EVERYBODY Was Not Kung Fu Fighting (because it takes years to learn Kung Fu)

I can't even keep track how often I've wanted to be really good at something; to really excel at it; to master it.

Breakdancing? Yes!

Learning Arabic? Bring it on!

Playing Rachmaninoff? Where's the piano!

But the truth is, life is not Kung Fu Panda. You can't go from being a flabby panda to a master in the martial arts after a few scenes of training with a mentor.

I just watched this movie the other day with my four Hippos. In the middle of the morning we all piled on my bed, because I had thrown out my back trying to single-handedly move a wooden play house. I know I have a bad back, but I had to move it. Our beagle was using it as a trampoline to propel herself over the fence and I couldn't take the shame of the dog-loving neighbor down the street bringing my dog back to me one more time, looking at me like "Why is your dog always getting out?" Not only that, my dog always comes back smelling to high heaven because she rolled in some stanky-dead nastiness.

But back to the movie.

http://creativejohnny.com/wp-content/
uploads/2014/09/Kung-Fu-Panda.jpg

I was stuck in bed and meditating on the plot and structure of Kung Fu Panda. I got to thinking how all these kinds of movies have the same point in the plot where the person (who isn't any good, or isn't good enough) suddenly works hard at it, usually with a mentor, and becomes great. This part is usually shown through a montage of scenes, with a motivating song dubbed over it. As cheesy as it is, I love those scenes. They're motivating and satisfying. Hey, the panda can now do Kung Fu!

And we get that it's not supposed to be happening in 5 minutes (even though that is all it takes in the film). The transformation is usually over days, weeks, maybe a month or two. But really, who can really excel at something even in this time frame? I tried to point this out to my kids, that nobody could master Kung Fu in a few days. They just said, "Yeah, yeah, Mom. We know. We get it."

But do we really get it?

I can do one breakdancing move. It's a simple freeze, a position you hold for a second or two. It took me awhile to learn it.

I know "Yalah" in Arabic means to "Hurry up." I know "Habibi" means "My dear ones." That's all I've learned in the 15 years since I went to Egypt.

I can play about 4 bars of a Rachmaninoff piece that I memorized in high school.

And none of this is bad. It's fun to whip these kinds of things out at parties, or impress people with how I'm full of little surprises. There is no law against tinkering with this hobby or that. But I can see the reason why I don't progress past tinkerer with these things. For one, I quickly learned it was a lot of work to become a breakdancer, or learn a foreign language, or play like Rachmaninoff. And I didn't care enough about any of those goals, or whims, to really put in the time, sweat, and hard work.

Okay, so we get that we have to work hard to really achieve a goal. But do we really get it, or does somewhere deep down inside believe it shouldn't take too long to become truly good at something?

Are you frustrated at yourself that you aren't farther along than you thought you would be with your goal? I often am. I mean, I've been writing a novel for over a year now, and I'm no where near being done. Sometimes I think, why can't I just montage my way through this part - the WORK - and speed up to where I'm accepting my Newbery Award? Because you can't skip the work. Really you can't skip the GROWTH that comes from putting in the work. I am not a good enough writer to win awards, or to be published, yet. But don't forget the yet!

That doesn't mean I'm giving up. No way. I'm working toward my goal by:

1 - Reading books on the craft of writing: Story Genius, The Art of Fiction, Bird by Bird
2 - Reading books, especially new/current books, in my category of fiction (middle grade)
3 - Bolstering my woeful understanding of the finer points of grammar by studying on Kahnacademy.org
4 - Listening to podcasts on DIYMFA.com of interviews with published authors discussing pertinent areas of writing I need to improve in.
5 - Participating in a critique group with other local writers that meets once a month
6 - Oh, and writing! (This should be first, obviously, but it's easy to get discouraged and stop, or do this last. Don't do that! This step also includes revising and shaping what I have written so far)

And maybe some day, years down the road, I will think back on this time in my own little mental montage, with maybe a Paul Simon song playing over the top? "The Obvious Child?" "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover?" (I don't know how this could fit, but I just like rhythm of it). I could probably spend a lot of time trying to pick the perfect song. But I won't. I think I'll go write.

What is the thing you are working toward? 

What helps you stay patient with the process as you work toward your goal?

"It's the Eye of the Tiger, it's the Thrill of the Fight..."

Sheesh. It's been almost a month since my last post, and I need a good motivational post to carry me through the rest of winter and the slumps. I don't know how it is at your home or workplace, but around here we routinely play an old 45 of "Eye of the Tiger," by the group Survivor (not so good at surviving as it would turn out). Of course, it is the iconic theme song to Rocky, as well as all the Rocky sequels 1-100.

That song, we love it around here. Some days I love it less when it's been playing for the 12th time straight while kids pretend-box each other, or run around the house in a giant, looping, never-ending race. However, you can't help feeling pumped and motivated when that song is blaring. Even Hippo 4 likes to toddle around babbling loudly and getting in the groove. 

Some of the words are actually quite deep. Well, not really. But they at least get stuck in your head and you find yourself thinking they seem kind of deep. Take this jewel for instance, "Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past / You must fight just to keep them alive." 

This is very true. How many times do we let something we care about shrivel and die because we are afraid to try, afraid to go after it. Yes, if you try you may fail, and if you don't try you won't fail,

But actually, you will.

That's what I didn't realize for so long. If you don't do anything to pursue your dreams, you are failing them and yourself. I was afraid to pursue my dream of writing because I cared so much about it. If I pursued it and failed then my dream would be dead, or so I thought. Actually, failure is rarely so total as all that. If you keep trying, changing, growing, and rethinking your dream, chances are you won't fail. If the dream is not a good fit for you, that will become apparent. Or if there are ways in which you need to grow before it can be realized, that will become apparent too. But if you never get into the ring with that contender, you'll never stand a chance at the title at all.

If you don't fight for your dream it is destined to die. 

And so who is the contender? Oh, this is a harder one to answer. But, by and large, I think we are typically our own worst enemies. Almost every day I have to fight sneaky, snarky thoughts that loom over me like an 8 foot tall Soviet with an attitude. Reaching my dream can seem impossible as the thoughts do their best to unnerve me:

 You can't write a book, you'll never fully understand the magnitude of comas and semi-colons. 

one, two, punch.

This is such a stupid idea for a novel, and your characters are like cliches from some after-school special.

ugh, dodge, block.

You don't even have your household together, Hippo 4 has his breakfast stuck in his hair, and what makes you think you can pursue a career anyways? 

and she's down, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...

But you have to pop back up. Take the beating, but keep coming back until your enemy runs out of stuff to throw at you.

Look at the sidelines and listen to the voices cheering you on. There's your couch, and all the people who are rooting for you. Don't throw in the towel. The more you ignore the thoughts and just keep plugging away, the less hold they have over you. The enemy is only as strong as you allow them to be.

Unless, of course, you're Rocky and your 8 foot tall Soviet may be an actual 8 foot tall Soviet. But even then, don't underestimate what strength a living, breathing dream can give you. It can give you that second wind in round 12. So don't give up.

Now, go on and watch it, you know you want to.