Perserverance

I had thought to write about each of the 7 Tenets of Tang Soo Do one per week in order but Perseverance found it’s way to the top of the list this week all by itself.  This is probably a lesson in itself in that the 7 Tenets are all equally important and the order they are listed in isn’t necessarily important.


Perseverance • 인내

per·se·ver·ance noun \ˌpər-sə-ˈvir-ən(t)s\

: the quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it is difficult

:  continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition :  the action or condition or an instance of persevering :  steadfastness

W.C. Fields quipped, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.” Likewise,  Albert Einstein wrote, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.   So when is perseverance a good thing and not a sign of insanity?

Perseverance has to be about making progress towards a clearly defined, achievable goal no matter how small each of those steps might be.  Tang Soo Do is not easy and nobody becomes a black belt overnight. Becoming a black belt is a laudable goal but training regularly and becoming just a little more skillful and confident in Tang Soo each time is just as important.  Skills that seemed frustrating and near impossible to grasp will become easier with practice and effort.   Perseverance requires that practice and effort even when progress seems to crawl to a halt.  If the goal is achievable and the benchmarks for progress realistic, they will come in time.

Perseverance


Exercise on this day: Crunches: 14 · Leg-raises: 14 · Push-ups: 14 · Squats: 14

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