My Morning Ritual: Never, Never, Never Give Up

Every morning, before the day really begins, I go to my dojo.

There are no students yet. No instruction. No techniques to demonstrate. No exercises to perform. Just a few quiet moments that belong to me.

I light incense and stand before the front wall of the dojo, where photographs and memories of ancestors, family members, teachers, friends, and loved ones remind me of the people who helped shape my life.

I give thanks.

Some of these people are still part of my life. Others are no longer physically here. But their influence remains. Their lessons, sacrifices, love, encouragement—and sometimes even the challenges they placed before me—have all contributed to the person I am today.

The incense gives me a moment to be still and remember that none of us travels through life entirely on our own.

Then I turn to a simple rock that sits in the dojo.

Carved into it are four lines:

Never.

Never.

Never.

Give up.

I say those words out loud every morning.

They are simple words, but after more than 50 years in martial arts—and a lifetime filled with successes, disappointments, loss, change, aging, and new beginnings—I understand that perseverance is rarely dramatic.

Most of the time, perseverance is simply showing up again.

One more morning.

One more training session.

One more attempt.

One more opportunity to learn.

As we grow older, “never give up” doesn't mean refusing to change. In fact, sometimes perseverance requires us to change. We adapt our movement. We adjust our expectations. We learn new ways of doing things. We accept what we cannot control while continuing to work on what we can.

That is one of the lessons martial arts has taught me.

Strength isn't only about how hard we can strike, how much weight we can lift, or what we could do when we were younger. There is another kind of strength—the ability to remain engaged with life, to keep learning, to keep moving, and to keep contributing.

My morning ritual reminds me of that.

The incense connects me to where I came from.

Giving thanks reminds me that I didn't get here alone.

And the rock reminds me where I'm going.

Never.

Never.

Never.

Give up.

Then I begin my day.