Tenacity Is a Talent
By Andy Mishkin In Insight
When I was in college, there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t find myself in absolute awe of the talent and intelligence that surrounded me. I think it is safe to say that we have all had that experience. Many of my peers churned out pages of elegantly worded and exhaustively researched essays and assignments, while I felt like I was hacking my way along. That’s when I discovered martial arts, and my life changed. My schoolwork didn’t get easier; I still had to trudge stubbornly to where my colleagues flew gracefully. What changed is how I viewed the effort; martial arts taught me to embrace the hardship. In martial arts, tenacity is not only considered more important than talent; tenacity is a talent in and of itself. Once I became more positive about work being difficult, the challenge became more enjoyable, and I enjoyed greater success (not to mention that I stopped comparing myself to my peers and was able to be inspired by them instead, but more on that in a future post…).
Viewing tenacity as a talent is a common thread in many of the stories and tales that make up martial arts history and culture. The hero or heroine is often portrayed as singularly untalented at the start of their training; physically weak, uncoordinated, timid, and so on. However, these seeming liabilities turned out to be assets, because they required the hero or heroine to become tenacious, and they go on to become proficient and inspirational figures. I feel very blessed to have been able to live my own version of this tale, having once been a timid little fellow myself; now given the privilege of teaching others.
Tenacity is at the heart of most martial arts teaching disciplines and is central to how we teach here at Centerpoint. Although we are teaching a demanding physical discipline, we aren’t focused on making kids better athletes or more physically confident as an end itself. The central goal is inspiring someone to be more resilient, gritty and determined. When we teach, our use of the “compliment sandwich” (please see previous blog posts) and other teaching techniques is about helping each student believe in themselves so they can dig deep, overcome obstacles and discover their own abilities and talents. In a way, it is our contemporary version of the old stories and legends. Every time we open class, I see a room full of heroines and heroes, ready to dig in and embrace the challenges and rewards of their lives.