From '78 to '95 I had formal training in TKD then in Okinawan Goju-Ryu. I was also, during that time, exposed to a variety of other martial arts. In Feb '95, though, I was introduced to Sikal. It felt as though it was what I'd been searching for for 17 years. By the end of my first class I knew that it suited my body, mindset, philosophy, etc. better than anything else I'd ever studied or been exposed to. It was like coming home after a really long trip.
Sikal is my home. Since '95 I've trained in other systems (most of them have still been Filipino or Indonesian, though, and most were things that Sikal draws from so it was really like I was still training in Sikal). I also train in a system called Shen Chuan. Shen Chuan, like Sikal, called to me from the moment I saw it - though the calling wasn't as strong. Sikal is my home and Shen Chuan is my best friend's house - a home away from home.
These are my primary systems and I doubt that will ever change - though I am always willing to work out with other people and get exposure to other systems and perspectives.
I began my study Sikal and, later, Shen Chuan because they suit me. I continue training them because I enjoy them and my instructors in them will always have more to share with me based on their own explorations within their systems.
In a broader sense, though, I can attribute - directly or indirectly - every good thing in my life to my training in the martial arts. I continue to train because I enjoy it and I enjoy the benefits it brings to me and the camaraderie I find with fellow martial artists. I teach because I love teaching and it feels good to help other people find benefits in their own lives similar to what I've experienced in my own.
Mike