Steady Cold to New Green Leaves

Three words describe the winter of 2015: cold, cold and cold. Many activities that might have been, didn’t happen. It would have been easy to feel a tad disappointed, even cheated, as the cold days rolled on and planned activities got postponed or cancelled.
One of the many life strategies learned through martial arts is going with the flow and managing your reactions to what comes your way, whether you are facing cold days, bad news or an incoming punch. You face an overwhelming task if you seek to control much of what you face every day, yet you can create and control your reactions. During a cold day of missed activities, perhaps you discovered something positive: a different, unplanned activity that you enjoyed, a phone call, a chance meeting or an opportunity to work on something that was previously on the sometime/someday list. The list is endless and the interpretations are up to you.
Cold days and weeks can also teach you about long-term achievement. You may have had a different view of cold and snow in March than you had at Christmas. The long-term effects of things can change you. You used the same principle to learn things that have stayed with you long-term. Think of song lyrics that seem to stay forever in your head: you learned and retained them because you heard them over and over. You probably weren’t trying to; you were probably relaxed, positive and open to possibilities. Openness and relaxed, steady practice are necessary for long-term achievement and retention. Trying too hard can actually impede progress.
So as the leaves begin to blossom and you head toward a new goal, choose to be relaxed and positive, and a willing participant in steady, enjoyable practice or activity. The same principles apply for things you don’t really want to learn but have to anyway. You can find something positive, interesting and relevant in every job or situation. The choice is yours. Because even the coldest winter comes to an end.