THE HUNDRED HAND SLAP
Alyssa and I recently stumbled upon a series on Netflix called “Sanctuary.”
Sanctuary is an 8 episode series filmed and focused in Japan with a story focused around the martial art of sumo. The rawness of the series shows sumo in such a light that you can witness the honor, respect, self-discipline, high stress, body control, competition and extreme violence all rolled into the one experience.
Watching the sumo stable train was an eye opener. Shiko, one of the main exercises of sumo was the foundation of where the sumo wrestler received their foundational strength, and believe us – just watching shiko be performed hurts. Shiko was practiced in the stable 4 hours a day, every single day with a focus on lower body strength, but also in joining the dots within a sumo match.
The dots were the opportunities that could be observed during practice which could be taken into competitive fights to win. A dot such as a move of footwork, a grapple, a slap to topple your opponent or to knock them off-guard. All “dot’s” were opportunities to win. Without the discipline of practice, repetition, and body control of the daily grind of shiko, a sumo would not have the chance to become a champion.
To be a champion sumo, they had to do the work required.
There is a scene that has remained on my mind long after viewing the series where two fighters go head-to-head, and one of the fighters Kiyoshi Oze (known as Enno) goes up against sumo champion Shizuuchi who can only be described as a giant monster of sumo. Shizuuchi absolutely pummeled Enno in the ring to the point Enno took hit after hit after hit in an extremely graphic scene. We witnessed the confidence of Enno sink as he left the ring with missing teeth, a missing ear, dripping in blood, and defeated almost at the point of death as Shizuuchi won the match.
Enno quickly realised that he had not done the work required and was swiftly defeated…
What blew me away (Andrew), was the similarity between the series and how we handle our collective finances.
Without shiko, you don’t know where you are. You stand on unfamiliar ground and lack the foundations you need to move forward. If you break shiko down financially, you quickly realise that shiko becomes your account structure, your spending habits, your money flow, and allows you to visualise the opportunities that lay ahead of you.
Your shiko becomes your habit, your discipline, and your respect of money. It becomes your way of (financial) life.
Many mortgage holders have taken hit after hit after hit with interest rate rises, and some are yet to feel the pain with their fixed rate term ending. Some are about to meet with their mortgage broker to get their best rate and realise that this may be over 6% in today’s market, meaning their repayments will increase.
When you have taken so many hits (as many mortgage holders have over the previous 12 months), how do you move forward?
You need to develop your foundation – your own personal shiko which encompasses your daily actions and your roadmap to success.
Think of it this way… If you have never had to step into the ring, how would you be able to take your first hit? What about your second or third, or fourth…? Many mortgage holders have just taken 11…
When it comes to your finances your budget is your foundation and the dots that come from developing your budget are YOUR opportunities. The daily action you take with your budget becomes your shiko, the exercises that keep you moving forward.
One dot could open an amazing conversation with your accountant.
Another dot could allow you to have a deeper conversation with your financial planner.
And another dot could provide you with better opportunities with your mortgage broker.
But only by having an accurate plan for your future will you be able to see your dots clearly. When you do, you can clearly understand the work ahead of you that is required.
Do you have solid foundations in place for your budget? If not, let us help you build your budget strategy so you can identify your opportunities and prepare for future action.
Source: Sanctuary – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16970638/