Grading

Another grading has come and gone. I find myself increasingly dissatisfied with each of my gradings because I just see all the things that need work on. But I realize that dissatisfaction doesn't necessarily mean discouragement. It simply means that I'm still only touching the tip of the iceberg and the rest remains unexplored. There is always something more to work on and perfection doesn't really exist. Grading just happens to point those things out in front of Sifu and everyone else. Always working on something, tweaking it, redefining it, messing with it. Satisfaction only comes when either I stop training or I become so egotistical and big-headed that I can't see my faults anymore. I hope neither have to happen. Grading is a humbling experience, but serves to stoke the fire, to push me to train harder. I relate it back to piano and how even after having played something thousands of times, I still find something that needs to be worked on. It definitely is a cyclical learning process.