“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one,
for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.”
Douglas Wood
So, how exactly does one get up before the sun on a weekend morning, run a couple miles and do push-ups until their arms are shaking, all just to get started for the real workout ahead?
With Gratitude.
That was a central theme of our recent ten weeks of Black Belt Boot Camp, during which 34 of our Dojo warriors, plus their instructors, did all the above and so much more. Every Saturday morning that our candidates who got up before the sun, they had a very simple choice. They could greet the gruelling workout ahead of them with either deep sighs or deep gratitude. The could see BBBC as a tiresome obligation or a terrific opportunity. The fact that each of them chose the latter is, I'm convinced, the reason each of them soared through their Black Belt tests.
It's a choice each of us faces, every single day. And sure, on some days it's hard to count our blessings in the face of our challenges. But those blessings are always there, and when we recognize and give thanks for them we bring out the best in ourselves.