Nina’s First KaizenTao Lesson!
Nina’s 1st KaizenTao Class
Photo: Adele Ray
Aaah… to be young, free, unencumbered by fear, ego, insecurity, judgment and trepidation. An innate state we were all born with but lost once we’d adopted (sometimes at the behest of so-called experts) more self-limiting, self-doubting, self-sabotaging, and debilitating habits, which serves to hamper our lives and prevent us from reaching our greatest potential.
When my sister Adele asked me to teach her three years old daughter Nina some self-defense moves, I briefly hesitated because I didn’t want to risk frustrating my young niece. But, only until I remembered only adults frustrate when learning new things.
Children of Nina’s age often welcome new challenges and the chance to uncover hidden capabilities. Everything becomes a game to them, as they look forward to doing things they hadn’t experienced before.
In this clip, watch Nina’s impeccable presence and how she gives her unfettered attention in a way seldom seen in adults.
Observe how she listens and watches all instructions, instead of anticipating what might be said or done. The latter is a common problem among students too eager to learn quickly. They’re often the last to grasp the lesson as they feverishly attempt everything that wasn’t taught by the teacher.
Lastly, pay particular attention to Nina’s ability to manage her excitement, as she consciously releases her breath to unlock excessive tensions prior to executing her tasks. This shortens her learning curve by maintaining the awareness required to help her accurately assess where she’s at relative to where she needs to be.
Anyone can regain their innate ability to acquire skills like Nina. Here are six tips to help you get it back:
1. When you take off your shoes, place your ego and expertise inside your socks and stuff them in your shoes. Some folks may require more elbow grease than others, but don’t despair, the benefits outweigh the effort.
2. Do not assume or presume anything will be easy or hard prior to the actual doing. Truth lies in action and not analysis. Do and re-calibrate as required and instructed. Classes should be led by competent professionals capable of recognizing, fixing, and addressing errors before they set in.
4. Insights and growth come in spurts. There will be periods of plateaus which should be used for introspection and to solidify understandings, prior to stepping onto the next rung of knowledge.
5. There are no mistakes if you can make sense of them. This insight will help to alleviate the stress of learning to facilitate growth and progress no matter what outcome.
6. Develop a love and appreciation for what you’re studying, and your passion to practice and train will arise naturally and effortlessly.
Enjoy your Paths!
