In karate there is an image that’s used to define the
position of perfect readiness: “mind like water.” Imagine throwing a
pebble into a still pond. How does the water respond? The answer is,
totally appropriate to the force and mass of the input; then it returns
to calm. It doesn’t overreact or underreact.The power in a karate punch comes from speed, not muscle; it comes
from a focused “pop” at the end of the whip. That’s why petite people
can learn to break board and bricks with their hands: it doesn’t take
calluses or brute strength, just the ability to generate a focused
thrust with speed. But a tense muscle is a slow one. So the high levels
of training in the martial arts teach and demand balance and relaxation
as much as anything else. Clearing the mind and being flexible are key.Anything that causes you to overreact or underreact can control you,
and often does. Responding inappropriately to your e-mail, your staff,
your projects, your unread magazines your thoughts about what you need
to do, your children, your boss will lead to less effective results
than you’d like. Most people give either more or less attention to
things than they deserve, simply because they don’t operate with a
“mind like water.”
– David Allen, in Getting Things Done