Discipline is about overcoming boredom. Those who are successful and really good at anything are the type of people who do not allow themselves to get bored because they know repetiveness and perseverance are the most important ingredients for success.
Child disciplining has completely changed; the smacking and caning days are well over and parents are seeking other ways to instill discipline. The first thing parents say, when they walk into a martial arts school, is they want their child to learn discipline. So parents are depending on martial arts instructors to do the job today. But discipline is not just about changing behaving, which the martial arts does a good job of, it is also about learning to cope with boredom. The thing is, to turn boredom into a challenge which can be achieved over a period of time especially when the student starts to notice the results and benefits. There is nothing worse than a kid ‘chucking it in’ the early stages without giving it a real chance perhaps because of boredom. Often this can be the result of laziness which often goes undetected. However, the Instructor knows it too well and will endeavour as much as they can to ensure the student does not quit. ‘Quit’ is the worst word in the martial arts and dictionary because quitting is usually a result of failure. When a parent allows a child to quit at anything then the child thinks it is OK and will do it again at some stage or another.
Grownups in the martial arts, on the other hand, have a sense of self regulation and self respect which children are not able to understand at a young age. Everybody will agree that we all get bored at some time or another whether it be at work, home or in the martial arts school but we are mature enough to make the right decisions whereas a child would not.
There are always good reasons why people take up the martial arts and they should always remember that when they might be feeling a little bored. Learn to turn boredom into passion.
GA
