Friday, December 9, 2011

A Big Pile of Branches

We all have challenges in this life. One look through my Facebook mini-feed and after speaking to several close loved ones, I realize that we are all facing some sort of challenge. It may be work, it may be school, it may be relationships, it may be finances. I thought I'd talk about some of my thoughts about challenges and overcoming them...but first, I'd like to first tell a story about what happened this morning.

I went to bed last night, and had a dream. In the dream, I was facing against several exponents of another Filipino martial arts system, sparring them, fighting them, and defeating them. I felt unstoppable, as if no one could stop me. As I rose to victory in this dream, and at the height of my sense of accomplishment, I hear my dad's Filipino-accented voice saying:

"Mike, wake up!"

I then woke up and realized I was in my bed, and that it was early in the morning. It was cold, I was tired, and I was honestly rather irritated that I was removed from my dream of combative glory and victory to be awakened by my father and mother. Apparently, Edison, New Jersey decided to get it's act together and get rid of the hundreds upon thousands of fallen tree limbs and debris that was lying outside of the homes of my neighborhood, and my father and I had to get the remaining debris in the backyard to the front yard so that the landscapers could get rid of them. As I walked out to the backyard, I realized that the pile of branches that my father and I had to carry to the front yard was HUGE, and looked far too big for two people to take on alone. The pile was the size of a one car garage, and the pile was even taller than me, with branches of various weights and lengths. I thought to myself, "This pile of branches is way too big. This is going to take forever." Walking in mud in the freezing cold hauling off huge branches was definitely not the way I planned to spend my morning.

However, for some reason, my training in Atienza Kali kicked in. While the pile of branches was huge, I began to break down the pile one part at a time. We took the smaller branches out to the front, and the larger branches were put on the side to use as fire wood. This way, we wouldn't be carrying heavy logs to the front. Instead, we were carrying smaller, lighter branches to the front and setting the heavier ones aside. We went back and forth like beavers setting up a dam, carrying piles of branches from the backyard to the front yard (for those of you who have seen the size of my backyard, you know that the walk is certainly no small feat). Within what seemed to be no time at all, the once HUGE pile of branches in the backyard disappeared. Between two men, the entire operation took only 20 minutes.

Now, you might be thinking: "What does this have to do with Atienza Kali and problem solving?"

Truth is, it has everything to do with them.

In Atienza Kali, we view the blade as a gateway to solving problems. The problems can be related to fighting or combat, but more importantly, the problems can be more life-based: relationships, finances, work, school, etc. We are taught to break down a blade exchange in it's most specific details with as little emotion as possible. We are then taught how to apply this mindset to life's challenges. The fact is this: no matter how big the problem may be, no matter how challenging it may appear, you have it within you to break down the problem, one bit at a time, and eventually, the problem can be overcome. It simply takes a great degree of self-control, emotional awareness, and a focused mind.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned in Atienza Kali is that our problems are only problems if we allow them to be. We always have control over the situation regardless of what is going on, because we have control of how we respond to the situation at hand. This is reminiscent of what I have read in the book "A Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. This book has actually changed my life, and for those of you who have not read this book, Viktor Frankl is a psychiatrist who was once locked away in a Nazi concentration camp. In this camp, he lost his wife, his brother, and both of his parents while being deprived of food and sleep, as well as undergoing regular beatings. However, despite all these challenges, Viktor Frankl survived and stated: "Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." While we may not always have control of what happens around us, we can always have control of what happens within us, and our attitude defines our future, and the quality of our life. Oftentimes, that bill to pay or that paper you have due by Monday may seem like a huge problem, but with the right attitude and approach, the problem can be solved.

Whether the challenge is financial, relationship-based, work-related, or even if it's just a big pile of branches, we can always overcome the problems we face. We simply need to regroup, adjust our focus, and break down the problem one bit at a time.