A Simple Fix
Last week I was trying to unscrew a Ring doorbell from next to my front door. I was using a small screwdriver and it took out 3 out of 4 screws. The fourth wasn’t budging. I put all my substantial weight and muscle behind it, leaning into the screwdriver as I twisted, but it wouldn’t grip on the screw.
After trying for several minutes, I gave up and walked away. The next day, I thought of trying a slightly larger screwdriver. It worked with zero effort. I laughed at myself for getting frustrated the day before and being unable to immediately figure out such a simple solution.
Lessons from Martial Arts
Now, this isn’t a particularly interesting story, but it’s a perfect example of the little moments that our practice is meant to help us with. In Kung Fu, we practice letting go of our mistakes and moving fully into the next moment. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, we learn to flow with our partner’s energy rather than trying to force a technique. In Tai Chi, we repeat our form until it is perfect, then transcend form and technique by allowing it to flow through us without being stuck in our logical mind. All of these and many more lessons, when carried into our everyday life, are what help us to live and act powerfully in the present.
Choosing the Right Tool
A particular lesson we learn, especially in our more combative drills, is that using the right “tool” or technique makes things much easier.
We might find ourselves having a hard time blocking a certain attack or getting a throw to work against a partner who knows how to defend it.
We either need to evolve our technique or use a different one. There isn’t usually only one correct option, but there are certainly many incorrect options that make things much harder. When we get stuck using the wrong tool, it’s either a function of attachment or not having enough tools. When we learn more, we have enough tools to choose one that makes things easy. In practice and in life, we endeavor to stay humble enough to keep learning and understand that there is likely a better way of doing things.
Finding a Better Way
The next time you get stuck physically or mentally, try taking a moment and ask if there’s a better tool you could be using. Sometimes, it takes less time to learn a new skill than it does to keep powering through using the old one, and it will often be far less exhausting.
The next time you encounter a similar problem, you’ll have more tools at your disposal. More importantly, you’ll slide more easily into the mindset of solving things creatively and being open to all possibilities.
