STRESS is the essential journey to success. It is “the point.” The end, or goal is never as important as the journey. Even though we say things like this all the time, see them written on beautiful calendars and in our hearts know this to be true, we spend our life avoiding exactly what gives our life experience and meaning. STRESS!
In self-defense we know that it is only through practice of ever increasing intensity, speed and power with another opponent that we ever gain enough skill, experience and confidence to defend ourselves. Yet, we sometimes short circuit this for our children, our teams and ourselves in favor of a "less STRESSFUL" environment when it is precisely that experience that matters in the end. In fact, no success ever happens without STRESS. Period.