What is your motivation for excelling and improving? Note this is not the question of “why you do this”. There are tons of good reason for that (fun, connection, fitness, etc) but why get better at it? Once you get to a certain level, why pursue greater mastery?

One of the most compelling and long lasting reasons I have continued to pursue mastery in my physical pursuits is because the more I deepen my knowledge the more profound a connection I develop with my mind and body. I felt a small part of this when I first began but as my understanding and connection has grown I now believe that the sky is the limit for how far this can go.

Challenge and a state of challenge are an important part of enjoying and fully immersing myself in a passion. I have found the fire of a pursuit is truly there when I’m chasing some new understanding and when there are highs and lows in its pursuit. If you are experiencing challenges and frustrations in your pursuit of a passion — good. It means you’re still hungry and that means the potential is developing for greater payoff.

Developing a greater capacity for self-expression. Swordplay and dance have been tremendous tools for me to not only grow my ability to express myself in the world both physically and spiritually but have also provided me a ground where I can face and overcome some of my biggest internal blocks. The transformative impact of this process has grown as I have grown in these arts.

Some of my reasons for continuing have been discovered by me as I have gone. I stuck with the art for one reason or another and then became aware of how my pursuit of deeper practice paid off. Others I chose to pursue. I chose to challenge myself. I chose to challenge how I express myself in the world and to make my pursuit about those things. I also let go of negative reasons for mastery such as needing to prove myself to others, or to overcome others. I found that these routes eventually stole energy from me and their temporary dividends were not worth their long-term wounds.

There is a lot of choice in our reasons for pursuing mastery. You may have come on an impulse but why you stay is completely up to you.