#20  Tai Chi Wednesday Pic

Don’t Be Mad If You Don’t Score: Running the Bases the Wrong Way.

When it happens to a 3-year-old at their first T-Ball game it is positively amusing.  Everyone knows that the child believes they are doing everything they are supposed to do: swing the bat, hit the ball, run around the bases, get a hug, and drink a juice box.  The best is when you see it in their eyes when they are running; they are so happy. Hopefully mom, dad, coaches and spectators are gleefully laughing while the base coach is yelling, “No! No! You’re going the wrong way!”  The sad part hits when the child gets to home base and they have no idea why their score did not count.  This is where the life lesson hopefully begins for the child.  This is where they are introduced to the idea that it is not just following the rules they understand, life is about following the rules properly if you want to score in the game being played.  There is another account that happens to us in our later years.  It is when we make ourselves overly busy; however, when we get to what we believe should be the end where we score, the product produced is not what we wanted because is not acceptable for the reward desired; even though we believed we followed the rules. 

When practicing, studying and teaching Tai Chi Chuan, I see this over and over.  Points I have to consistently make are:  when you spend your energy make sure it is worth it, and put your time and energy into things that will get you to where you want to be by following the way that will give you the reward you desire.  To know this and to do this, one must be aware of what they truly desire.  Do they want to learn what is being taught or are they doing what they are doing for some other reason?  In sum, what it really comes down to is a person’s focus.  What is it they really want?   What is it that they really value in life?

Our actions are the clearest evidence of what we value most in life.  Some people just want to get on base and do not focus on the proper way to get there, all they want is to say that they did it and get credit for it.  Their focus isn’t getting the goal; their focus is on getting the praise for the goal.  Getting the hug and drinking the juice box is all they really see; and in fullness it shows that they have no true regard for the rules, solely the praise.  They are willing to sacrifice the system and ultimately the objective because to them the objective in place is of no consequence.  They are willing to dismiss everything for their own selfishness and greed.   This comes through frequently when training and teaching people Tui Shou (Pushing Hands).  What people have a tendency to focus on is off-balancing and pushing their partner out of their center.  People have a tendency to negate the understandings of the teachings of how the displacement should happen and what they focus on is the state function of their partner being thrown.  The arrogance and greed of being the “winner” supersedes the objective of becoming efficient in movement.  In the stead of learning what is taught and understanding the development of the particular skill-set of using one’s body to its most efficient nature, what happens is the practitioner disregards the teachings, the rules, and winds up doing exorbitant work for a loss.

When doing something make sure that you are performing properly so that you are not wasting your time and energy.  Understand that when there is a product to be produced, and there are procedures in place to produce the product, that your greed, arrogance and want for notoriety does not replace your desire to properly generate the product.  When you are working within a system make sure you are working the parameters properly, make sure that when you sacrifice your time and energy that you are doing so for the compete betterment of yourself and for the environment of which you are a part.  When you are willing to make great sacrifices for one thing make your sacrifices count for the improvement of all things in your life. 

For more information Winston’s his martial arts academy please visit Internal Magnification.  

Winston Price, Executive Producer, has over a decade and a half of marketing, advertising and public relations experience. He began his business career in 1995 and is a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington. Winston also is a master martial artist and personal trainer with over 2 decades of knowledge and experience. Winston runs his own school, Internal Magnification Martial Arts, where he focuses on helping people reach their personal goals of health and fitness via At-Home personal training with martial foci of Taekwondo, Tai Chi Ch’uan, Hapkido and Ba Gua Zhang. As an executive producer for VoiceAmerica, Winston utilizes his skills in business and personal training to help new and existing hosts maximize their opportunity with the VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network by supporting his hosts with the business and personal aspects of creating and developing their show. Winston believes that each host brings their own flavor to the Network. By properly coaching and motivating his hosts, they are able to produce THEIR show with THEIR style and THEIR passion being at the forefront of every broadcast.