A quote I heard last night on a TV show from a diamond cutter. This is the guy who takes a muddy piece of rock and turns it into thousands of dollars of shiny "woman's best friend".

When asked if he was ever scared about messing up with such expensive things to work on:

For the first ten years I was always worried.
For the second ten years I thought I was the best diamond cutter in the world.
For the third ten years I realized that I should have been more worried during the second ten years.

I thought it could be somewhat appropriate to MA practice as well.

Very true, although I would compress the initial time range to about 1-5 years.

You must be iun that second ten years Matt!

Whoops! That didn't come out right.

I meant that people usually think they are much better than they are much sooner than 10 years.

DIAMONDS! Where?? WHERE?!?!

I think I'm in the first 10 years, I'm still scared to be beaten. I feel any opponent can whoop me around like a rag-doll.

-Taison out by the way... where's the diamonds??

See Taison, you are ahead of the game already! Basically, I am just scared all the time.

Hello Matt:

Wonderful quote!

Often felt a genuine teacher was a Miner-Jeweler. A poor one creates mass produced costume jewelry, a tragic quality of student, pretty, shiny but of little/no genuine value unto itself.

Whereas, a bone-fide teacher craftes, hones the stones which cross their path. The process (IMHO-fwiw) requires years of time to carefully study the base material and hone it to a gem of rare and unique value.

I like being a "miner" myself (seeking a .gif with a miner's hat with the light on top of it) equally difficult but very satisfying. Back to the ~kata mines~ for me

Jeff

Hello Taison:

<<Where?? WHERE?!?!

Silly boy, look inward

<<I'm still scared to be beaten.

When we get to the 20 year mark we're so old and ancient the people doing the ~beating~ could be our own children!!! They hurt and move much faster than they should... no respect for their "elders"

Jeff

Hello Butterfly:

<<...so can we call these 'McDiamonds' then....

Or plain valueless I suppose...

Jeff