Japanese proverb
December 21st, 2007 by ScottMy good friend, Don Mukai, has often told me, “Stumble seven times, get up eight times.” This is the Japanese proverb, 七転ã³å…«èµ·ã, nanakorobi yaoki. Perseverance over defeat.
Life is full of challenges, hard times, lessons. To me, these are our gifts. If we honor these times, we grow. We become stronger.
We all stumble. We all make mistakes. These can be made into our best moments. If we choose to shine on in the darkness. Weather it be a bad run, or a bad running season. Maybe a fight with a loved one, or the loss of a loved one. Or finding the courage to look deep inside during moments of personal weakness, at least long enough to find the cracks and flaws that need attention. And attend to them. This is strength. Allowing for growth.
We often take on new challenges in order to find this opportunity for growth. Many of us are looking at our upcoming 2008 running seasons, wondering which explorations to take on. I challenge you to take on something you haven’t dared in years past. A longer run, a faster time, a new trail, a new culture, or even a lifestyle change. Get out there, take it on, persevere!
December 21st, 2007 at 8:21 pm
[...] great Japanese proverb for the new year, from the amazing Scott Jurek: “Stumble seven times, get up eight times.†This is the Japanese proverb, 七転ã³å…«èµ·ã, [...]
December 21st, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Scott,
Thank you for sharing these thoughts. They are a gift.
Happy Holidays!
Brad
December 27th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
I’ll add my “thanks” and that my first challenge was to get through the holidays with extended family with more grace under pressure than in years past. The second is to introduce the experience of trails to someone who will always want to return to them. Recently I saw my sister in law return from a hike in terrain I’d been running for a few days. Her eyes lighted up earlier that day when I described how quickly mental chatter disappeared once out on the trial and, later that day, she headed out to hike on trails she’d earlier claimed to dislike because of their semi-desert location. She came back smiling and refreshed in ways I’d never seen her before. Priceless! It was inadvertent on my part and I’d like to make a point of sharing that with someone else this year.
December 29th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Thanks for the encouraging and thoughfull words. I just found out that I have a sacral stress fracture. No good. I guess with the downtime, it is a time to reflect on the important things in life outside of running. Maybe I will try yoga and read more. I have been running 60-70 miles a week, so this will be a huge challenge for the next couple months. Hopefully yoga will help clear my mind and help me realize there is more to life than just running. Thanks again
January 4th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Good paragraph, Scott.