Relax You Are Doing Great
Students, especially when they first begin training, often ask how well they are doing. It’s a very common questions and quite natural. What they are really asking is how well they are doing compared with their fellow students. There are a lot of comments / posts out there on not to expect anything etc but, I would like to be a bit more practical here, especially for beginners.
I will tell you what I tell all my students. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, compare yourself to you. This raises two more questions – Why? And How
Why first. Everyone learns at different rates and processes information differently. Some students are more technical learners, preferring to pin down each move in an exact way as is possible, to ensure that they are performing correctly. Others like to get the feel, rhythm, flow, call it what you will, of the moves in a given sequence. In the beginning stages comparing these two types of people is like comparing chalk and cheese. It will distort your view of how you are progressing.
The How. How do you compare yourself to yourself? Simple techniques work well here. Write yourself a list of why you started Tai Chi in the first place. Do you have aching joints in the morning, is your balance and issue, do you have a low immune system? Detail as much as you can and then put this list somewhere it won’t be disturbed for a couple of months. Why not video yourself too?
Write a Wellness Diary
Give yourself a couple of months to just enjoy the learning process, relish moving your body and getting to know how it works again. Then write yourself a list of you ailments, niggles and annoyances with your body / life, much like you did at the beginning of your training. You may want to write a note in your calendar to remind yourself to do this! Now, go and video yourself again. Compare the videos and your written notes, and then you will be able to tell how well you are progressing. You will be amazed at just how far you can come in such a short time. By keeping a daily diary of how you feel and are performing is very enlightening. There is a saying in business coaching that if it can be measured it can be improved. By writing just a few short notes every day will give you the drive to keep on going when viewed back over a few months.
The Last Can Finish First
I will let into an insight I do not normally share. Some of my best instructors were not very good in the beginning. Yes I know it can be shocking. When some of the students first come to the advanced seminars they will come over to me and rave about their instructor’s skills and ability. I smile and say “it has not always been that way”. I am not sure that they believe me. Many of them were awkward and stiff and certainly not the best in the class. But with regular correct training and correction can create extraordinary results. So if you do not feel that you are doing well just think about what I have said sometimes the last today will be the first next year.
To your very good health.
Kind Regards,
John Hine
Comments on this entry are closed.