Juggling life with martial arts
I just know it’s not just me having a hard time here! I am currently holding onto:
My almost full time job with a 1,5 hour one way commute
Getting a driver’s licence
My volunteer work (Karate related)
Regular fysio appointments
Oh eh yeah, and my martial arts training..
Does that sound like a lot to you? Well it sure does to me! Especially because my dojo is closed for the summer and I have to travel even further if I want to train properly.
Note that martial arts ended up pretty much at the bottom of the pile.
Because that’s the reality of things.
I thought that when school ends, I’d have more time instead of less, what happened?
Well… in school I didn’t have a long commute to school. I didn’t have a relationship and I wasn’t trying to do a lot of things on the side. But when you get older, you want a lot (because you are still young) but there’s a lot you can’t do because you need to do everything correctly. You can’t half ass it (anymore). This just leaves you with less time to do other things.
So how do you get through the maze of work and still train?
Easy! (Maybe I should take my own advice)
Train at home
Now this is so obvious it almost hurts. But when you come home after a long day of work and travelling, all you want to do is relax.
TRUE
But!
Did you know? Even when you do 5 techniques/kata/etc. just lightly and without force: you are training. You are making the movements instead of sitting stiff on your couch.
Prioritize and make boundaries
Everything seems to always be more pressing and important than practicing once in a while. But fact is, if your physical and mental health depend on it, you owe it to yourself to train.
A few years ago my partner would be sad when I would leave in the summer for practice.
Now: Please, go train. I need you happy the rest of the summer as well.
Investigate and plan things ahead
I always find that seminars and special classes give me a boost in my karate. Pick your battles wisely and look up seminars that are coming up. Plan things at home and make sure you do other things that need to be done in advance (homework, housework, work-work, your choice). If you can’t, ask help and make sure you make it up to them later.
Make the absolute most of your training time in the dojo
Hi there, this is Captain Obvious speaking.
Don’t diddle-daddle or chat your precious time away. I know, I KNOW how much fun it can be to get sucked into thoughtful discussions or messing around doing other stuff. Be stern and strict to yourself (and others) and buckle down and put in the work.
Don’t fret if you’re sitting a night at home doing nothing.
Last one. Relax.
Allow yourself to relax.
Don’t scare yourself with thinking how you could be training or how you could be reading a karate book right now!
Well, unless you find that relaxing of course..
But!
Chill out, relax, calm down. Martial arts is for life.
You still have plenty of time. No matter if you are reading this when you’re in your teens, 20′s, 30′s, 40′s, 50′s or 60′s.
There is still time, if you allow yourself to have time. I’ve seen people return to martial arts after 5, 10, or even 28 years. They still progress!
Okay, yeah sure you tell me to chill out but I’m young and I need to make this work NOW. My body won’t hold out forever!
I can’t deny that I feel a difference between every 4/5 years that pass. I know your body ages, changes. And no it won’t hold out forever.
Guess what, your mind can’t hold out either if you put to much pressure on it.
Remember why you started martial arts? Why you continued?
I hope that the answer to that question is: ‘because it’s fun.’
There are always a million things that feel like they should be done NOW. Get an education, get a job, fall in love, etc.
Balancing the things you love and the things you have to do is always difficult.
Try to combine many ‘I have to’s’ with things you like to do.
Do other tasks during your commute, chill out with a martial arts book, date someone who understands and supports you, be diligent in what you do.
I know it’s tough at times, but you can do it. I believe in you.
PS: this post has been collecting dust for ages in my concepts. I figured I should post it anyways even though it’s not completely up-to-date and accurate anymore. I hope you can find some inspiration from it!