The Goal is Your Absolute Best, not Absolute Perfection
Life is messy. It's not supposed to be perfect. Seeing imperfections and moving forward anyway is the key to success in your journey.
Life is Messy
It's not supposed to be perfect. If you wait for perfection, you'll never move forward. Messiness is about embracing the imperfections, the mistakes, the anxiety, and the fear—and doing it anyway. It's about living in full, vibrant color, even when the picture isn't clear.
I learned this lesson in the most intense way possible, back when I was much younger. I competed in Karate, but even as I threw myself into the art, I was never quite at my ideal best. I always had some injury—usually more than one. There were days when I thought, I should have trained harder, longer… I should have pushed myself more.
Even though I spent every minute I could, pushing myself to the edge of pain, exhaustion, and sometimes even passing out, it never seemed like enough. I was obsessed.
Obsessed, 13 years old training 8 hrs a day
Dr. Mel Wise: The Best Sensei Ever
"I think I only went to college because it was close to the dojo (karate school)."
- Michael Israel
Humble Warriors
Dr. Mel Wise ran a dojo where nobody was perfect. You could never know Karate, only study it. Even if you won a first-place trophy at a tournament wearing a black belt, you'd return to the dojo your brown belt back on.
Fighting Through Adversity
We were all punks in his dojo, constantly learning, constantly battling our own limitations. Sensei—he was battling Leukemia! He gave his students a "be humble, but give it your all and never quit" attitude.
Heart Over Trophies
Sensei didn't care about trophies, he cared about heart! One example: he made us all stay awake all night before a major competition. No sleep for any of us. No excuses. He said, "No excuses for warriors."
