Commitment--are you committed to your training?
     Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, which always leads to ineffectiveness.  Concerning all acts of initiative and creation there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: the moment one definitely commits oneself, then the universe moves too.  All sorts of things occur to help you that would never otherwise have occurred.  A whole stream of events  flow from the decision, raising in your favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.  Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.  Begin it now.  Commitment implies a promise, vow, or understanding that you will follow through on your word.  Keeping commitments is a foundation of trustworthiness and for building trust.  Commitment is the glue that keeps trusting relationships together.  Commitment is the extent to which someone is likely to stick with a situation or person.  Commitment implies a decision--an intentional decision.  Commitment leads to loyalty, which is important to keeping organizations healthy.  People want to commit themselves to something that is meaningful to them, that inspires them, that is important to them.

Balance--are you finding balance in your life thru training
     Coach John Wooden describes the importance and value of balance by saying:  "Balance is one of the most important things in basketball--and in life as well.  Some might think that work or concentration or enthusiasm or persistence are more import than balance, but I don't agree.  Balance is the most important single word for an athlete or coach to keep in mind--even as it is vital for a productive and satisfying life. Physical balance is controlled by the extremities of the body--the head, feet, and hands.  But balance involves more than just the physical.  It means keeping everything in the proper perspective: maintaining self-control --- never getting emotionally too high or too low because of unexpected good luck or misfortune --- not permitting things over which you have no control to affect attitudes and actions --- remaining calm in stressful situations.

Awareness--are you training your awareness?
     Deep knowledge is to be aware of disturbance before disturbance, to be aware of danger before danger, to be aware of destruction before destruction, to be aware of calamity before calamity.
     When we stand in the fundamentally open and interconnected state of being, we are like the Samurai warrior, waiting expectantly with acute awareness for the cubic centimeter of chance to present itself.  When it does, we must act with lightning speed and almost without conscious reasoning.  It is at this point that our freedom and destiny emerge, and we create the future into which we are moving.
    Awareness is not a giver of comfort--it is just the opposite.  It is a disturber and an awakener.  Able leaders are usually

sharply awake and reasonably disturbed.  They are not seekers after solace.  They have their own inner serenity.  The ultimate payoff of awareness is described by Sun Tzu in The Art of War --  "To make conflict altogether unnecessary".

Fear vs Passion--did you start training to conquer fear?
     It is important to discuss passions versus fears.  Many of us have a hard time differentiating between a fear and a passion.  Both of them will force you to do things that you may not be able or want to do otherwise.  The difference between a fear and a passion is that a fear is typically driven by an external stimulus while a passion is typically driven by an internal or intrinsic motivation. 
     Fear is a very effective tool to get someone's attention and to make a person aware of one's situation.  But taken to the extreme, the fear and the accompanying negative self-fulfilling prophecy "turn off" one's passion and intuition and create frustration in meeting one's basic needs to the point that no constructive self-directed action is possible.
     An all-consuming fear can make you extremely selfish and self-righteous, shut down your intuition, cut off the flow of energy, and make every task in your life seem insurmountable.  Living only on intuition can drive you to selfless behavior that neglects your own need and disconnects you from reality.  Obviously, you need a balance between selfishness and selflessness.
     It is possible that your intuition can lead you to satisfying both selfishness and selflessness, but it is difficult to keep your definitive markers and balance.  Monitoring your levels of fear versus passion provides obvious markers to help you maintain balance, whereas using only your intuition requires a more subtle determination of balance because one needs some way to see the external and internal rewards of following their intuition.  The internal rewards are feeling in the flow, having extra energy, knowing that you're doing the right thing, and "feeling comfortable in your own skin".

The Fundamental Goal
     The goal in life is just the same as in basketball or martial arts, to make the effort to do the best you are capable of doing--in marriage, at your job, in the community, for your country.  Make the effort to contribute in whatever way you can.  You may do it materially or with time, ideas, or work.  Making the effort to contribute is what counts.  The effort is what counts in everything.  Obviously it is critical to find your two-edged sword to stay in balance and keep the energy flowing from you to whomever you encounter during your life while you are pursuing your passions.  Your two-edged sword is all about passion and balance and escaping from fear as a guide or way of life.


excerpts from Collective Groups and Teams by Rush Robinett
contributed by D. Absher

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