What was the moment that changed your life?

Do you know the moment that changed your life? We all have a moment. A single event that shifted our journey. Want to know what moment changed my life? My moment happened when I was nine. It’s one of my proudest moments. I think it affected the rest of my life and that’s what this week’s message is all about.

Some background. My uncle taught me how to play chess when I was seven. From then on, and for the next 4 or 5 years, I played multiple games a week. When I was eight, I got into a class and our teacher encouraged us to play every day. We played a ton and I just loved it.

On top of playing in school, every evening, my dad and I would play and for the next couple of years, we played every night. I also lost EVERY GAME. For two years, multiple times a week, I lost.

Eventually one night we played a game and I finally beat him (I actually won BOTH games that night). I remember the immense sense of pride that I felt. It was unlike anything that I had ever felt before.

That feeling of pride is what this week’s message is all about. This week’s message of the week is…

Happiness does not come from doing easy work.

I literally dedicated years of effort to beating my dad at chess. When I finally did, it was just this amazing feeling. That experience taught me that even though something is really difficult, the feeling that you get when you overcome it, makes it worth it.

This week at some point you are going to be facing a challenge. It may be hitting your fitness numbers, learning a kata, sparring someone that scares you or perfecting a technique. It is going to be a struggle to overcome and you will want to quit but persevere. You will eventually overcome it. And, when that happens, you’re going to experience an amazing sense of pride and happiness that is hard to duplicate. That could stick with you for the rest of your life and may even be the moment that changed your life.

I look forward to seeing you on the mats,

Michael