PERSIST VS. PERSEVERE
These series of post are mainly
my own LIMITED thoughts and experience from practicing Yiquan and should be
taken with a HUGE DOSE OF SALT.
Let's talk about TWO simple
words that have tremendous relevance to the practice of Yiquan specifically and
exercise generally. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the two words as follows:
PERSIST:
To try to do or continue doing something in a determined but often unreasonable
way
PERSEVERE:
To try to do or continue doing something in a determined way, despite having
problems
At first glance, the two words
seem to be rather similar. However, upon closer scrutiny and with greater
awareness, you will realize that the two words are polar opposites. Put it this
way, one is Dr. Jekyll and the other Mr. Hyde. To fail to be continuously aware
of the differences between the two will put one’s practice of Yiquan and
exercise generally at jeopardy. At the
minimum, you will fail to obtain the benefit from the exercises you are doing.
At the other end of the spectrum, you may cause injuries to yourself.
In order to understand the
differences between the two words above, let’s assume we have a pair of identical
twins starting their practice of Yiquan at the same time under the pupillage of
the same master that gives the exact same advice to both of them at the same
time. Theoretically, there should be no difference in their progress. The only
major differentiating factor is Mr. Hyde is PERSISTENT whereas Dr. Jekyll
PERSEVERES. Over time, Dr. Jekyll makes substantial progress whereas Mr. Hyde
makes minor progress, if at all.
Why? What is the key difference
between the identical twins? The answer is very obvious and yet often
overlooked. If you look carefully at the words, Yiquan, it consists of two
words in Chinese. Quan is often translated as ‘fist’ or ‘boxing’. The more
important word here is ‘Yi’, loosely translated as ‘Intention’. It is this CORE
component that is easily overlooked in our practice of Yiquan.
From my personal experience,
99% of the time, I can very easily lapse into the Mr. Hyde mentality of doing
things. Yes, I can be very persistent in my practice of Yiquan but what form of
practice does my Yiquan take? Is it the following:
(a) Is it done at a set time at a
set place?
(b) Is it performed in a monotone
mechanical manner?
(c) Is it done in an absent minded
manner with the mind distracted with external things?
(d) Is it done in a tense manner
using excessive strength?
(e) Is it a chore, a duty, rather
than a delight?
The CORE component that is
absent here is ‘YI’, the correct ‘INTENTION’ in performing the exercise. You
can be PERSISTENT all you want, but doing the exercises in a PERSISTENTLY WRONG
MANNER will lead to all manner of problems. Your knees may start aching, your
shoulders hurt, and your hips unsteady and strain all manner of muscles.
What then is the correct way of
practicing Yiquan? The Dr. Jekyll way of practicing would be a better way.
Simply put, EACH and EVERY time you practice Yiquan, your ‘YI’ or ‘INTENTION’
must be manifest. The whole mind and body must be present at every moment of
your practice. You should strive to be aware of every moment and every movement
whenever you’re exercising your body.
There are a many reasons why
this is ABSOLUTELY necessary to improve in Yiquan. Amongst these are:
(a) INTENTION re-establishes the
mind-body connection over most parts of your body. These include the areas of
the body we rarely use. Over time, we regain control and flexibility over these
areas of the bodies. These includes the muscles at the back of the body and our
hips which we rarely use;
(b) INTENTION forces us to be more
aware of the exercises we are performing. We carefully monitor to see how
relaxed we are when we are performing the exercises, what muscles, ligaments
and tendons we are using, what areas we are prone to using strength, what areas
we have insufficient control over, where are we loose and flexible, where are
we tight and tense?; and
(c) INTENTION allows us to be
acutely aware of where the body feels aches and pains the next morning. Do my
knees hurt? Do my feet hurt? Is my spine aching? Is my neck stiff? Is there
muscular tension in the body? If so, where? Do I feel loose and supple? Do I
feel relaxed? Is my health improving? Am I breathing naturally and more relaxed
over time or am I getting more tense and stiff?
This is the CORE and CRITICAL
difference as to whether you are PERSIST(ing) or PERSEVER(ing) in your practice
of Yiquan. To persist blindly, without making conscious adjustments in your
practice after obtaining relevant feedback from your instructor is sheer
madness. Every time you do the exercises, you have to focus on doing it exactly
right. Since this is an INTERNAL art, it is important that utmost effort be
made to perform the exercises in a right manner INTERNALLY.
You must PERSEVERE with the
practice over time to see improvement. Improvement can only be made with both
the QUANTITY and QUALITY of your effort.
To PERSIST is to continue on
adding the QUANTITY of the exercises performed. Yet without the QUALITY
component, there will be very little to no improvement.
To PERSEVERE is to continue
with adding on both the QUALITY and QUANTITY of the exercises performed. It is
only here that you will progress. And you must ensure that there is a proper
feedback loop to ensure you are heading in the right direction. A COMPASS in
the form of an instructor will ensure the QUALITY component is being
maintained. I believe that is the only way to continually improve.