You see a mousetrap; I see free cheese and a f*****g challenge! -Scroobius Pip

Pretty funny! However, Mr. Pip does have a point though. Life is full of challenges, and a mousetrap may seem an irresistible challenge to an adventurous mouse. In looking back at my life, I have taken on many challenges. Perhaps this attraction to challenges stems from being born nearly deaf in both ears. On the other hand, this propensity could have been part of my personality all along.

In any case, it seems that I thrive on challenges. For example, despite having a 6th-degree black belt in one art, I started all over again as a white belt in Modern Arnis.

In addition, I also gave up a good career in Columbus, Ohio, to move to Canada with my Canadian wife and begin anew. Sadly, a friend in Columbus exclaimed to me incredulously, “What? You’re over 40! You’re going to have to start all over!” Not exactly supportive, eh?

Unfortunately, he didn’t understand that life without challenges is boring. That statement only fueled my desire to embrace the challenge of uprooting my life and starting all over.

In this post, I discuss the five reasons to challenge yourself.

(1) To get out of your comfort zone:  Staying in your comfort zone is the default mode for many people. Simply put, it’s human nature. Consequently, getting out of your comfort zone can cause discomfort. So what? Get out of there and become alive!

If you don’t leave your comfort zone, you’ll never discover your limits or how much more you can learn! For example, I have met black belt martial artists who have said, “I already know this,” as a reason not to train. That statement is code for “I know it all.” Consequently, they never found out how much else they were capable of.

How often have you gone through material you already know and had a eureka moment? Exactly, my point.

(2) Do you want to end up on your deathbed saying, “I wish that I had done this?”: You will regret doing the “same old same old” every day and not trying to stretch your horizons.

After all, we have only a finite amount of time on this planet.

(3) To go beyond your limits: One of the themes underlying Star Trek: TNG was the limitations of the human species through the characters of Q and Lieutenant Commander Data. The former was always arrogantly and condescendingly lamenting the limitations of the human species. In contrast, Data desired to exceed his original computer programming to become more human. As a result of his drive, he never gave up on his quest. 

Neither should we.

Find new ways to challenge yourself and stretch your limits. Learn new skills or push yourself physically. Find something that challenges you!

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Speaking for myself, I will turn 60 in 2024. I recently decided that I was going to shoot for 60 pullups on my 60th birthday. Nice goal, eh? The thing is that I’ve never mainly been into pull-ups. It’s hard, and I can barely do 5. This is even though I regularly go to the gym. I now have a goal and two years to get there.

It’s gonna be challenging, but I’m gonna try!

(4) Go for failure: Going for a challenge will usually have one of two outcomes, both of which will be beneficial. First, you succeed. If you do, congratulations! You’ve overcome fear, a barrier, an obstacle, and expand your limits.

Secondly, if you fall flat on your face, so what? You have tried and failed. The greatest growth comes from failure.

A great example is Sugar Ray Leonard’s evaluation of his first fight with Roberto Duran. Aside: Sugar Ray was willing to fight the best anywhere, anytime. Going into the first fight, Duran was widely recognized as the greatest lightweight boxer ever. Sugar Ray made the mistake of fighting on Duran’s terms in this fight, resulting in a loss. In the aftermath of the first fight, he vowed to dictate the second fight on his terms. The result? The famous “no más!” fight. 

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Instead of fighting tomato cans, Sugar Ray challenged the best fighters of the day and beat them all. As a result, he is acknowledged as one of the greatest boxers of all time.

If you don’t challenge yourself, you will not get anywhere. If you challenge yourself, you will grow from the experience, whether you fail or succeed.

So, what do you have to lose?

If you’re concerned about falling flat on your face in public, bear in mind this famous quote by Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

(5) You have just ONE life: Many take this for granted. You only have a finite amount of time on this planet. Accordingly, make the most of your time. You have several choices:

•make the most of it or go through the motions every day.

•You can find challenges for yourself or remain complacent.

•Procrastinate or do it NOW.

•Do the same thing or change your routine.

•Play it safe or dare to do something different!

In summary, there is a lot of overlap in the above five reasons to challenge yourself. I hope that one of them spoke to you.

Pick one and apply it to your life, martial arts or otherwise!

This Week’s Video

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While the video appears specific to Modern Arnis, the heart of the video is the application of the reverse figure 8 to any technique sequence, whether right-handed or left-handed. Moreover, it’s the willingness to experiment and assess the viability of the concept or technique. I confess that I like the second reverse figure 8 technique better than the first one. It just feels more realistic.

Anyway, what did you think of this video?

This Week’s Inspiration

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This 99-year-old man is AMAZING! Who wants to be like Nat Hines in his 90s? I certainly do! As he says, “You have to get off your seat and exercise!“

Additional Reading