How Do You Do The Math?

So, lately, I spend a lot of time engaged in activities that allow me to do a lot of thinking:  working out, some of the more mundane preparation for the school year, house work...you get the idea.  Luckily, a lot of people have been either actively or passively giving me a lot of ideas to roll around in my head.  What follows are a couple from Kyuki-do Summer Camp last weekend, and I think they are worth sharing...so here goes!

Interestingly enough, two of the most profound life lessons this weekend (and there were several more which are just as good) revolve around mathematics as a metaphor.  The first was a geometric metaphor shared by Master Jeff Kim, and the second was an arithmetic metaphor shared by Grandmaster Ok Hyung Kim.

Just like in grade school, let's start with the arithmetic.

On Monday, I mentioned how our Saturday morning workout with Grandmaster Kim turned from a seemingly simple one to a sweaty, hard-edged blast by the end.  It was beautiful.  Once he had sufficiently worn us out, Grandmaster Kim shared a bit of wisdom with us before we broke for breakfast.  He said in life, we do basic arithmetic every day.  He didn't mean paying bills, buying groceries, or going to the movies.  Instead, he said the way we live life was arithmetic.  We could add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

To illustrate, he posed the following math problems:

100 + 10 = 110

100 - 10 = 90

100 x 10 = 1000

100 / 10 = 10

Simple enough, yes?  This is where the life metaphor entered the lesson.

Addition and subtraction are small scale, and in them lies the metaphor for how we deal with everyday things.  "Addition people" find the positive spin.  Small problems become challenges or opportunities, work is given a game-oriented approach, and everything else is just a little more than the neutral passive.  "Subtraction people" always take a little something away from the sum of their experiences.  Mild complaining, gloom, dullness...these are the symptoms of subtraction.  Now, by saying "addition people" and "subtraction people," I'm using a general description.  I think in everyday we find situations where we make the decision to come out a little ahead, and sometimes we slice away a little from our portion and toss it aside.

Multiplication and Division are , in turn, large scale.  "Multipliers" have long-term outcomes in mind, and their totals are enormous.  I would imagine that the successful folks out in the world have a lot of "multiply" to them.  "Dividers" end up with significantly less than their portion...you get the idea.  Again, there are days where we are just multiplying all over the place, and those probably stand out as important days in our lives.  And some of our worst days are divide, divide, divide.  Obviously, it take a lot more work to be consistently a multiplier, but imagine the possibilities...

Now, onto the geometry:

If I remember correctly, "The Triad" is a Tony Robbins idea.  It describes a paradigm for reversing a negative trend or reinforcing a positive one.  It looks like this:

The foundation of the triad, physiology, affects our base emotions and biochemical state.  Take a look at these two pictures:

You don't need to be a body language expert to know the emotional content of each picture.  These were the first images that popped up on a google image search of "joy" and "despair."

Our physiology has a definite effect on our emotions.  Think of the days that you just don't feel like coming to class.  It happens to me at least once a week.  I'm either busy with something, not feeling well, tired...name the excuse.  And, I'm still feeling it when I get into class.  However, the first time I'm called to attention, something changes.  Then we start moving around, kicking, punching, blocking, and before you know it, I'm having a ball.  My physiology has been activated in a positive way, and my emotional makeup has changed entirely.  Motion leads to emotion.  Ever dance by yourself with the music turned way up and no one around?  Isn't it fantastic?!?  The mind responds so well to our physical state, it's no wonder our parents, grandparents, and teachers would often say "sit up straight and act like you're somebody!"

The second part of the triad, focus, describes our direct experience of the world.  I won't elaborate hugely on this, but I feel the focus is the arithmetic metaphor.  What are we focused on?  How do we view the world.  A positive focus multiplies positive emotions, and vice versa.  I believe we ignore the implications of this at our own happiness's peril.

The final portion of the triad, language, is the way you control and express your experience of life to yourself and others.  I can't read minds, but I assume (I believe correctly) that because I have a fairly constant inner monologue going, those around me do as well.  What are you saying in your own head?  In my music teaching, there are words that I don't allow in my students' thinking:  stress, control, pushing, effort...these each have a negative effect on the vocal apparatus.  Then, from there the inner language is focused outward.  We all know a few Eeyores in our personal orbits--the rainclouds just follow them around everywhere.  Now, I'm not discounting that some are just dealt some rough cards, but I do know some amazing people that have it rough and are still wildly positive.  Just a thought.

So, this turned out to be a little more in depth than I originally planned, but I feel it was worthwhile.  And so, I leave you with the question that started this post:  How do you do the math?