Stop Trying So Hard

 

You can try TOO hard

 

I have mentioned many times in the past of the flower analogy, meaning that when you train your Wing Chun, try to think of this in the same way as growing a flower…

 

You plant the seed and then give it what it needs, food, sunshine and water, but for the longest time you will see nothing, only mud, with many people losing interest at this point and giving up, but of course we must persevere, and if we do so, then in time we will begin to see the start of something growing.

This too, for many, is still not enough, so as well as giving the tiny flower what it continues to need, food, sunshine and water, they begin to give the flower a little encouraging pull, which of course will only serve in killing the flower, destroying all your previous hard work and patience.

 

Allowing the flower to grow in its own time, of course supported by the necessaries, food, sunshine and water, your Wing Chun will blossom.

 

This is a beautiful story told to me by my Sifu, Grandmaster Ip Chun, over thirty years ago.

 

And, it is this story which came to mind for me only yesterday, when I was playing a word game on my phone, something I do find great enjoyment out of.

Well, there was one word I simply could not get, no matter how much I stared at it, so much so in fact that it started to drive me potty!

 

Having had enough of the darn thing, I put down my phone and walked away to do something else.

 

However, when I later came back to my phone, I logged into the game and found the word instantly, almost without thought, the very point of the previous story I just mentioned, prior to this I was simply trying too hard, not seeing the wood for the trees as it were.

 

So when it comes to training, as long as you have a good teacher, or a trusted teaching resource (like oh I don’t know.. let’s say WingChun.Online?), then you should be able to simply allow things to develop in their own time, and try to not constantly think of the end goal or destination, but enjoy the journey too.

 

Thank you for reading.