Philosophy Corner: How Long?

One day a student came to learn martial arts from a famous master. The student was anxious to learn the art that the master taught. After practicing very hard for many months, the student said, "Master,how long will it take me to get good?" The master replied, "Ten years." The student then said, "What if I practice even harder than that?" The master replied, "20 years." The surprised student then said, "But what if I practiced the hardest I can practice?" The master replied, "30 years."

The master went on to explain, "If you have one eye on your destination, then you have only one eye with which to find the way."

The moral is: You can learn no faster than to totally concentrate on what is being taught to you at the moment. Don't worry about what comes next. When you learn what was taught, then the next thing will come.


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