“Keep your innocence and ignorance aside, and expose yourself to dangerous situations, and understand the deeper secrets of life.”
-Michael Bassey Johnson
To be Intrepid is to move forward with no hesitation, with nothing holding you back. We grow by challenging ourselves, by pushing ourselves to the limits and reaching past them, coming out stronger and better than we were.
Martial artists are no stranger to this concept. Think of the first time you sparred with someone. Perhaps you thought they were better, more experienced. Perhaps you feared that first hit. What would happen if you lost? These thoughts are normal and they are simply telling you what you are worried about in that moment, but, as with all things in your head, they are just thoughts. They do not control your actions. You do.
When you got up and the sparring started, you probably got hit. Then your hands started to move. The next time that hit came you blocked it. Then came the next one that you blocked until you struck back and you learned that your opponent was just as scared as you.
No one really likes getting hurt, but getting into a fight, no matter how good you are, you will get hit. We know this, but we fight anyway because we know that there is something greater than that fear. Our lives, the lives of our loved ones, protecting your way of life, whatever the reason, we have a reason to push forward and be Intrepid. To not let anything stand in the way of our goals, no matter the difficulty along the way.
Being Intrepid is the point just past Fear, when you realize that the only thing holding you back, is you.
Train hard,
Head Instructor Shawn Morris