While Zinedine Zidane may have found himself in a controversial situation against Marco Materazzi in 2006, he certainly has risen from that 10-year old somberness to now be the coach for the Real Madrid. Not bad. Granted, his fame, experience, path and notoriety have certainly contributed to ease the less fortunate moments of his life. The key is to be able to bounce back from, or simply get out of a bad situation when thrown at you. The beginning of a new year is a good time to reset and refine some behaviours which may have proven to make one feel stuck and insignificant.

Complaint centre – Yangon railway station

Devoted to learning, teaching and sharing my thoughts and skills about martial arts, I have joined forces with sparring partners of all walks of life and abilities to sometimes end up in what I see as a bad spot. Best way to learn: still with the utmost respect, nobody I get to train with spends time sugarcoating any move with me. I am done with finding or making excuses for being a woman training with men: all these uncomfortable circumstances, whether I created them or not, have always presented opportunities to learn from, and, inherently, try again and do better. That goes for everyday life and work too, obviously.

The sense of vulnerability, with no income in sight between two contracts, for instance, or being choked by a man who outweighs me by 50 kg, can hit hard and call for some creativity to stay afloat. And that is ok: as long as I get to cultivate and refine my position in those so-called bad spots, the breathing part turns out to be easier and smoother. The equation is fairly simple: it “just” looks strenuous when flirting with, and sometimes, hitting rock bottom. The good news is: a breakdown is often a breakthrough. It is about perspective (dear old perspective!): if I am open to consider other angles, inputs and opinions from a potentially distressing place, the adjustment will be effortless.

So, who is in?