School Owners - The importance of MA in your life?

[Last Fearner]

I won't tread on Iceman's thread since it is aimed at non-owners of schools.

http://martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48561

(even though we were all students at one time, and have gone through similar peaks and valleys, some of us might have unique perspectives about the importance of MA)​

Here is my perspective: "How important is the MA in my life?"

How important is breathing? How important food, nourishment, or my health? How important is my family? How important is it that I hugged my kids and told them that I loved them every single day? How important is my education, my career, my goals in life?

All of these things are what the Martial Art is to me. The fact that I wake up in the morning (or sometimes later). How did I sleep? Could I have slept differently, or better? Was I prepared to wake up quickly and handle any disaster, or challenge with a clear mind? What were the first few things I did after I woke up? Did I take the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the morning, the calmness of the day? Did I cleanse my body, and my mind to prepare for a new day? Did I meditate on my plans for the day, and decide upon a course of action? What did I have for breakfast, and was it good nutrition to start the day?

How did I greet my family, neighbors, co-workers? Did I dress appropriately to convey the kind of image that I want others to perceive me as? If someone treats me poorly, do I react at their level, or find ways to keep calm, avoid unnecessary conflict, and resolve issues with intellect, and considering different perspectives and options. How am I breathing throughout the day? How do I move my body in every task that I perform? What would I do if someone attacked at this very moment - - multiple attackers - - armed attackers? What if there were an earthquake, tornado, flash flood? Am I prepared?

How do I handle stress throughout the day? How do I return home at the end of the day? Do I bring my problems home, and take it out on my family? Do I ask others how their day is going, or if I can be of assistance to them. Do I ask my family how their day was, and listen with interest to the events of their day. Do I remember special events (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.), and show others that I care about them? How do I spend my free time? Do I take time to stop and smell the roses, look at the butterfly, the bee, and the hummingbird? Do I take a moment to relax and do nothing but listen to nature, to the wind, or to my own heartbeat?

Do I train to defend myself? Yes. However, my Martial Art training does not begin when I put on my Dobok, nor does it end when I exit the Dojang. To me, as I believe it should be for all serious students, the Martial Art is a way of life. Everything you do in life is part of your Martial Art training, and experience. Martial Art is always the top priority because it is your experience in life. If anything is important to you, your Martial Art training should make that experience better, and you should know that you can appreciate it better, and protect it better because of your Martial Art knowledge.

Fighting is fighting - - Killing is killing - - but the Martial Art is living!

How important to you is your life, and the people in it?

Enjoy life!

CM D.J. Eisenhart