So I had an epiphany last night in Judo class:  the way I run my business, and the way I should think about Judo are very similar.

Al false modesty aside, I am good at my job.  Damn good.  One of the things that I feel makes me good at my job is my ability to walk into a meeting, or a conference call, and quickly get my mind around the chaos.  To sort through what is relevent or not, and the be decisive about what is necessary for the best possible outcome.  When I was still a bit wet behind the ears I would sometimes try to over-prepare for a meeting.  I would walk in knowing what I intended to say, and with my mind already made up on certain issues.  I have found over the years that this is not only the height of arrogance, to feel that those you are meeting wit are of so little relevance that their input should ahve no bearing on the results, but it also prevents you from reaching some unforeseen and amazing output where you can leverage what you already walked in knowing, and what you learned and did not expect.

Last night in Randori it just felt right.  This is not to say I was amazing at randori (although I did okay), but it just “felt good.”  Like a meeting that I walk out of, knowing that we reached the best decision.  The reason is that I did not start by deciding “I’m going to go for a left sided Osoto Gari, and then if I can’t hit that I’ll spin for a right side head throw,” but instead I walked in with a clear mind, out to see what they were going to do.  My Sensei (Mike) has often said, “Take what your opponent gives you.”  My mind as always pulled back from that, because it sounded to passive.  It seemed to indicate that I should let my opponent attempt an attack, and hope they screw up.  But last night the light bulb really went on for me.  Taking what your opponent gives you is all about watching their posture, their movement, their style, and their reaction to you, then choosing what makes the most sense based on those things.  To be so arrogant as to think that you can walk onto the mat knowing what move will work best, and that they have no influence on it is just folly.

Thanks Mike, for being patient enough for this to sink into my skull!

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