DAILY HABITS

 by Phillip Starr

Almost all of us have several “daily habits” to which we adhere; upon waking up, we brush our teeth, wash our faces, some of us shave...and so on. We don't (usually) have to be reminded about doing them; they've become part and parcel of our daily routine. They're important to us and we repeat them day after day.

It's said that if you want something to become a habit, you should do it regularly for 100 days, I guess I'd have to agree. So, if your training or your skill in your chosen martial art is truly important to you, don't you think it'd be a good idea to practice a bit every day? Your practice time will likely be different from mine and how much time you have available for practice may vary but the important thing is that you MAKE the time and do it! And if you do it daily for 100 days, it'll become a habit.

Many people offer up the excuse of “I don't have time” without considering that unless they deliberately MAKE time, they'll never have it. Anyway, I can't imagine anyone not having 15-30 minutes of free time in a day; if that's truly the case, they need to adopt a different lifestyle! Daily practice of your martial art is, I believe, an essential part of maintaining (or even improving) your health – especially as you get older.

That's why so many millions of Chinese go to local parks early every morning and practice taijiquan; it's a form of preventative medicine! But you needn't travel to the nearest park...just find your own practice area in or near your home. And develop the habit!