Oh, the Irony! But I'm failing forward, faster

Hey, did you read my post from last week?

So, in an ironic twist of events, fate, and logic, Tom Callos has recognized me with a UBBT 4th Dan. Did I really do enough to earn this? I don't quite know what to do with myself except train harder (and smarter!) and "grow into " the new rank.

Sure, I've done a lot of stuff as a participant in the UBBT. I've played hard. But I've left a lot undone, too. I really feel like I'm just getting started, now — that the ideas that have arisen as a result of my participation in this "ultimate" test, this "project"… well, they call to me more loudly now than ever before. I'm failing forward, faster: I'm reading Thich Nhat Hanh and Thoreau, minding my diet and consumption, being more observant of nature and natural cycles, listening more than I speak, meditating on a regular basis. I'm expressing gratitude more, and I'm looking for new and interesting opportunities to serve others.

And I'm still trying to improve my skills on the training deck (taking a few lumps here and there, and giving one or two on occasion) by experimenting with different techniques, exposing myself to new art forms, and adjusting my approach to teaching the martial arts.

At the very least, through this process, I've become more mindful of my positive and negative habitual patterns of thinking and acting. This awareness — albeit uncomfortable at times — is necessary for further transformation.

Oh yeah, I've still got plenty of work to do. But this is a good starting point!

I guess the UBBT process is making me more authentically ME. And that's probably a good thing.

Today's question: What is a master teacher of the (martial) arts? What does a master teacher do/look like? How does a master teacher act? What results does a master teacher produce?

No anwers just now, but I'll close with an inspriational passage that I read this morning:

Any residue of anger, animosity, and resentment is now shapeshifted into compassion, lovingkindness, and forgiveness, both for myself and others. Generosity of the heart expresses freely and lavishly through me. I see my
relationships filled with an energy of purpose and of spiritual growth. Creativity freely flows through me as an expression of my talents, gifts, and skills. I know that they are used in a meaningful way to uplift, encourage, inspire, and comfort all with whom I come in contact. Any agreements that I have consciously or unconsciously made with mediocrity are now broken… I now walk hand-in-hand with excellence. I welcome the deeper dimensions of consciousness into my being as I participate in full dimensional living.

From Spiritual Liberation by Michael Bernard Beckwith