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!
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!
SPECIAL OFFER!
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is currently
offering a 10 percent discount on all hypnotherapy for
weight-loss/weight-management sessions. This offer is good through April
30, 2017. It is not exchangeable for cash and may not be combined with any
other offer. For more information and to set up an appointment, please contact her
at (661) 433-9430 or send an e-mail to calminsensehypnosis@yahoo.com.
Save $250 toward a purchase of 24 sessions or more for personal
training with me, Irvin
Burton, CEO and Founder at Tiger Crane Martial Arts & Fitness. You can
contact me at Irvin_Burton@yahoo.com
or call (661) 993-8621.
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.
