I was driving home today for my mid-day time with the family and I found myself thinking how precious my time had become. A quick reverse in time, I was out the door at 5:20am for a 6-7am class, got some coffee and a nap in for the 9-10am Strength and conditioning, back to the gym to do some work and set up for the 11-Noon class (almost all classes end up taking 20-30min more at the end to answer questions, drill, and clean up) and found myself talking with one of the first responders to the recent shooting in Sacramento.

Back to driving home in my car, I realized how important it is to take the time you spend doing things (or not doing things seriously). What we do or don’t do with our time will define who we are and who we become. Therefore, how we consistently spend our time is a revelation to who we are, and what we do with it is what will define us.

As important as it may be to take your time seriously, (or think about how you spend your time) I also felt the inkling to remind myself not to take yourself (me) too serious. Why? Maybe it’s just my personality or who I am at the moment, but I believe that juxtaposition of ideas complements one another. Since there is only 24 hours in a day and you can never buy or rewind your time back, get a redo for a misplaced day, you need to be very considerate with your time. However, if you do the same with yourself, I think you lose touch with those around you. A “serious person” can be inconsiderate of others. Maybe a a person who takes their time serious is already serious enough, and not taking yourself too serious is a way to balance the yin with the yang.

For myself, I realize more and more the importance of taking my time serious. Knowing that even though class ends at a certain time, it’s part of my job to allow myself to be open to others for some time before and after a class. I also feel that during the precious time we have during a class, things are serious, it’s time that people choose and pay to spend training or learning in our dojo/classroom. So I take the athletes and students seriously. At that same time, not taking myself too serious in those moments reminds me that as a coach and a teacher I am there to serve them. My purpose for that hour or 90 minutes or 30 minutes exists to serve their needs, and not taking myself too serious allows me to better perform those duties. I can stay more patient, yet maintain a sense of urgency to get things done. I can stay calm, yet upbeat to keep things in rhythm. I am focused but maintain vision of the entire room. I don’t know if I would be able to do this if I took myself too serious.

Friday, Sept 8th 3:45pm