Today's blog is written by Irvin Burton, a
personal trainer and champion martial arts competitor based in Santa Clarita,
California. Check out our special offer to promote weight loss and fitness at
the end of this essay!
Hey everyone, Irvin here again.
Today, I am a guest blogger for Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. and I wanted to write something that would resonate with her
audience. While fitness and martial arts is my expertise, I know people have
various concerns in their life outside of fitness and martial arts training.
The other day during my workout, I was thinking why not start with a metaphoric
story that can apply to anyone? So today, that’s where I’m going to start; it’s
a movie I’ve seen many times. In the movie a martial arts enthusiast is chosen
to be the recipient of the coveted “dragon scroll,” which allegedly holds the
secret to limitless power. After intense training, the martial arts master
hands him the scroll and the character opens it up and finds nothing but a
blank scroll. Surrounded by other masters who are eager to witness the great
unveiling, they are shocked and disappointed that the masters of previous
generations would hand down an empty scroll claiming it had limitless power.
What a disappointment!
Later, as the martial artist
returns to his village embarrassed and disappointed, he speaks to his father
who happens to be the town’s top chef. His father, empathizing with his son’s
situation, decides to share the secret ingredient of his famous “secret
ingredient soup,” a popular dish in town. The father leans in and says to his
son, “the secret ingredient is…nothing!” Puzzled, the son asks if he heard him
right and the father says, “You heard me, nothing!” The son asks why he didn’t
add any extra ingredients to the soup. The father says, “Don’t have to, for
something to be special you just have to believe it’s special.” The main
character pauses for a second and takes out the dragon scroll. He looks at it
closer this time and sees his own reflection in the scroll. He says to himself
out loud, “There is no secret ingredient.”
What I like about this scene is
the message it is sending to its audience; that “the secret” is essentially you
and how you think. Whether you’re looking to become successful in a career,
graduate from college, or start your own business, your success depends on you!
How do you become successful? Well, you learn, you implement, and you stay
consistent! Think about this for a second. Let’s say you want to learn how to
cook. The first few times you may not get the meal right, but after 10, 15 or
20 cooked meals, it will probably come naturally to you! They say practice
makes perfect, and after 12 years of martial arts training and many
championship trophies, I can certainly attest to that.
The problems arise when you
half-heartedly commit and don’t see any progress. Most people don’t stay
consistent when they are trying to achieve something. In fact, most people stop
at the “education stage.” They learn something but never implement what they’ve
learned and certainly never stay consistent! I’ve found that most people are
pretty educated on how to obtain their goals, however few take the necessary
action to achieve them. Instead, they become the “guru” and tell everyone else
how to achieve their goals. Would you ask someone who is poor how to be rich
even if he DID have all the necessary education? Neither would I!
In short, your success (or lack
thereof) is your own fault. No it won’t happen overnight; and no, it won’t always happen the way you
want it to. However, if you educate yourself, implement what you learn, and
most importantly, stay consistent in what you do, you’ll succeed. People will
take notice of your success. They will ask for your advice. They may even pay
you to keep them accountable. Either way, there is no secret ingredient, it’s
just you!
Thank you for reading blog today.
I hope that I inspired you to take ACTION on your goals today. Remember that
there are really no secrets to success; it’s just about getting started. The
Famous comedian Chris Rock once said, “When I was stopped on the side of the
road, no one stopped to help me. But when I got out and pushed my car, three of
four people were always helping me.” People respect hustlers! Again, thank you
for reading and special thanks to Sara Fogan for having me as a guest on her
blog!
Irvin Burton is a personal trainer and martial arts instructor in
southern California. He holds several college degrees related to fitness as
well as a fitness kickboxing certification and is an international martial arts
kickboxing champion. Irvin Burton is the CEO and founder of Tiger Crane Martial
Arts and Fitness, a business that teaches kids confidence and discipline
through martial arts training.
