Being Good At Something
I was chatting with a student after practice over a beer.
"Aikido is the hardest thing I have ever tried in my life," Student said, "I am glad I did, though. Normally, I only do things I know I am good at."
I find the comment interesting. "Do you ever do new things? You have to because you could not possibly know everything you are doing now at the time when you were born. So, how do you start? How do you know you will be good at something without trying?"
"Oh, I know." Student explained, " I am generally good at art stuff. So, like sewing, I had the feeling that I would be good at it, so I tried. And I am quite good at it."
"Looking at the clothes you made, I agree you are pretty good at it. Were you very good from the get go? Or did you need to learn?" I was curious.
"Well, I still needed to learn, but it was not that hard. You know, I tend to be good at things like this. I knew I can do it. With practice, I become better and better."
Aha! So, the keyword is: Practice. Even for a person who has the natural aptitude for something, still, practice is essential.
This makes me think of an incident many years ago: A group of us were trying to persuade a young woman to join us at the weekly Aikido weapons class. We were all much younger then, with a lot of enthusiasm and a strong camaraderie.
"We will help you if you need it," someone tried to reassure her. "If you want, I volunteer to be your personal partner," another person offered. Week after week, nevertheless, this woman never showed up. We saw her at regular practices, just never at weapons classes. We were all very perplexed.
One day someone broached the subject with her boyfriend. He laughed and gave an insightful explanation, "Some people are just not good at being not good at something. Instead of confronting herself for being not good at it, she'd rather give up the opportunity of becoming good one day. It sounds crazy, but it is true."
"Aikido is the hardest thing I have ever tried in my life," Student said, "I am glad I did, though. Normally, I only do things I know I am good at."
I find the comment interesting. "Do you ever do new things? You have to because you could not possibly know everything you are doing now at the time when you were born. So, how do you start? How do you know you will be good at something without trying?"
"Oh, I know." Student explained, " I am generally good at art stuff. So, like sewing, I had the feeling that I would be good at it, so I tried. And I am quite good at it."
"Looking at the clothes you made, I agree you are pretty good at it. Were you very good from the get go? Or did you need to learn?" I was curious.
"Well, I still needed to learn, but it was not that hard. You know, I tend to be good at things like this. I knew I can do it. With practice, I become better and better."
Aha! So, the keyword is: Practice. Even for a person who has the natural aptitude for something, still, practice is essential.
This makes me think of an incident many years ago: A group of us were trying to persuade a young woman to join us at the weekly Aikido weapons class. We were all much younger then, with a lot of enthusiasm and a strong camaraderie.
"We will help you if you need it," someone tried to reassure her. "If you want, I volunteer to be your personal partner," another person offered. Week after week, nevertheless, this woman never showed up. We saw her at regular practices, just never at weapons classes. We were all very perplexed.
One day someone broached the subject with her boyfriend. He laughed and gave an insightful explanation, "Some people are just not good at being not good at something. Instead of confronting herself for being not good at it, she'd rather give up the opportunity of becoming good one day. It sounds crazy, but it is true."
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