30 Day Challenge/Day 5: Ease is not so Easy
If you have spent any real time with me, you will recognize I have a deep curiosity about words and their use. I truly appreciate how each is an expression of a thought, idea, and feeling. That they give identity and ultimately have incredible power on the human psyche. What I find frustrating with “American English” is how we have so many synonyms (words that mean the same thing), homonyms (words that sound alike but have different meanings), homophones (words that sound alike, but have different meanings and spelling). We won’t even get into homographs and heterographs.
The difference between “ease” and “easy” is the simple fact that one (ease) in the noun sense is a state of being, in the verb sense it is to free and alleviate, to lessen. Easy is more typically an adjective that describes the level of skill or effort required.
It is important that although both the level of comfort and the level of skill/effort might be defined as an ease it does not mean they are exclusively connected. In fact, often timed the actions needed to bring a level of ease are in fact difficult to execute. Conversely the actions that are the easiest to choose and execute may create a create level of stress and/or concern.
For example: Often times for self-defense there is a strategy that states- “The easiest thing to do is to walk away.” Unfortunately, this choice may be one that ends up creating some of the longest lasting damages. The results of walking away can affect an individual for years. And the effects (get it I used affect and effect) can be crippling in abilities and/or decision making process going forward. On the other hand, I have learned in the competitive Martial Arts arena and that gives me the greatest sense of ease is “Just be first.” It is not always the easiest to accomplish but when done correctly, is incredibly comforting and empowering. I find it so powerful that I coach members that very effective plan is: “Hit ‘em First! Don’t get Hit! Hit ‘em First!” Experience has taught me this makes a ton of sense and focusing on this can easily get me into a flow and rhythm that makes “winning” an easy accomplishment. So although committing to an action and being the first to act may not be as easy as walking away or “avoidance,” in the end it has a significant value and overall effect to my levels of confidence.
When working moves, patterns and executing principles of motion it is important to understand that initially they may not be comfortable and/or “easy.” This doesn’t mean they should be immediately discounted but instead it would be important to allow for a period of time and experiences to develop a sense of familiarity. Often times we want to resist things/ideas because they are new and different. It is important that we allow for patience in our training. Give new challenges an opportunity to be experienced from several different aspects
