Junior Student’s Corner
by Sifu Charlie Romeo
Fu For You Winter 2024
The Kung Fu journey is a path filled with challenges, successes, and personal growth. However, there may come a time when you find yourself held back due to obstacles out of your control. Whether it be an injury, health complications, or other personal issues, it’s important to navigate these challenges with a positive mindset. Here are some strategies to help you stay motivated in your Kung Fu journey, even if you are faced with setbacks.
- Reflect on Your Progress: Think back and assess how far you’ve come in your journey. Have you had a set back before? If so, what did you do to keep yourself motivated and push through? Reflect on the skills you’ve developed in these setbacks and use them to keep you focused.
- Set New Goals: Perhaps your setback has prevented you from reaching a previously attainable goal, such as an upcoming grading. Rather than thinking about the unfairness of this setback, set new goals that will keep you focused on your Kung Fu journey. Be sure to set goals that are realistic and celebrate every small and large victory along the way!
- Adapt and Modify: Kung Fu is a dynamic discipline, and sometimes setbacks can be opportunities for adaptation and modification. If you’re facing a physical injury, communicate this with your
instructors and modify your training so you can continue your journey while avoiding further injury. Working through a setback not only keeps your body strong, but also strengthens your mind and improves your discipline – a crucial aspect of Kung Fu. - Embrace the Process: Understand that setbacks are an inherent part of the learning process. Learning Kung Fu takes time, dedication, and patience. Embrace the journey – the highs and the lows – as opportunities for personal growth. The setbacks you encounter today can become the steppingstones for future success.
- Take Breaks When Needed: Recognize that taking a break is not an act of weakness. Sometimes, stepping back for a brief period can provide the mental and physical rest needed to return with renewed energy and determination. Rest does not equal failure; it’s a strategic pause to ensure sustainable progress.I recall a time where I was faced with the biggest setback of my journey at that point. For personal reasons, I was forced to miss a grading that I had been training for for many weeks. As a youth student at the time, this was very discouraging; not only was I disappointed that I would have to wait to test for my next rank, but I was also discouraged by my friends moving up to their next rank while I was not. It’s clear now that I had the wrong mindset – instead of being discouraged, I should have set new goals for myself and continued on my own personal journey. After all, even though Kung Fu is about working together, everybody’s journey is different and it’s important to move at a pace that makes sense for you.
Read more posts about patience.