I started karate classes back in mid-January this year and I now find karate is slowly taking over my life. It's strange - not like anything I've done before. The classes are very challenging and tiring and usually make me feel totally humble about how little I know and can do. Yet, rather than dreading the classes, I find myself wishing they were longer and more frequent. It seems each class teaches me something new and adds to the ever increasing list of all the things I need to work on. Maybe that's what makes it so absorbing - for every one little detail I think I finally get right, I become aware of 5 or 10 more details that I need to work on. There are so many things to learn, it never becomes boring or tedious.
Plus, it seems karate has significantly altered my approach to daily life. I still can't figure out why it has - but it has. I'm now much more productive with my time and procrastinate much less. Maybe it's something in the incense they burn in the dojo or subliminal messages in the background music. I dunno... maybe it was just a simple phrase I once heard Sensei say while teaching one of the children's classes. He said, "Just because something is hard doesn't mean we shouldn't do it." It's a very simple thing, but for some reason this just resonated with me. Now, whenever I might not feel like doing some chore around the house, or something at work, or some other dreaded task, I remember this quote and find the motivation to do what needs to be done. I really ought to thank Sensei.