Below is a lesson from Yahoo Life on the importance of continuous learning, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

A dying judo master’s lesson to develop extreme competency

by Sean Kernan

Kanō Jigoro was the legendary founder of Judo. He was small and unremarkable in stature yet tossed much larger opponents over his head with ease. He pioneered the central tenet of Judo: using someone’s weight against them.

Kanō’s journey wasn’t easy in the beginning. In the mid-19th century, he was a young disciple who sparred with other senseis and was defeated in humiliating fashion. Yet, eventually, he became unbeatable. Masters fumed as Kanō flipped them like a pancake. They wondered how things had changed so drastically.

What happened?

How did Kanō transcend competency thresholds? First, he was persistent and took time to study how the body moved. He stepped outside the normal bounds of combat wisdom, researching and testing new techniques from other martial arts. He studied human anatomy.

After trial and error, he discovered a key insight: the easiest way to throw someone was to break their posture. By bending them at their hips, they lost their defensive strength and balance.

Five decades later, after immortalizing his legacy, Jigoro’s health began failing him. On his deathbed, he asked to be buried in a white belt instead of a black belt. He wanted to be remembered as a learner, not a master.

It makes his dying lesson even more notable. Any new craft will throw us on our heads many times over (as I learned firsthand in judo class). But even when we stop getting thrown, we should continue thinking with the humility and hunger of a white belt.

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Key Learnings:

• On his deathbed, Kanō Jigoro, the founder of Judo, requested to be buried in a white belt, symbolizing his desire to be remembered as a lifelong learner.
  • This philosophy underscores the importance of maintaining humility and the mindset of a beginner, even after achieving mastery.
  • Learning a new craft involves repeated failure and perseverance.
  • Maintaining the humility of a beginner allows continuous growth and learning.
• Seek Challenging Environments: Engaging with more skilled individuals can significantly enhance your abilities.
• Harness Passion and Intensity: Immersing yourself in passionate and intense environments drives personal growth and skill improvement.

• Value of Hobbies and Persistence:

  • Engaging in hobbies, even those where initial talent is lacking, adds value to life, improves mood, and reduces stress.
  • Persistence and passion can lead to unexpected competency in new skills, as illustrated by former President George W. Bush's success in painting.

• Embracing the Novice Journey:

  • The journey of a novice is honorable and essential for growth.
  • Embracing the humility and hunger of a beginner allows for significant progress and personal development.