War on timidity

“Poise is a power derived from mastery of self”

Today I want to share a short story about two children.

The first child, when told to make his choice, took the mass of straw, which he set on fire easily enough, warming himself first from a respectful distance and then at close range, in proportion as the heat of the fire grew less.

In so doing he made great sport of his companion, who struggled meanwhile to set alight the pile of wood. But what was the outcome?

The huge mass of straw was soon burned out, while the wood, once lit, furnished a tranquil and steady flame, which the first child watched with envy while seated by the mass of cinders that alone remained of the vanished pile that he had chosen.

The man of real poise is like the child who, disclaiming the transitory blaze of the straw, prefers to work patiently at building a fire whose moderate heat will afford him a durable and useful warmth.

Let us beware of sudden unreasoning enthusiasms. After the ephemeral flame of their first ardor has burned itself out we shall but find ourselves seated by the mass of ashes formed of our mistakes and our dead energies.

This story is from a book entitled Poise how to attain it by D Stark you can read the entire book for free as it is now in the public domain.

Here is the link http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13877

When building physical and mental strength there are many paths one can take. Knowing the enemy is key. Timidity is the enemy and timidity is weakness. Timidity is crippling fear. It can make you stutter, it can cause doubt, it will encourage you to run and hide.

Strength comes from having poise. Those who possess this quality have paid their dues and have confronted their fears. We can learn from people who have gone before us.

When building physical strength, when we are pushing our limits, we will inevitably confront moments of doubt and fear. That is not a problem. The problem arises when we choose to back down and let the fear be the victor. If this happens and we do not attempt that which we know we should. Timidity has won, and weakness gets a tighter grip on us.

Try to push yourself to new levels of strength and learning. You will be glad you did. Attain poise and hold your head high. There is no better feeling than knowing you gave it your all in these circumstances, regardless of outcome.

Wishing you the best in your training

Russ Smith CFT

Assistant Strength Coach

WSBB Certified

 

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