My goal is to develop a habit of completion.
I'm going to read a book every week cover to cover for a year. I was inspired by this post from Julien Smith, who's blog gives me a punch in the eye every time I have the guts to step in the ring, and Rory Miller's recommended reading list in the back of Meditations on Violence which starts like this: "First off, read a damn book. Read lots of books." He tries to read two non-fiction books a week. I created a place to list what I've read specifically for this project.
The reason I'm working so hard? It's what I do.
Plus I've found a group that truly represents that...the work is the way.
The process of the U.B.B.T. has been pushing me to shore up the gaps, to take a good look at things I can improve, and not just on the mat. The program's creator encourages test candidates to take a good look the people who's work we admire. He wants us to look hard at the practices that set them apart from the herd. What are the things that get their best work to the world? Sometimes it's chance, but the trend I'm seeing is conviction. One of the test requirements is to profile ten living heroes.
The process of thinking about which people represent heroism to me and WHY has stirred up many things, and I'm quickly realizing that with this program- that's often the point.
It's not pointing me towards the people he thinks I should emulate. Every other martial arts business group out there points you towards their system and their success stories and their leaders and away from anything else that could distract you from loyalty to their system. That's not the case with The 100 Method (a project that originated from The Ultimate Black Belt Test as an ongoing resource for martial arts school owners) The goal is constant self improvement, an examination of ethical business practices, and support for the people in my industry that want to bring much more to "the job" and make that kind of inspiration directly affect the people that we serve.
It's about looking for what inspires ME to do my best work.
So, this is what I'm asking myself:
Who is influencing you?
Is it the people that are out in the world doing their best work?
What are you doing today that pushes you to do yours?
