I have been to a lot of seminars.

Over the past 15 years I have seen demonstration, gone to more demonstrations, learned at more seminars, and taught at more seminars than I can count.  Seriously – I can’t keep track.

I have always been a big fan of music, and my sister is a musician who has done over 400 shows live throughout the US…and the energy she has on stage in one show equals every seminar and demonstration I have ever seen.

Be it a master or a simple instructor – you have to have passion.

Martial art is an art…it’s no different than painting, spoken word, or music.

It’s an art – and we have to bring back the passion to that art, one by one.

When I look at my sister’s abilities as a musician I am astounded, but when I look at her touring, from my time on the road doing close protection for celebrities, there is a passion that few have for what they do that is seen in a traveling musician.  I have seen her take every precaution, and still have a sore throat and still perform.  I’ve seen the biggest rapper in the world fall prey to a strained back, but still he performed.

The passion we see in those who are often ridiculed in the celebrity culture is one that is very tough to grasp.  They do it because they love it, at a schedule most can’t imagine – as we should in what we do and what we teach.

I recently told a rapper who has more success at my age than I can imagine, ‘I don’t care if I teach to 1 person or 25, I am just blessed to be there.’  For someone who makes $150,000 to walk on stage, he said the same thing.  ‘1 fan or 50,000, it’s a blessing they pay me to do this.’

You’re wonder, ‘Matt, what does all this mean?’

When you look around at your teachers and what you see, ask yourself, ‘where is the passion centered?’  Is it a love for me and my learning as a student, or is it a love for what I offer them in terms of payment.  What are you learning…and could you learn it without them?

Where is your passion centered?

I leave you with this.  When I worked close protection, for a variety of celebrities, I followed their schedule.  It mainly consisted of 3 hours of sleep a night as the client woke up at 7am, went to a radio show at 9am, then a signing, then to another radio show, to an event, to the venue and preparation, sound check, performance, after party, and wind down at the hotel…to just be up and do it again in 3 hours.  There was a passion that was addictive in the artist that everyone around them took on in their own way.

When you teach – be that passion that your students take on.  Your passion for learning, for teaching, for studying, or thought, for conversation.

Have a passion for instruction and your students will take it on as well.

Matt

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