I Can’t…..Yet
I Can’t…..YET
There are a number of rules students at my club, Chimo Taekwondo, are required to learn and follow. They range from how to dress for class, to how to address an Instructor, to how to behave when training. One of the hard rules I implemented when the club first began operations 23+ years ago was, there are two words no one is allowed to use – “I Can’t”.
It is far too easy in our society where options are available for almost everything, to say that something is too hard or takes too long so there is no point in attempting it. It is far easier for parents who are too busy, too stressed and have too many things on the “undone” list to give in to the kids saying (whining), “I don’t wanna” and give them the out from what may actually be in their best interest.
Taekwondo training is hard. Its physically hard and especially for anyone who doesn’t have a base of sports training. Its emotionally hard for some to share space and training time as a “lower” ranked student in a room with others who seem to have their game together. Its mentally hard because everything, I mean EVERYTHING, is new and the amount of learning needed to achieve goals can be truly intimidating.
When training at Chimo we remove the out by taking away the concept that there is anything taught, asked or demanded of students that can’t be done. The result is that everyone, of any age, is forced to face both the challenge before them and the opportunity to succeed. No one ever succeeded at anything they didn’t attempt.
And now those chickens have come home to roost with me. As you will learn over the next number of posts, I am working towards my next Black Belt Dan and that process is going to challenge the very standards I have imposed upon my students.
I participated in an adult class the other night and while there were few surprises in my ability to perform, there was a deeply humbling aspect to the start of this process. The last time I actually trained hard for anything specific I was a lot younger, a lot fitter and didn’t have key joints made of titanium. Now that I’m a lot closer to 70 years old than 60 I am coming face to face with a whole new world of expectations and personal obstacles.
Not once during the workout, of which there will be many to come, did I consider quitting. What I’m working towards is far too important to allow that to happen. But “I can’t” did raise its ugly head a number of times in that hour. It sounded like this…..”I Can’t Run / Jump / Bounce / Stretch”.
The point I make to my students is that “I Can’t” is fine as long as we finish the sentence……YET!! So here I am, facing physical limitations within a practise that literally defines me and hanging onto the patience in self that comes with age combined with my deep-seated need to succeed. My new expectation has to be that “YET” is stronger than the voices that tell me the pain will end if I walk away.