"The time is always right to do what is right." - Martin Luther King Jr.
No doubt you've heard Sa Bom Nim say that the rules of the school are written clearly on the wall. Looking to the far end of the dojang floor you see three lithographs of chinese calligraphy. On the right is the word for Do (Tao in Chinese). Sa Bom Nim defines this word for our younger students as "doing the right thing even when no one is watching."
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments." - Jim Rohn
Another way to look at the meaning of Do is "discipline." Discipline is staying the path and always remembering what it is that you want. Discipline is not something that you're given (ever receive a gift box filled with discipline?), or even born with. It is something that only you can create within yourself. It's not something that you can apply to all aspects of your life suddenly all at once. A great approach is to pick one habit, and fully commit to it. Don’t try to be “disciplined” for a whole lot of things at once. Your practice of martial arts triggers some of the key factors that foster discipline.
Motivation. How can you be “disciplined” about your habits? Get the right motivation. Focus on what motivates you to train in Tang Soo Do for instance. Is it the exhilaration that you feel after a workout? Is it the sense of self-esteem that you get from accomplishing a goal? Is it the affirmation from friends, parents, fellow students and instructors when they share in your success? Is it the peaceful confidence you get from learning self-defense? When things get tough, remind yourself of your motivation. Focus on it. It’ll pull you along — that’s more powerful than trying to focus on the push of discipline.
Make it easy. Discipline is tough because whatever the task or habit you’re trying to do is tough. Instead, make it easy. Remove barriers. Having a hard time practicing at home? Make it ridiculously easy, by only practicing for 5 minutes. What use is practicing for 5 minutes? You’re creating the habit, not getting your black belt overnight. The 5 minutes of exercise will have only a tiny impact on your health, but it makes exercise super easy. If you can do that 30 days in a row, you now have an exercise habit. And you may find that you are motivated to spend more than 5-minutes along the way. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Confucius
Focus on enjoyment. It’s hard to push yourself — to have discipline — when you hate doing something. So find something enjoyable about the activity. If you don’t look forward to exercise, find some good music, or a workout partner who you can have a nice conversation with, or a peaceful setting in nature that is just beautiful. And focus on that enjoyable aspect. Hate doing your paperwork? Find a peaceful sanctuary where you can do the paperwork and enjoy yourself. Maybe have a nice cup of tea or coffee, play some nice music. And focus on the enjoyment.
Repeat. You’ll almost inevitably slip up sometime, no matter how good you are. Unfortunately, people often take this to mean they don’t have discipline, and they just beat themselves up and give up. Well, it’s just a bump in the road. Get up, dust yourself off, and get going again. This is one of the reasons that we drill our techniques, forms and combinations - repetition is key to developing a successful habit.
Motivation. How can you be “disciplined” about your habits? Get the right motivation. Focus on what motivates you to train in Tang Soo Do for instance. Is it the exhilaration that you feel after a workout? Is it the sense of self-esteem that you get from accomplishing a goal? Is it the affirmation from friends, parents, fellow students and instructors when they share in your success? Is it the peaceful confidence you get from learning self-defense? When things get tough, remind yourself of your motivation. Focus on it. It’ll pull you along — that’s more powerful than trying to focus on the push of discipline.
Make it easy. Discipline is tough because whatever the task or habit you’re trying to do is tough. Instead, make it easy. Remove barriers. Having a hard time practicing at home? Make it ridiculously easy, by only practicing for 5 minutes. What use is practicing for 5 minutes? You’re creating the habit, not getting your black belt overnight. The 5 minutes of exercise will have only a tiny impact on your health, but it makes exercise super easy. If you can do that 30 days in a row, you now have an exercise habit. And you may find that you are motivated to spend more than 5-minutes along the way. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Confucius
Focus on enjoyment. It’s hard to push yourself — to have discipline — when you hate doing something. So find something enjoyable about the activity. If you don’t look forward to exercise, find some good music, or a workout partner who you can have a nice conversation with, or a peaceful setting in nature that is just beautiful. And focus on that enjoyable aspect. Hate doing your paperwork? Find a peaceful sanctuary where you can do the paperwork and enjoy yourself. Maybe have a nice cup of tea or coffee, play some nice music. And focus on the enjoyment.
Repeat. You’ll almost inevitably slip up sometime, no matter how good you are. Unfortunately, people often take this to mean they don’t have discipline, and they just beat themselves up and give up. Well, it’s just a bump in the road. Get up, dust yourself off, and get going again. This is one of the reasons that we drill our techniques, forms and combinations - repetition is key to developing a successful habit.
Dō (Dao, Tao) = "way"; while the character itself translates as "way," "path," or "route," or sometimes more loosely as "doctrine" or "principle," it is used philosophically to signify the fundamental or true nature of the world. Dō 道 graphically combines the chuo 辶 (or 辵) "go; advance" radical (note that it looks like a road or path) and shou 首 "head" phonetic. This combination signified a "head going" or "to lead the way". The Confusion citation of Dō verbally meaning "to guide; to lead" is: "In guiding a state of a thousand chariots, approach your duties with reverence and be trustworthy in what you say." Confucius taught that Dō (or Tao in Chinese) was a "way", the 'way' of moral integrity. Lao-Tzu interpreted Do as the law, or truth of the universe. Over the course of history Dō has evolved into the present nearly universally accepted meaning of acting with virtue according to nature.
Virtuous behavior is when one's motivations are aligned with one's reasoned aims: to do what one knows is best and to do it gladly.
Virtuous behavior is when one's motivations are aligned with one's reasoned aims: to do what one knows is best and to do it gladly.
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