What's Your Rosebud?
One of my favorite classic movies is:
It starred Orson Welles.
[NOTE: spoiler ahead - if you haven't seen it]
And, was about the life and legacy of a powerful newspaper publisher, based partly on the late William Randolph Hearst. The movie starts with Charles Foster Kane dying, with his last word being "Rosebud" — and the entire movie is this sort of question of what "Rosebud" is. Turns out it was simply the trade name of a cheap little sled on which Kane was playing on the day he was taken away from his home and his mother as a child.
Welles revealed in an interview:
"In his subconscious it represented the simplicity, the comfort, above all the lack of responsibility in his home, and also it stood for his mother's love which Kane never lost."
The point?
We All Have Our Rosebud
That thing, moment, or whatever it is that anchors, drives, guides, or inspires you.
For example, the late Johnny Carson and the book of magic tricks he got as a kid. Or, as another example, the late Fred Rogers when he got his first puppets as a child.
And a few years back, I was reminded of my own Rosebud while talking to my mom about some of the shi-- I mean stuff -- I left in her attic over the years.
Specifically...
My old collection of Black Belt, Inside Kung Fu & other martial arts magazines.
I spent much of my youth curating them and countless hours reading through them. I would often fantasize about being a ninja (which of course I am now! hahaha ;-), training with Bruce Lee and Shaolin Monks, fighting the bad guys w/Chuck Norris.
Now those magazines represent a special part of my childhood. A time before I had any responsibility. Or real problems. Or, cares about what goes on in the world. A special time.
Those old magazines bring back memories of my friends in and outside of martial arts. Those yellowing and worn pages still give me a particular feeling of wonder and discovery to some hidden and little known secrets to empowerment. It's hard to explain really, but it's a good feeling.
But, they're more than that:
I can also trace my entire coaching and instructing career to those hours of training and reading through those magazines -- Spurred on by the mentorship of my father, and martial arts instructors, reading those magazines helped to motivate me to keep going in my training; they sustained me when I wasn't on the mats. They opened my mind to what (I thought at the time) was possible, things I may be capable of.
I may or may not have been able to articulate it at the time, but to me, this (martial arts) path was teaching way more than just punching and kicking. Somehow through training I was uncovering the secret to a different world, one where I was confident and empowered.
Those magazines and that time was waaaaaaay before youtube in the internet!
Heck, back in those early days VHS wasn't readily available... And what was available was expensive!
So, aside from your local training, those magazines were your window to the martial arts world so to speak.
I still catch myself reflecting back to those days and those magazines. What they represent still inspires me and my teaching.
They're my "rosebud" if you will.
When I wheez out my last breath I'll probably even say:
"Make mine Black Belt Magazine..."
All of Which Brings Me to the Point...
Ask yourself what YOUR rosebud is.
Think long and hard about it.
Then crawl back into that time in your mind when it was in your life, tap into those memories and emotions... re-live them, and try to figure out what it was about that object and time that shaped who you are today.
Chances are it will inspire you.
Give you focus.
And, a whole new outlook on your life.
Even Better...
It may make a great 'anchor' for you, to help bring you back to baseline when life has you spinning about something.
Kind of like this email is meant to do for you.
Anchor, Inspire, Motivate and Sustain.
If you'd like more of this PeaceWalker inspiration check out my podcast here:
I update it every Friday.
Ok, don't miss this Fall day!
Take a second to think about what your Rosebud is and...
Keep going,
~Craig
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