Be a Sponge

As I continue to train in Tae Kwon Do, I am constantly amazed by the sheer volume of stuff there is to learn. It never ceases to confuse me how a person can spend a few years learning their art and think "Well, that's it. I've learned all that's possible to know. Now onto the next thing on my to-do list." Maybe I'm missing something here, but I think of martial arts as a long journey down a road that has no end in sight. How can you stop after only a couple of years?

Back to my main point.

Not only am I learning the physical side of my art -- the techniques, forms, and sparring -- but I'm also delving into the mental aspects -- the mindset, way of thinking and mentality of a teacher. Deep, deep stuff. And I've only gotten a little taste of it so far.

But I'm liking the taste. I'm thirsty and I want more. I feel like a person who hasn't had water in days and then a drop of water is splashed onto their tongue.

I want to soak up all the information that I can, but it's not enough to hear something and immediately store it deep into your memory banks for later use. It's important to hear... and then act. Think critically about it, see if you can incorporate it into your training now...and go from there.

Today I challenge you to....

Be a sponge.

Soak up all the knowledge that you can, use that information to help in your own training, but also to help someone else in theirs.