Wait... What was I supposed to do today???

[Emil Ramos]

Self-discipline is definitely a crucial skill of becoming a respectable martial artist and it should be practiced like any other aspect of the martial arts. Each day I have a list of stuff I must overcome and each day is similar to the last. First when I wake up (and even after sleeping in) I read and do all my chores. It’s a struggle not to pick my phone up and watch YouTube and forget about my chores. 

After I finish my acts of self-discipline I head to the gym. I start with 100 sit-ups and 100 push-ups. Push-ups are harder for me (like most of us) so I spilt it up into 20 or 30 at a time. One of the hardest things is counting out how many push-ups or sit-ups I’ve done. A lot of times I’ve lost track so I’ve started tallying as I go.  Then I run 2 miles and if I need some extra miles or if I want to bank some I go on the bike and do a few more miles. I need 10 miles a week to stay on track. I will be leaving soon for a week to visit family so I need to add additional miles in case I can’t manage 2 miles a day on vacation.

It is very hard to stay on track and it takes a lot of self-discipline. I have attached a picture of my weekly schedule. Instead of seeing it as six months I have decided to focus on each day and forget about the future and the past. I think of it as one day that I have to overcome instead of half a year. This helps me keep going.

Every day will have its challenges and but I understand that I should give it my all since how often in my life will I get a chance at doing this? It’s not like I’m going to get to do this again for a long time (hopefully) so I will give it my all, Osu! 

[David Wiest]

Mr Ramos - this is great. I just heard a TED talk by a female ultra runner who talked about how she can run so far in such hot conditions (like Death Valley) and she explained it was by setting little goals along the way. "Ok, just get to the top of that hill" or "pick up pace between mile 10 and 11". Your learning that at an early age. Great work.

[Mike Oliver]

This is a lesson in how small things, done daily, add up to big things!