Well… that is a good question that I have chosen to ask myself in this article.

It was Thursday 18.2.2010 and I was going to a training camp with Kimu Sensei. The training camp this time was supposed to last 3 days and as usual at my training camps, I don't know in advance what I will do, so I am prepared to wait and take on the challenges that come...

My training camps are structured as a combination of 3 Yakami Medi training sessions per day and 2 physical training sessions per day and in addition to the tasks and challenges I am faced with, the day always starts with the stage being set, pressure being put on me and Kimu Sensei telling me that he will contact me in a while, then Kimu Sensei reveals the task or challenge that he has designed for me and asks me to work on it until he says so. The day ends with the message: "Thank you for today, see you tomorrow at 7.00”. "After all, you have to work, so you yourself prioritize how you best use the time from now - until tomorrow".

But this time the training started a bit differently… This time I was not contacted!

I decided that this was a test of me and I therefore started working on my inner clarifications. When I had worked on this for 8 hours I was quite tired and I had to sleep.

The next day I met Kimu Sensei at breakfast where he briefly said to me: "What are you doing here?". I replied that I was at training camp. To this he replied: "No, I'm at a training camp, you're at a training game!".

Kimu Sensei continued: "This was a test and you are dumped - I expected you to take leadership of your own training camp and instead of playing would contact me!"

Hm... here was something to think about!

Take leadership – make conscious choices!

The best way to get off to a good start is to prepare, then it's a really good idea to stick to the course and when you get home it's crucial that you gather the learning together, make your action plans and carry them out! This means that I take responsibility for the knowledge I have.

So what do I understand by knowledge here in this article. Joh, Kimu Sensei has told me that I have enough knowledge for the next degree, but what's the point if I can't put it into action! This means that I do not take responsibility for the knowledge I have gained or acquired. I can stand in front of the gate and be paralyzed and unable to step through the door.

Sometimes too much knowledge is a hindrance, especially if it prevents you from taking the next point in the line.

I can blame myself or others for my mistakes and shortcomings or I can take responsibility and take action - "brave the fur" - so to speak.

Kimu Sensei said to me: “How many times do you have to drive around the roundabout without choosing a way forward. What are you waiting for?". Yes, what am I waiting for? Perhaps divine inspiration – that somehow a solution is revealed that I take and that it is the right one!

I can recognize that in myself, I could easily find myself driving to a place I have not been before and when I got there, I would expect that a divine inspiration would appear and that I would then find it place I had to visit.

But is it good preparation? Is it a good solution? Is it using your knowledge to create something constructive and effective?

"Start pissing or get off the pot!".

How do I get from yin to yang or from knowledge to action? You do this by making conscious choices, in other words you stop feeling good about yourself and start acting.

As Kimu Sensei told me at this training camp: “Stop playing and start training!”.

A very interesting comparison is children's potty training and here it is clear to most what it is all about.

To begin with, the children do not know what to do with the pot or what is expected of them.

What do children do? They consider it a game. They look to their parents who, as good role models, show the child what the meaning is and at one point or another the child begins to think about it, to reason and agrees with himself that there might be something to the conversation and thinks a lot about it is a good idea to do something new, to move on - to take the next step.

At one point or another, the inevitable comes, where as responsible parents you have to help the child make the sensible choice and carry it out:Start pissing or get off the pot”.

It's a good story, a good theory, but where is the symbolism? Should I just do like everyone else?

Yes, I can look around my surroundings for someone to share my theories with and there will be many who come forward and have opinions about how it is for me - and they will give me good, well-intentioned advice about what I should do or about how they think I should approach it, etc.

Most of us end up doing just like the kids in their potty training – just like everyone else.

This means that if there really is to be a development in me, I must choose to do something completely different. Namely act on my knowledge in the sense of martial arts.

Kimu Sensei has challenged me several times with the following: "Do you want to be like everyone else or do you want to be your full potential? The decision is yours, you can either act on the knowledge you have or not…”

Here comes the question: "What do I do with knowledge if I don't want to use it for anything?"

It's simple, you can think things to death or you can do something about it!

In martial arts, it means creating from the knowledge you have, not creating new ground-breaking kata or fighting theories. This means that you use the knowledge you have to uncover causes and connections, find out what they mean to you and then decide what you want to use this knowledge for – should I act or should I not act and finally – uha uha uha - do something about it.

Rounding off

What kind of story do I want to write about myself?

Is it: I'm Jens (Yin) Iversen and I'm known for talking about all the things I understand and also about a lot of things I don't understand. I like to tell how difficult it all is, so that everyone can understand that I never live up to expectations and act it out - I'm only human after all.

Or

Is it: I am Jens (Yang) Iversen - I show through my own example how I translate my knowledge into real action - in the reality we live in. I try to meet other people with honesty where they are.

Am I self-congratulatory or could it just be a conscious choice.