The Iceberg Stance

Even as I'm supposed to be "chilling" here, apparently I don't know how to chill...

I just had another revelation about myself; as much as I talk about fighting, I don't see why I didn't understand this sooner. I have big plans, and that's something anybody that knows anything about me realizes. Yet, those plans haven't manifested, and I've have a ways to go before they do (I think). Still, for some reason I feel so... accomplished! And as I sat here in my chilled state, it finally occurred to me the reason for the feeling.

Any fighter may know how to throw a punch and or to kick well. But a truly great fighter knows that the footwork is just as significant, if not moreso, than the punching and kicking. As a matter of fact, without the right footwork, your punches and kicks suffer. It comes down to one word: stance.

So what does this hafta do with me? Besides the fact that I love fighting, it has a LOT to do with me. See, my swagger doesn't come from my track record; the greatest thing I've got going for me there is academics, if you don't count the things I do in the church. But this is the key: for everything I haven't done yet, I've spent the extra time--- about 10 years now--- in preparation.

In fighting, when you assume a stance, the purpose is to prepare yourself either to go on the offensive or to defend yourself. When you have good stances, your opponent has trouble dealing with you and develops a respect for your style. See the parallel? Yeah, I still have a long way to go as far as changing the world. But what I have going for me is that I have elite-caliber stances.

What do I mean? Simply this: you put me in any given situation, and I'm prepared to execute. If opportunity were to knock on my door this moment, I would be suited and ready to go yesterday. The knowledge I've collected, the skills I've learned, and the connections I've made have made me into a proverbial iceberg: a small presence on the surface that sits atop an inconceivably huge mass of pure solid.

And all I'm missing is... the right situation. The right circumstances, the right conditions haven't presented themselves to me yet. Only fleeting spurts here and there. (I don't live in a very progressive city; it's hard to find the right outlets.)

Even in my classes, my poise has always given me an advantage. The fact that I care about the world around me OUTSIDE of class automatically gives me an advantage over the students around me IN class, who could care less. The professors pick up on the fact that I learn for the sake of application, and we build relationships that supersede class sessions... I have the right stance.

In church, in school, in friendships, in confrontations, in random occurrences, my stance always gives me the upper hand. And when I have no situations present, I'm at home building my stance up. And while I haven't been able to do much yet, I think people respect me because they can see the stance I've constructed, and they're eager to see what will come of it.