By Peter Wallace
as printed in the June 2001 issue of the FMK School
Newsletter "KIAI"
For
quite a while, I have watched various karate students and wondered why some
excel more than the others. Perhaps you have wondered this as well. I have
concluded that for the most part that attitude has a lot to do with excelling as
a karate student. In a different sporting arena to the martial arts, consider
Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia Sixers. He is the smallest man on the court,
but usually is the highest scoring player during an NBA basketball game. He sees
his work as play!
“Have you ever thought of the difference between work and play? You use the same muscles to play golf as you do to mow the lawn; you can use the same brainpower to play bridge as you do to conduct business; the only difference is mental attitude. Why is it that work tires you more than play? Again it is mental attitude, so if you want to make work easier, make play out of it. Too many men make work out of golf, and when you do that you have taken the play out of it. It might not be easy, but if you can change your mental attitude toward the things you call work, you can get more out of life. Mark Twain said, “Work is not a concrete thing; it is a mental attitude. Nothing is either work or play but thinking makes it so” – Genius at Work