When I identify my close-mindedness and allow myself to open up, my ability to learn and improve greatly increases
One thing I quickly learned from martial arts is that I can learn something from anyone and everyone. I remember when I was in my early teens and there were black belts a bit younger than me that would try to teach me and I would think to myself “What can they teach me, they haven’t been doing this long enough?”. I only wanted to learn from the instructor or someone older. I was very close-minded and not open to much instruction from those younger than me. I look back on that time and realize I missed out on a lot because of my close-mindedness. They were teaching me the same thing the instructor was teaching (after all they were trained by him). Yet, my close-mindedness caused me to miss out on the opportunity to learn something new from a different perspective, that could have helped me gain more understanding into what I was learning. Today, that close-mindedness is behind me, and I allow myself to learn from anyone and everyone. In my Kung Fu studies, I have learned from those 10 years younger than me. In my Taekwondo studies, I have learned from those over 40 years older than me. I realized by opening myself up to gain knowledge from everywhere, I end up getting better insight into what I am doing. I not only have the teachings and advice from the instructor but also from more people around me. Putting different perspectives together from various people has improved how I understand and perform various martial art techniques. When I identify my close-mindedness and allow myself to open up, my ability to learn and improve greatly increases. Thus, allowing me to watch myself become a better martial artist.
My close-mindedness wasn’t just geared towards those younger than me. I was also closed-minded towards things, such as kicks that were not from Taekwondo. I used to think that all Taekwondo kicks were the best and better than any other art. Once I got rid of this idea and realized not one martial art is the best and every martial art has something to give, I was able to integrate different aspects of kicking from other styles and adjust them to fit my needs. Now my kicks have a bit of influence from Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Sanshou, and Wa Shin Ryu Jujutsu. My kicks are better because I have allowed myself to be open towards different styles.
Just like martial arts, I also try to identify my close-mindedness and open up to learning from everywhere in other areas of my life. Because of this, I am improving in other aspects of my life as well. I allow myself to be open to those around me regardless of who they are, seeing what I can learn from them, and seeing if I can implement what I learn into my own work. Doing this has helped me become better in many different aspects of my life.
Now I would like to note, I am not saying that I listen to every single thing every single person tells me and implement it in my life indiscriminately with no regard to the consequences that may follow. Instead, I am saying I listen to everyone with an open ear, not immediately shutting them out, and listening to what things are possible to implement in my life and evaluate whether I should attempt them or not. I do not immediately shut a person out. I believe everyone has the ability to teach me something, and allow them the chance to teach me.
I challenge you to identify close-mindedness within yourself. Figure out who you have been ignoring and shutting out, and give yourself the opportunity to learn from them by opening up. Then, watch how you grow!
