I can't remember who asked, or even the circumstances. I was probably about 10 years old and I remember that an adult, maybe a teacher, asked me why I liked martial arts so much. I told her that “I was just born that way.” At 47, I still don't have a better answer. Since I saw my first Saturday Kung Fu Matinee as a child, I've been insatiable, so much so that sometimes it's hard for me to understand other people's reasons. I mean, I understand that you might want to learn self-defense, study another culture, or get in shape. But in my gut, my personal experience, I will only ever know the feeling that I just have to get into a dojo, that life is livable as long as I'm training and teaching.
I remember the above story because my mother told it to me over and over. She remembers it far better than I do. It was significant for her too. I think it reaffirmed the work that she and my father put in to give me that early experience. I will always be grateful that my parents indulged my need for martial arts to a level that most parents could not or would not. They estimated that it took about 100,000 miles of driving for me to get my first 1st-degree black belt. I wonder how many hundred thousand miles I've done since then.
My "why" is not the answer most would give, nor should it be. But I know what my "why" is, and it hasn't changed in almost 40 years. I was just born this way. What is your answer, though? How does that "why" drive your training? If someone asked you, could you say with confidence why you train? Are you currently fulfilling that need? Your training is about you, about your “why” for being there. Think carefully about it, and make sure you're getting what you want and need in the environment you've chosen. The clearer you are about your purpose, the more likely you are to realize it.
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