The Kung-Fu Master

The Kungfu Master

Why chores are a path to self-mastery. 

“How you do anything, is how you do everything - Zen Proverb”

Kung Fu Discipline

Have you ever seen a kung-fu movie where the master makes his disciple scrub toilets and do dishes*? Upon protest, the student receives a frustratingly riddle-like response. Perhaps something along the lines of: “Only when you can do the small tasks properly you are ready for training.”

Most of us probably pondered these statements for the remaining seconds of the scene, only to be lost in a shower of the character’s stubborn protests.

The purpose of these tasks escaped my understanding. In fact, they seemed meaningless. Why should the ramblings of an old man on a mountain echo significance? But often in the obscure lies the treasured.

Did the master aim to humble the student and measure their character before training? To break down preconceived notions of what kung fu is?

“You are like a full cup.” 

“First you must empty before we can fill it again.”

Perhaps, first, unlearn before you can learn again. Let go before you can catch. But the core lesson is far more straightforward.

The heart of the master’s approach is that the training had already begun. The student had merely misunderstood what made the master, a master. Fixated on flashy skills, he failed to read between the lines.

The master approached every single task with the same attention to detail, focus, and discipline. He poured his tea as precisely as he struck his opponents. And it was this very practice which allowed him to perform incredible feats with consistency and conviction.

In learning from the bottom up, the student must bring the same focus to every task. How can anyone expect half-assed execution 23 hours a day and then excellence in the remaining hour? To even learn a skill we have to practice this patient discipline.

How can we expect to pay attention once a day when we spend the rest of it distracted and lost? Repetitive chores and small daily tasks can strengthen our minds in ways usually overlooked. Let’s take a quick look at what these tasks consist of, in order of experience.

Five Steps to Self-Mastery 

1. Boredom
The first step is to get bored with our task. 
No matter how much we yearn to practice our tornado kicks and flying armbars, they will all become mundane after time. No measure of love for what you fill your day with will prevent the inevitable creep of boredom from time to time.

With great boredom comes great power. By repetition despite boredom, we gain a sense of control over the mind. Control empowers us to act regardless of our thoughts and feelings.

2. Patience
Everything gets boring at some point. There are always gaps in time between the input of effort and output of results. The bigger the result, the wider the gap. What chores teach us is patience.

When asked to clean the dojo with a toothbrush, we are immediately overwhelmed. By being forced to complete the task regardless of its complexity, we build confidence and discipline. Faced with overshadowing missions in the future, we may use the same approach, tackling the problem patiently. One floorboard at a time.

3. Discipline
Building discipline doing something we never liked in the first place, allows us to follow through on the tasks that mean more to us. Without self-control we cannot grasp the opportunity, without opportunity talent is meaningless.

On the scale of life, discipline always weighs less than regret. With a little discipline, you can do little things, with a lot of discipline you can do many things, but with total discipline, there is nothing you cannot do.

4. Consistency
In repetition, we build experience and routine. Any great feat is the sum of many little things done to perfection. Success or failure is determined one small decision at a time — thus what kills success is not making a decision or making the wrong ones.

Watching a kung fu master execute a flying kick is the collective expression of years of training in explosive strength, flexibility and precision. It is the entire sparkling floor of the dojo. What we do not see is the relentless consistency poured into the work.

Forever after, we recognize the effort behind ‘overnight’ successes and understand that they do not exist. Consistency is often the deciding factor between success and failure. 

Perfect practice makes perfect. Repeating something does not make you capable in of itself, repetition exposes weaknesses and allows a change in the same manner. This cycle makes the right moves second nature.

Chores also help us separate consistency in effort and in performance. Regardless of skill, experience, and capability, we all encounter moments where we perform better than others. Often for seemingly ambiguous reasons. 

When we consistently show up to work on our task, we can let go of thoughts of performance or speed and savor the process. Ironically, this will in turn vastly increase our performance.

5. Solitude
Often such tasks are performed solo. But worry not, this moment alone allows you time with your thoughts and space to give yourself to the exercise. Solitude is vastly different from loneliness. 

It is factual, voluntary and used to sharpen the mind. Loneliness is the emotional reaction to being alone, often coupled with anxiety to be around others or not to miss out. 

So the next time faced with mundane missions, remember these five steps. Let’s take the opportunity to quiet our mind and practice discipline and focus for when it matters.

When we possess the skill to stick to a task past boredom and remain curious and focused, we are ready to take on more valuable projects.

“The obstacle is the path”

*please note that doing these chores in this order is not advised