“One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand on the battlefield.” ~Buddha
When I was first studying the martial arts, it was all about mastering each technique and form. I would work day after day with the simplest of moves. I knew that to build a good foundation was important. I believed that getting good at each technique was the most important thing about being a good or even great martial artist.
My sensei watched me do all of this work and recognized something that I had not grasped. While I was getting better, I was also not where I should have been in the most important part of martial arts. I was not mastering myself.
Be become our best selves when we fully grasp the mastery of our very being. That includes both mind and body. Each support the other. True masters understand this. Their minds and their bodies need to be developed together. Neither is separate, but of the whole person. Whether in the martial arts or in any other area of life, self-mastery is the key that will open the door to success in any endeavor.
“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.” ~Leonardo Da Vinci
The great majority of people go about their days, not really thinking or are in control. They may believe they are, but they are simply living the lives of others. They may spout our slogans or ideologies from those they associate with the most. They are walking around and being guided by faulty subconscious beliefs. To master one’s thoughts is to fully understand, evaluate and master one’s thoughts, which leads to better actions and behaviors.
Self-mastery is not easy. If more people were able to do it, we’d have less obesity and bad decision making. Yes, we will make bad decisions. That happens. The person who has self-mastery is able to understand the bad decisions, mistakes and failures. He or she will look at them as simply feedback on what not to do. Then they will make a different decision with a different action. Through these series of decisions and actions, the person of self-mastery will discover the right path or answer. They understand not to make the same mistakes over and over again.
To get to self-mastery, there are several things you can do:
- Train your mind via mindfulness meditation. Zen Buddhist monks are masters of this. Tibetan monks are so good at mind control, that they can slow their heart rate so that it is not noticeable. Mindfulness also enables one to stay in the present.
- Get physically fit the right way. That includes whole body natural movement. When you are connected to your body as a single unit and not its parts, then you will be on your way to physical mastery.
- When you are working on anything, practice the art of focused concentration on that one thing. Eliminate distractions, including intrusive thoughts.
- Recognize that you are an emotional being as well as a thinking being. Learn to control your emotions when needed. Use the methods of mindfulness to help stop negative emotions that may lead to negative consequences.
Practice, practice, practice. Just as the martial artist practices their basics in order to build a strong foundation, so should you in self-mastery. More to come on this subject…
Cheers,
Bob Choat
America’s #1 Mind-Body Transformation Expert and author of Mind Your Own Fitness