Doubts!

[sensei8]

Doubts raise many questions within ones abilities and the like. Without doubt in your training, you'll stagnate in your journey. They'll appear when you least expect them, and you'll defeat them when you're feeling your lowest.

It's natural, imho, to doubt oneself from time to time. What we do, the martial arts, isn't easy, and it shouldn't be! It requires some unbelievable trials and errors while on our journeys.

Working through your doubts might be the best way to erase them. However, where one doubt has been silenced, another doubt waits in the wings to create havoc in ones MA training.

Without doubt, there is no question, with no question there is no point to our training in the MA. Doubt is the beginning of faith; faith in our abilities allows us to see it from all angles, and no matter the discovery, it's true...for only the moment until one works through it completely.

It's unreasonable to doubt things that you can't do. You can't fly without an airplane. On the other hand, it's reasonable to doubt that you can't fly an airplane until you've had flying lessons. You can't leap tall buildings, but, you can climb up and over tall buildings.

"I'll never get this" is unreasonable, while "I'm having a hard time learning this for the moment" is more of a reasonable doubt. One surrenders while the other won't surrender in it's quest.

It's what one does while experiencing self-doubt; this will separate one from the defeated to the victor. All lies in patience and in patience one learns to understand what's at the root of ones doubt.

After all, there's nothing wrong with the technique. The technique in itself is fine. However, what's wrong is us, for the moment because with time, the fix will reveal itself to you through the most unlikely event and/or person. Believe in yourself; this is key to erasing doubt. Separate oneself from those who would feed your doubt with their own negative for their enjoyment.

If you haven't doubted, you probably haven't thought very hard about what you believe.

Your thoughts?

EDIT: spelling errors!

Edited December 13, 2010 by sensei8

[honoluludesktop]

I see this in another way. Selecting the culture of empty handed fighting as a personal art, has little to do with reason. Its kinda like climbing Everest, or K1, "because it is there". Doubt is the result of trying to bring reason into the way.

Edited December 13, 2010 by honoluludesktop

[Lupin1]

I don't know about that. If you read the introduction boards, many people have very reasonable reasons for choosing to start martial arts besides "because it's there".

[honoluludesktop]

The subject of the post is "doubt". Don't deny the reasoning of others, only suggesting that it's possibly the root of doubt.

[ninjanurse]

I agree sensei....Without doubt there is no faith-without faith we cannot overcome doubt.

[bushido_man96]

This is a very interesting way to look at what doubt is, and how to manage it. Very good thoughts. I know I have doubted myself from time to time, and it makes me want to step things up a bit to overcome them.

[Lupin1]

Doubt can be a good thing. If we didn't doubt our abilities, there'd be no reason to work to make them better. Of course, it's only a good thing if we can eventually overcome it. Otherwise it'll get in the way and make us hold back.

[sperki]

Doubt is an interesting choice of terms. I may (too often, in fact) know that my technique leaves something to be desired, but I'm confident in my ability to be corrected and learn the right technique. I suppose it seems like more of a glass half full approach. I have certainly experienced doubt in my life, in and out of the martial arts, and usually when I'm doubting, I'm in a negative mood and things just don't go my way with whatever my doubts are about. If I can get a good workout in, sleep on it, or whatever other coping mechanisms are out there, and change my attitude, it seems like I have better success with whatever problem is in front of me.

[evergrey]

Sometimes I think "oh, I might not be any good at this at all. What if I end up always being terrible at karate?"

Then I get really stubborn. I look at everything I failed at, and I say to myself, "no, no, I'm going to work my way through this, I'm going to learn from this, I'll work until I get better at it!"

[ps1]

Doubt can be a good thing. If we didn't doubt our abilities, there'd be no reason to work to make them better. Of course, it's only a good thing if we can eventually overcome it. Otherwise it'll get in the way and make us hold back.

Doubt tempered by perseverance! "I don't know if I can do it...but I'm sure gonna give it my best!"