So, in case anyone reads this before watching the video, there's a minor content warning in the sense that it briefly touches on some dark subjects. It's not anything super crazy or in depth, but it's there.

I think I was pretty lucky growing up, because I started out martial arts real right thanks to both my parents and my first Karate teacher. Very briefly, my parents had enrolled me in a Tae Kwon Do school, but saw that it was both very expensive and honestly, not very good. They quickly took me out of it and put me in a Karate class at the local YMCA, with an amazing teacher, who taught us not only Karate, but bits on philosophy, Japanese culture, etc. It was wonderful.

One of the biggest things this teacher taught us was the motto "Ask. Doubt. Challenge." Ask questions about what we're being taught, why we're being taught it, whether or not it's useful. Doubt what we're told, look into it, think for ourselves. Most importantly though, challenge ourselves to learn more, grow more, try and succeed, try and fail, struggle, and grow, grow, grow. If we're not challenging ourselves, if we're not failing, we're not growing,

It's a really good philosophy and can be used anywhere in life, not just martial arts. But since we're talking about martial arts, I think in addition to the motto of "Ask. Doubt. Challenge." a healthy degree of experimentation should be encouraged. Try different styles. Try different teachers and coaches. Learn what works for you and why. Learn what doesn't work for you and why. Learn what you can take from one teacher or style and apply it to other things you've learned previously. Most of all though, be skeptical. It'll help insulate you from some of the crazy out there. Not just in martial arts, but in life.

Thanks for the video, kingmudsy. Sorry in advanced for the self righteous ramble.