It's Never Really the Right Time

I'll do it when I get this stuff handled. We've all said it, and we've all regretted it. I spent about four years telling myself I was going to return to my training after my daughter was born. My body stiffened every day I delayed it, and each of those days added hours to my progress after returning.

Conditions are never perfect. If you want to do something or think you should do something, do it. I put off starting my business until I realized there was no perfect time. I'm probably putting of two or three things right now hoping for the winds to change so I can do it right. I know not to wait, and yet I procrastinate as much as anyone else. It's a constant battle between the part of me that has a vision for the future and that part of me that wants to settle into enjoying right now.

This year I finally quit smoking and drinking and got my sorry ass back into the dojo. I did it all in one fell swoop when I decided how I want to grow old. Wheezing and panting all day while running the risk of a heart attack take on a reality at fifty that they didn't have at forty. I'm more tired than I have ever been and fighting the desire to read books, watch movies, and sleep excessively is a new fight.

At the end of the day it's about defining my purpose. Why do I want to run, weight train, practice Aikido? What am I looking for in this? I've always valued discipline. The ability to sacrifice a diversion for something that helps build a solid foundation. This statement doesn't mean that all pleasures are "wrong." Very few things are right or wrong. We have to ask the question, does doing this serve me and my highest vision for myself?

Whether we're meeting a friend for drinks or volunteering at the shelter, both of these can serve our highest vision for ourselves as long as we've attached a purpose to them. There's nothing wrong with meeting a friend to have a good time as long as that's what you've decided to do and you're acting consciously. Whittling away the hours flitting from one distraction to another is the enemy. Mindlessly swiping from one photo or video to the next on social media will suck the life out of us, leaving us feeling empty and wondering what we're doing with our lives.

My mom once told me, if you don't have a plan, you can bet that someone out there will be more than happy to make you a part of theirs. Don't be a pawn. Be the king or the queen, knight, or rook. Just don't be a pawn.

In my life, I've discovered some tricks to forging a better version of myself. And in this blog, my plan is to share some of these hacks. Take the ones that work for you—the ones that serve you—and use them. These aren't things I've invented, just things that have come to me through books, movies, realizations, but they've helped me reach a degree of success that I never thought I could achieve.

I've been putting this blog off for nearly six years now. I guess it's about time to do this.

This blog is a collection of wanderings and wonderings. As a child, I heard a neighbor say something about our bodies (lives) not coming with a handbook. I'm writing my own and sharing it with you, so you too can write yours and hopefully share it with others.

Jack Woodyard, Tokyo Japan