Progressing wisely

Patience and progressing wisely. A simple phrase to keep in front of myself at all times. I need to be patient with myself and with others when it comes to learning new things. And the same applies to recovering from injuries or illness. Progressing wisely is important as we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others on our journey, nor in our recovery. It’s knowing when to push ourselves and when to stop. When to apply our patience, and when to challenge ourselves.

We are teaching our daughters to drive, and to drive a stick shift no less. It requires a lot of patience, as what comes naturally to us, isn’t so natural for them. It’s knowing when to be compassionate and when to push a little harder. I recognize that I am a little nervous in the passenger seat, so it requires a little more effort on my part to be calm and to laugh at the little mistakes that they make. I have made them count less times too.

When we practice Kung Fu, we need to be patient with ourselves when we take a little longer to understand a concept, and we need to know when to push ourselves just a little harder. But we also need to listen to our instructors, as they have been there before us, and have already experienced the path before us. They are patient with us, and they offer us the tools to progress wisely. It’s up to us to listen and follow through.