Nine

Some things for me to beware of:

Thinking I have all the answers. I don't. And thank goodness for that. Can you imagine the responsibility?

Others who claim to have all the answers. They don't either.

Accepting students' power. Students are always trying to give away their power to their instructors. I have plenty of my own power and don't want anyone else's. When I sense a student doing this I go out of my way to give it back. If you're an instructor and don't know what I'm getting at, you should.

Needing recognition for my efforts. Being an independent and no longer affiliated with an organization sometimes has me missing that nth dan designation after my name and looking forward to my next promotion. When I feel this way I realize that I'm just looking for a way to be mean to myself, feel sorry for myself or succumb to the fear du Jour.

Falling into the I'm tough trap. I am capable of hurting people. The skills I have acquired over the years give me the ability to do this. Fortunately those same skills, having tempered my temper, have shown me that tough is a relative thing and that as tough as I may be there will always be someone tougher.