Matthew Ward of Chattanooga, TN on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Matthew Ward and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
Both.
Perhaps we’re all just walking each other home, but I find myself walking several different paths, just not lifelong ones. In between the paths I walk, I’ve wandered. Buddhist ideas refer to spiritually wandering as “samsara” which is their idea of the cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation. In a less esoteric sense, that is simply recreating yourself throughout life with newer and higher ideals, different personality traits, and renewed perspectives. Each “death” is the step into a higher version of yourself.

Spiritually, I have a clear destination, but the path changes with circumstance. We have to dance and adapt to the world around us and how it changes. A tree falls in the road; you find another way around. The path changes but the destination remains.

It’s the same in business, I have clear ideas of my next steps in business and career, but ultimately, those will adapt to. Sun Tzu teaches us that no plan survives first contact.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Matthew Ward, and I cultivate strong community Strong communities are necessary for abundance, safety, and growth. The medium I use for doing this is teaching a martial art called Shinsei Hapkido. I own a school in Chattanooga, TN called Riverbend Hapkido (www.riverbendhapkido.com). As a medium for character development, cultivation of martial prowess, and a forge and crucible for healthy and strong community, Shinsei is unmatched. Our curriculum, while effective at training for self-defense and artistic expression, is designed and proven to produce high caliber individuals.

My belief is that if you equip good men and women, and set them free, they will go out and do good things and make the world a better place.

In addition to teaching martial arts, I also teach wilderness first aid. Life requires a balance, we should know how to harm and how to heal and we should have those capabilities tempered, under control, and use them appropriately.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I love this question…. the drive to have many things going on at once. Over the years I’ve developed the capacity to take on large volumes, which has diversified my life and my skillsets. Lately, I’ve felt a deeper calling to narrow the scope and focus. I’ve felt guided to slow down and take on less, but more meaningful projects. I’m seeking devotion rather than diversity.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You belong. You inherently belong.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I believe that thanks to the laws of duality we all owe a certain amount of challenge in our life. Challenge is inevitable. I have found that when I seek out controlled adversity or purposeful challenge, I am met with less unexpected challenges. When I hit the gym or do the hard trail run, my debt of challenge is paid. However, if I skip the hard stuff and take the easy road, life comes to collect that debt and usually on very uncomfortable terms. Unexpected car problems, health issues, misfortune; all the challenges I wouldn’t choose begin knocking on the door.

Perhaps this is the law of cause and effect working quietly in the background, perhaps it’s something more, something esoteric. I don’t know. What I do know is from my own experience. When I lean into productive challenge, the unhelpful and often destructive challenges of life seem to avoid me, and on the occasions that they do arise, their sting isn’t nearly as sharp.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
My marriage, my community, my art, and my spirit.

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