"Failure is not the falling down, but the staying down." This is a quote by America's Sweetheart, Mary Pickford. Mary was an actress during the heyday of film. In fact, she was awarded the second Academy Award ever back in 1929. She was more than just an actress though. She was a producer and a business woman as well. In fact, she was the co-founder of United Artists and she was also one of the original founding members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.
Mary was never one for failures... and you shouldn't be either! Setbacks are NOT failures. They are setbacks. They can become failures, though, if you allow them to be. Set your mind to a task and get to work! Here is a personal example. When I first started karate, I was 43 years old and out of shape. In fact, I could barely do 10 push ups without having to stop. I stuck with it though, and practiced. Not just karate, either. At one point I did 100 push ups a day to get better at them and to increase the number I could do in one sitting. My record for a day is 1,250 push ups. Not bad for a 50-year-old guy! I have a knee injury now, but I try not to let that stop me. Remember, it's okay to fall down, just keep getting up. Since getting my knee injury I have worked on my kicks constantly. I can do multiple kicks without putting my foot back on the ground, and I have developed enough power to knock a 100-pound upright bag to the ground with my roundhouse kick. The flexibility of my kicks is also improving. I can kick to head level with nearly every type of kick now... including spinning back kicks and spinning hook kicks. Remember, as long as you keep on trying, you haven't failed. You may not have succeeded, but you haven't failed. The moment you give up, then you have failed. I kick a bag two to three times a week outside of class. If you include the work I do in class, then I kick the bag four or five times a week. While it may not be success, it certainly isn't failure! No matter what you want to do in life, you CAN do it. It can't be done without work, however. Everything in life has a cost. What are you willing to spend to get what you want? Remember, not all things are bought with gold. Most times, the payment is made with time and effort (kung fu). Most people think that kung fu is just a martial art. And it is a type of martial art. What it really means though is time and energy. Use your kung fu to achieve your goals. Just remember, for every goal there is a cost. Try to know the cost of your goal before you set out on your journey. If you consciously have an idea of what a goal will cost you before you set out, you are more likely to finish it. Remember, like anything else, success and failure are habits. Practice the success habit!
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