Okay?
We recently have a lovely gentleman join our practice. He practiced Aikido fifteen years ago. After a long hiatus, he decided it is time to pick it back up again. We are very happy to have him.
At Capitol Hill Aikikai, we have the tradition of celebrating people's birthday with a "Birthday Toss": the birthday person gets to take ukemi in the number of their age plus one in order to ring in the new year. For my birthday, this new student was one of my nages (thrower). Even though it has been many years, he still pulled out many different moves to toss me around real good. A few times he was stuck, but he continued to move and it was pretty good for someone who had practiced so little so long ago.
Afterwards, he came to us to share his feelings: He was quite eager to take the opportunity to show us what he knows. However, at the end, he realized that his desire to impress us got him stuck.
Aikido is a martial art that is more than just a martial art. I feel grateful that a fellow Aikido student share with us the lesson he learnt. His epiphany reminds me of something Oprah once said.
Oprah Winfrey has interviewed many famous and powerful people, including presidents of the United States -- George Bush and Barack Obama. As powerful as these people may be, as Oprah recounted, the moment the camera is cut, they all turn to her and ask the same exact question, "Did I do okay?" It is interesting because these celebrities and politicians are all skillful and talented in their own rights. They have done so many interviews . They are influential and powerful. Yet, at that same moment, they all turn to her for approval. All they want is to have her tell them they do okay.
Oprah did not say if she ever told anybody that they did not do okay. I wonder what would have happened had she said so. Would Barack Obama freak out? Would George Bush throw a fit?
An interview with Oprah Winfrey goes on national TV and beyond. I bet the presidents must have done their best. The thing is: Obama did what Obama does, and Bush did what Bush can. Even if Oprah says it is not okay, how can they do any better than their best?
As I said to our new student, "There is no need to impress anybody. Of course, I am okay with who you are. The more important question is: Are you okay with who you are?"
At Capitol Hill Aikikai, we have the tradition of celebrating people's birthday with a "Birthday Toss": the birthday person gets to take ukemi in the number of their age plus one in order to ring in the new year. For my birthday, this new student was one of my nages (thrower). Even though it has been many years, he still pulled out many different moves to toss me around real good. A few times he was stuck, but he continued to move and it was pretty good for someone who had practiced so little so long ago.
Afterwards, he came to us to share his feelings: He was quite eager to take the opportunity to show us what he knows. However, at the end, he realized that his desire to impress us got him stuck.
Aikido is a martial art that is more than just a martial art. I feel grateful that a fellow Aikido student share with us the lesson he learnt. His epiphany reminds me of something Oprah once said.
Oprah Winfrey has interviewed many famous and powerful people, including presidents of the United States -- George Bush and Barack Obama. As powerful as these people may be, as Oprah recounted, the moment the camera is cut, they all turn to her and ask the same exact question, "Did I do okay?" It is interesting because these celebrities and politicians are all skillful and talented in their own rights. They have done so many interviews . They are influential and powerful. Yet, at that same moment, they all turn to her for approval. All they want is to have her tell them they do okay.
Oprah did not say if she ever told anybody that they did not do okay. I wonder what would have happened had she said so. Would Barack Obama freak out? Would George Bush throw a fit?
An interview with Oprah Winfrey goes on national TV and beyond. I bet the presidents must have done their best. The thing is: Obama did what Obama does, and Bush did what Bush can. Even if Oprah says it is not okay, how can they do any better than their best?
As I said to our new student, "There is no need to impress anybody. Of course, I am okay with who you are. The more important question is: Are you okay with who you are?"
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