Martial Artist Says Take A Hit And Smile!
I just received a rejection from a book editor.
Yet, I’m smiling, which is the same reaction I have when someone mistakenly makes inappropriate contact with me in sparring.
What else can you do?
Whether you take a hit occupationally or on a mat, it’s pretty much the same thing.
It signifies that the other party made a mistake. It happens all the time, like someone suddenly turning around in a supermarket checkout line, grazing you as he mindlessly moves by.
It is not a provocation to get mad or to be disappointed.
It is a cue to move on.
Next?
This is the question you should be asking, and not, why?
Why doesn’t matter to the martial artist. Why makes you dwell in the past and when you do, you can’t focus on the kick or strike that is NOW coming at you, that requires your full attention.
You can’t concentrate on your strategy, which is always about a sequence of moves; not one.
You prepare to deal with multiple attackers, simultaneously, if necessary. There’s no purpose to be served by anger, disappointment, regret, second-guessing, or anything else.
Martial arts training teaches you to take hits, when and where they occur, and to have the good sense to recognize that you don’t have to make a mistake, simply because someone else has.
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.
