I finally earned my yellow belt in Judo this week. From the outside it may not seem like much, but I was pleased. My goal was to do Judo for a year, which is what I’ve done, at a little over 15 months.
I originally planned on doing 1 year of several different fighting styles and get a base level experience in each type. But I really like Judo so I’m going to stick with it.
It wasn’t easy and still isn’t. One of the hardest parts for me has been the motion sickness. Ever since I was a child I’ve always gotten motion sickness at the simplest things, like car rides. I’ve been able to work through it with focus, breathing, and practice.
At first, I would get nauseous and feel like I was going to vomit, but now I can do the flips, rolls, and cartwheels in Judo warm-ups. It may not be pretty, but I can do it.
Most things in life we give up on too quickly. I can play guitar decently now, but if I had stuck with it when I was 12, I might have been the next Santana.
To a certain extent, I think “following your passion” is a lie. Hard work and commitment is the way things really work out well. If Steve Jobs had “followed his passion” he wouldn’t have did what he did with Apple. He would probably have stayed in India, learning to meditate and doing drugs.
If you want to accomplish something, work harder at it. Don’t give up so quickly.
