Quality #2 – Endurance/Perseverance

There is an old saying in the Martial Arts, “Poor endurance makes cowards of us all.” What that means is that when you get tired, things can become more difficult, and it gets easy for you to want to give up.

The solution to this problem is to train harder to increase your endurance and to get used to the feeling of being fatigued but fighting through it.

Outside of our Martial Arts training, the parallel human quality to endurance is perseverance. A great example of amazing perseverance is Thomas Edison.

Thomas Edison had over 5000 experiments, which eventually led him to the invention of the light bulb. One day, when a young reporter asked Thomas Edison if he felt like he was wasting his time trying to get the light bulb to work, Edison replied, “I beg your pardon, I just successfully identified 5000 ways that do not work.” Mr. Edison was absolutely determined to achieve his goal, and he didn’t let his first 5,000 failed attempts discourage him.

As Martial Artists, we must strive to develop perseverance in our everyday lives, just as we strive to develop endurance in our training.

Here are two assignments to help you develop these qualities. First, while training in class, try to push yourself harder than normal. Second, outside of class, avoid giving up too easily on any tasks at school, at work, or at home.  Instead, try to stay focused until the task is complete.

“How long should you try? Until.” – Jim Rohn