Meditation Books UK

A bit of an experiment in making a website of books that are relevant to this blog.
If you fancy a look at some meditation and chi kung books then have a peek at Meditation Books UK

Extreme situation - Drastic solutions

Ok, maybe the title is a bit, well, extreme; but I haven’t been able to train any kind of martial art for the last 3 months.

As I said earlier, I’ve moved to a different country and had the decision for my new location taken out of my hands.
There simply isn’t anywhere to train here until I get my ass some wheels. So that’s the situation, what about the solution?

Well, it turns out there is somewhere to train. A junior high school nearby actually has a Judo club that trains 4 times a week.

Is this what I want to train in? not really (I am definitely not slagging off Judo here, but I was just getting into MMA in a serious way before I left and would have liked to continue that momentum).. Do I think that training with kids will be that beneficial… not really… Am I in for a surprise regarding those last two statements… quite possibly!!

I’ve go to admit that I’ve been pretty despondent about this lack of places to train. Very despondent to be honest. I’m not naive enough to think that adverts are going to just through themselves at me and say train here! But, when you’ve spent pretty much every day looking for places to train and ways to get there, and have it come to shit… well, that’s pretty demoralising. But, There’s a problem: don’t whine about it, just carry on looking for a solution, even a stop-gap solution and then just sort it out! So here I am, training in Judo at a school! Time to throw the white belt and Gi on and get beaten up by little kids again! Isn’t it strange how things turn out!!

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Paralysis By Analysis and Casual Analysis Paralysis

Paralysis By Analysis and Casual Analysis Paralysis are two related concepts that I feel I need to take a firm hold of at the moment.

Paralysis By Analysis is a state where you get so overwhelmed by the amount of options available to you and the sheer amount of things to do contained by those options (the decision tree) that you just stumble around and don’t actually start anything!

Casual Analysis Paralysis occurs when you are researching a topic and get so wrapped up in the sub topics (especially the minutiae) to the point where the goal is no longer in sight and get lost; then you start stumbling around again trying to get back on track.

I really think that these are major problems in Qi Gong / Chi Kung and Martial Arts. These days there is a shed load of books and DVDs available and it’s only natural to try to sift through them to try to find the good, solid information. (and there’s a colossal amount of complete and utter bollocks out there it has to be said). This is where Casual Analysis Paralysis hits you; you get so involved in researching the qigong forms, differences between this and that movement, the instructor/master’s history, the student’s personalities and achievements etc. that you basically fuck yourself and end up under a pile of books / web pages.
After this stage, when you settle on a style/master/etc you then begin to learn about all the training methods and end points of the style This is when Paralysis By Analysis bites you: you become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of exercises, meditations, visualisations, mantras etc that are contained in the style/teachings and the belief that you need to do them all now or in some as yet unknown order, that you freeze and don’t practice / start practising until some vague point in the future when you think you might have this whole mess sorted in you head and have this magical roadmap to the final goal….

This is not all bad. Obviously researching is good and so is learning about the style you choose. If you didn’t… well… If you don’t know what you want, you end up with what someone else decides to give you… Nosce te Ipsum
But, floundering around is all too easy to do.

I think this affects us all. You cannot solve it by being closed minded and ignoring every other style/method just because it’s different to yours (see what happened when stand up fighters ignored the ground game back in the day). But you cannot solve it by being some like kind of butterfly and throwing yourself around to everything just because it catches your eye.
For me at least, I have tried to face this by having a set of criteria that I keep in mind when I’m researching other methods / systems. These criteria are pretty unbending (is it practical, is it effective, will it add to my skill set enough to justify the expense in gaining it etc). Also I have a set of goals or outcomes that I require anything I study / train in to fulfil. One caveat though; even these criteria and goals must be subject to evolution.

These are just my thoughts though. To be honest, a lot of people just put the blinders on and they seem to do ok!

Everyone knows the saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none” however, the full phrase is “Jack of all trades, master of none, though ofttimes better than master of one.”

Regardless though, all this pontificating about training will come to bugger all if you don’t actually train.

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Progress

After the debacle that was jumping in balls first into the full 21 set of the 5 Tibetans the other day, I’ve taken a more considered approach and have been incrementing by 2 each day. Now I’m on 14 and haven’t suffered any ill effects. nice!

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It’s not the work that’s hard, it’s the discipline.

Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.
Roy L. Smith

For every disciplined effort there is a multiple reward.
Jim Rohn

Discipline is remembering what you want.
David Campbell

Many of life’s circumstances are created by three basic choices: the disciplines you choose to keep, the people you choose to be with; and, the laws you choose to obey
Charles Millhuff

Lack of discipline leads to frustration and self-loathing
Marie Chapian

We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.
Jim Rohn

Discipline is based on pride, on meticulous attention to details, and on mutual respect and confidence. Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of the goal or the fear of failure.
Gary Ryan

Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.
Abraham J. Heschel

When mental energy is allowed to follow the line of least resistance and to fall into easy channels, it is called weakness
James Allen

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
Buddha

He who lives without discipline dies without honour.
Icelandic Proverb

The discipline you have in your life should be one determined by your own desires and your own needs, not put upon you by society or authority.
Bertrand Russell

Beware of endeavouring to become a great man in a hurry. One such attempt in ten thousand may succeed. These are fearful odds.
Benjamin Disraeli

Class is an aura of confidence that is being sure without being cocky.
Class has nothing to do with money. Class never runs scared. It is self-discipline and self-knowledge. It’s the sure footedness that comes with having proved you can meet life.
Ann Landers

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