On alignment

Every martial art has it’s own beauty – they are kind of like dogs, from gorgeous show dogs to pugs with bulging eyes – they are all beautiful in their own way. It’s why I love martial art – to see people of all ages and backgrounds able to work and explore and learn, it’s a beautiful thing.

In my latest interview with Jim Huling, I talk about how I want to stretch the concept of what martial art is. When my friend Barry was in hospice I realized I had such a narrow view of what martial art was, when I thought I had a wide view. Sure, I had science and all this cool physics stuff, and I was teaching differently, but it was limited in scope. What was martial art that someone with cancer could use?

It’s why I focused on GSTM – for those who aren’t familiar, that’s Goals / Strategy / Tactics / Methods.

This part of the CLM applies to all tasks in life. It’s not just about how to throw someone or submit them, but it’s a mindset – it’s building abilities and capabilities around the way you’ll solve problems.

But, in life, more important than solving problems, the GSTM complex gives you the ability to back out. I’m a big fan of backing out if something isn’t working.

I’m not a go down with the ship kind of guy – I’m a patch the holes and keep it afloat, even if I’m on the last plank floating in the ocean Titanic style. I do not like switching ships. We don’t have time. Everyone wants to be someone new these days, but we just need to be better versions of who we are.

So, this week, I want you to do something.

I want you to think about a Goal you’ve set and ask yourself if you’re achieving it – and if not – should you keep it? Yea, that’s right, a little different than you thought I’d say. I don’t want you to think about ‘gosh, I need to do XYZ to achieve it because I haven’t’…I want you to ask yourself ‘should I still have this goal?’

When we set a goal we want to achieve it, and if we aren’t achieving it, the first thing we need to ask is if the goal was worth achieving in the first place? So, evaluate a Goal you have using the following criteria:

  1. When did you set it? Is the person trying to achieve it the same person who set it? Remember in the Confidence course we talk about Time and Timing, when were you in life that you set it? Does it align with when you are right now, your Time and Timing?
  2. Why did you set it? Was it important then but not important now? Does that why align with your current needs in life?
  3. Where did you set it? Where in time, and what was the timing? Was it expedient and you held on to the goal? Are you still in that ‘that place’? Does it align with where you are now in life?

Once you answer these questions, you can decide if perhaps the 10% energy you put into not achieving a goal you set could be put somewhere else. There is nothing wrong with backing out – it’s your life – you can back out anytime you want.

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