Why?

Some times I just have to wonder why  I do all this stuff that I do. Particularly things like teaching martial arts and starting up crazy programs like the ten tigers program.

Seriously, do I think I'm something special? Do I think I'm that much better at this stuff than the next guy teaching martial arts up the street or in the next town over? Do I think people want to follow my program and listen to me talk because I'm just that cool?

The fact is, the reason I do it is basically the opposite of all of the above. I don't think I'm special, or better, or cool. If anything, I may be a little to hard on myself (or way too hard on myself).

I do these things because in some way, I need to.

I need to teach martial arts, I need to share the things (far more than kicks and punches) that were taught to me by my instructors. I value the lessons I learned from them, and from others so much, that I need to pass those things on, and I choose to pass them on in the vehicle of martial arts. Martial arts training is a very good tool for this job.

I need the Ten Tigers Program. I need the accountability it provides me to myself and to my peers, I need it to be in the public eye, because if it is not, I can slack off. I need to succeed in front of my peers, and when  I fail, I need to fail in front of my peers. It keeps me real.

Someone said to me, as I was posting lots of stuff about getting the Ten Tigers thing back on track, and getting me back on track, that I must be doing well based on my posts. He was wrong. I was seriously backsliding, doing the minimum to get by, and I was sick of it. The whole reason I got this thing going again is because sometimes, I just need to give myself a kick in the pants!