This is your paragraph

This is your paragraph

As I look around at my friends both in and out of Martial Arts I note with interest the different ways they approach getting older,  some fight against it, some accept it, and some use it as an excuse to slow down way before they (in all likelihood) need to.  
 
There is nothing we can do to stop ourselves aging; no one can get away from it, but we can decide how we deal with it.  Those of us that are more physically active might notice it a little earlier than others simply because we feel changes occurring as we ask more of ourselves.

For those of us who study under Guro Dan we have a constant reminder of what is possible when your resolve does not allow you to consider stopping and instead you look to find ways to train more intelligently and sensibly. 

Once again control of your ego is, I believe, an important factor in how you approach this.  For me the biggest competition has always been with myself, asking myself the reflective questions I always do, namely: am I doing the best I can? could I do more? am I getting the most out of each day from a training perspective? 

The answer to these questions is not always what I'd like it to be for a variety of reasons, sometimes it's other areas of my life that are drawing on my time, sometimes it's an injury that's holding me back.
 
Whilst I get inspired by all of the truly great martial artists and people I am lucky enough to train with and know, I try not to worry too much about whether I am training as hard (or harder) than them, it's probably not a valid comparison unless they lead exactly the same life as I do or have the same sensibilities.  I love watching the people I have taught over the years who are younger than me doing things with immense flexibility, strength, and speed; it's a joyous experience and one from which I draw great inspiration but in all honesty it's never been a big driver for me. 
 
One of the things that age (hopefully) also brings is maturity, and I realise now that to try and compete with the training regimes of my peers means marching to the beat of a number of other drums when the one which gives me the perfect beat is my own. 
 
But I'll do my best to make sure my drum roll is at a pace that demands the best of me......   
 
See you in June.