymore.
We’re here to help you with those heavy little things, so also remember, you’re not alone in all this heavy lifting.
-Master Childs(-Lee)
Master Childs (-Lee) wanted to reach out to students, as the seasons change, and these strange and unknown times continue. As the pandemic continues to change our lives, she wants to make sure her students know they have extended family at taekwondo