How to find the right balance. This topic made me thinking more and more recently. In the past years I put Bujinkan above everything else in my life missing out a lot of happenings and sacrificing a lot of opportunities in order to be able to train. I saw Budo as my life – and only that. Not considering anything else around me. But thinking about life more deeply now it consists of more than just training in the dojo. It is important to understand that your family, the people you love and care about also add up to your life and make it what it is. Considering this how should Budo be treated?
Budo is a life attitude. It should support you in all other areas of your life and not take those other important parts away. Unfortunately I understood that now after 10 years of training. I heard Soke once saying that living a happy life is important. But just focusing on training only and always missing out on happenings with your family and friends, won’t bring you there. It is good to pursue the martial way with perseverance and passion but this is not be confused with obsession.
I heard my teacher once say that family comes above all. But somehow this little small phrase just slipped through my mind, unfortunately. Now after years of training I remembered this and understood the meaning. Finding the right balance is essential in order to live a happy and fulfilling life for yourself, with your family and the people you love. Budo is not meant to hurt those close to you by spending all resources you have (time, money, passion, effort etc.) only for training. From my today’s perspective this is / was egoistic.
It is essential to be aware of these things and to find the right path / balance in your life and give every important area the significance it deserves. Especially enjoy and appreciate the time you can spend with the people you care about.
This is just my opinion on this topic and it is written from heart. The opinion might differ from person to person depending on the goals in life and the things that make them happy. After realizing this I need to walk the talk.