“This can also be felt at your job; you’re not feeling the beginning rush of a new start anymore and aren’t as productive as you once were. Maybe you aren’t finding joy in your hobbies anymore and you find yourself stressing about them instead of having them bring the comfort they once brought.”
When we start a new activity or hobby, we get a rush of excitement and usually are eager to absorb everything you can learn about it. The adrenaline of finding something new and pursuing it, along with sheer fascination of the subject, is really useful in helping you learn and progress. The problem is, usually this intense passion doesn’t last very long. As with all great things, time is needed to improve and see the changes yourself; as time passes, the spark dulls.
In martial arts, especially if you’ve been doing it for quite some time, you may start to experience plateaus in your training. Maybe halfway to black belt you experience a lull and start to become disinterested, or even after you’ve been a black belt for 10 years you’re starting to become frustrated at your seemingly stagnant progress.
This can also be felt at your job; you’re not feeling the beginning rush of a new start anymore and aren’t as productive as you once were. Maybe you aren’t finding joy in your hobbies anymore and you find yourself stressing about them instead of having them bring the comfort they once brought.
The important thing is to immediately recognize that feeling, and begin to find the source of it. It can come from becoming comfortable in your position, and not having the desire to keep growing. It can also come from just looking at the surface of things you might already think you know.
Try to find a new nuance or branch of the activity you once loved. For musicians, maybe start exploring a different genre or playing style to see what you can learn. Perhaps you’ll discover a new culture or artist who becomes a new interest of study. Even trying a different instrument can help you to come out of the rut you’ve become comfortable at.
As a martial artist, try to find that excitement again that you see new white belts have. Maybe explore a different energy to your kata/hyung, learn a new unfamiliar technique, revisit your basics, or even study the differences between your style and a different branch of martial art.
It’s important to know when to step away from a situation or activity, but if it’s a positive interest you once loved, don’t give up on it in the first instance you feel a lull. Try to find that spark again somewhere, somehow.
