A little over a month ago I rewatched the Karate Kid in full. It is a great movie that stands the test of time. After watching the movie I posted an article that focused on Mr. Miyagi. In the interim, I've gotten to watch the movie again. This time with commentary. While we can still ask ourselves the question of how to be Mr. Miyagi, it is probably just as beneficial to ask ourselves the question of how to be Daniel Larusso. ...

My original post was based on the fact that many people who watch The Karate Kid say to themselves, "I wish I had a Mr. Miyagi." This time my post is going to focus on that same thought but with the perspective of how to get your own Mr. Miyagi.

To figure out how you to get something you want it can be helpful to find someone who has what you desire and figure out how they got it. The only person who got their very own Mr. Miyagi ( in the first parts anyway ) was Daniel Larusso. In rewatching the movie, with commentary, I saw that he had Mr. Miyagi in his life because of 2 things - he asked for help and he was coachable.

Asking For Help
In the movie, Daniel asks for help from Mr. Miyagi after he finds out that Miyagi knows enough karate to beat up 5 of the Cobrah Kai at once. I once heard someone sum up a book about getting what you want. He said it could have been written in one sentence that read, "Ask for it." Asking for help may not come easy to people with an independent nature but the act itself couldn't be any easier. By simply asking for help, by simply asking for a mentor you make your desires clear to people other than yourself. While you may not always get the results you desire, the benefits are usually positive.

Being Coachable

We make sacred pact. I promise teach karate to you, you promise learn. I say, you do, no questions.

It's very simple. If you want a mentor, if you want someone to coach you, you need to let yourself be coached. Normal human behavior has us put up walls when other people tell us to do something a different way. For many things in life this is okay. For some it may even be better. When you want someone to teach you something, it is time to be open and listen. In the karate kid Mr. Miyagi lays the ground rules at the beginning, as quoted above. In the commentary, Ralph Macchio talks about how he would never do all the work Daniel you did. Without doing the work, without taking the coaching he never would have learned wax on/wax off, sand the floor, paint the fence, side-side(paint the house) and those were just the first lessons.

So if you find yourself watching anything with Pat Morita and wishing you had a Mr. Miyagi know that you can have one. You might have to find a mentor first, but once you do just ask. Once you get a mentor it's time to surrender to their teachings - it is time to learn.