As we welcome the new year, many of us reflect on our goals and aspirations for the coming months and year. New Year’s resolutions are a powerful way to set intentions for positive change in our lives. I want to share an experience that deeply resonates with this idea, a metaphor for TKD training, my morning ritual of plunging into a barrel of cold water.
Each morning, I immerse myself in water that has been zero degrees centigrade for the last 4 days immersing myself for a solid four minutes. Honestly, it’s a challenge. The moment I step in, I feel the shock of the cold, it takes your breath away, it's like glass all over the body! Yet, with every time I commit to this practice, I remind myself that this is who I am. I have made a decision that there is no option to opt out; I will embrace the challenge because the benefits far outweigh the discomfort.
This process isn’t just a test of endurance; it creates significant physiological and psychological changes. The rush of cold water heightens my alertness, improves circulation, and invigorates my mental state, leaving me feeling empowered and ready for whatever the day holds as well as making important physiological changes. This is very much akin to what we experience in our Taekwon-Do classes. Each session pushes us out of our comfort zones, enhancing our physical abilities and promoting mental growth through discipline.
Setting a goal, whether in the freezing water or in the dojang, provides an unrivalled opportunity for personal development. Like the Rollnick and Miller psychology of behaviour change model suggests, successful transformation encompasses three core components: importance, confidence, and readiness to change. We must first recognise the importance of our goals, believe in our ability to achieve them, and prepare ourselves mentally and physically for the path ahead. If the goal is important enough, if we have enough confidence we can do it through support and planning then we are ready to make that commitment to change and improvement.
