What isn't Desire?

Desire is need and want combined.  More specifically is it what we as individuals define as what we need and want.  No one else but the student is responsible for their learning and mastering as no one else can do the work for them.  Either they have the Desire or they do not.  Others can help the student on their path through direction, partnering and encouragement.  Most seem to know this personal responsibility on an intellectual level, but many seem to forget it in their training.

The biggest pitfalls are the easiest for martial arts students to make: letting the instructor decide what we need; or that just showing up to class is the same as wanting to master a particular skill.  Neither pitfall is always avoidable especially when we are beginners or are having a bad day.  Most would agree to the former, that just showing up means that you might figure some stuff out but never really master it.  There also comes a point when 'just showing up' is not acceptable to the serious student.

Many have challenged the concept of letting the student decide what is needed.  The key contention is that the instructor should trump the student based on the instructor's experience.  No doubt the instructor knows best in terms of the student's safety and their current capability (or at least should so we'll presume they do).  The student must get on the same page as and instructor as to what is needed and why.  The student must internalise the need and make it their own otherwise they lack of one the two components of Desire.  Even worse will be the times when during the training the student cannot see why they need the skills being covered.  This leads to second-guessing the instructor and will ultimately eat away at their wanting to show up to class.

No one has ever mastered a skill they did not need and want