It is the journey to black belt – it is not the belt, stripe, or the trophy that will bring us happiness. If we believe that when we reach this goal or get this accomplished – then we will be happy -it has never failed me to see that we will be disappointed. The reason is, we are tied to the results rather than the experience. Living in the moment we are in, learning as we go, appreciating everything that happens to us – even if we consider it as bad fortune. The reason is that everything we have or do not have, everything we get or do not get, has the ability to make us better individuals – even if we do not understand how or why at this time.
Parents especially, as much as we want the best and everything for our child, as much as it hurts to see our children not get what they want so bad, it is a part of life that if we learn to accept as part of the journey and learn from – we will enjoy the wanted results even more when they come.
We live in a society that demands results NOW and many are unwilling to accept waiting. But in reality that is not how life works – if we want happiness. Enjoy the journey to black belt, enjoy your experience learning anything new, yes even in school. In the end everything will be more enjoyable, each minute, hour, day, years and life. In the end when the goal is reached, whatever it might be, we will look back on the struggles and disappointments as learning experiences and those are the things that create our very best character.
I enjoyed this clip from a movie that demonstrates what we can learn: