On Chivalry

The following are my ongoing thoughts on what chivalry means to me. I will update them as they occur:

• The sooner you act like a knight, the sooner you will be one.
• As a Mistress-at-Arms, I am always pushing myself towards my knightly goals. I am always working on the ideals listed here, and coming up with new ones.
• Strive to push yourself further.
• It is too easy to rest on your laurels after you achieve something, but chivalry requires you to continue to push past that point and grow still further.
•  The path of chivalry is a challenge to grow outside of your comfort zone. 
•  The last two go hand-in-hand, but are not necessarily the same thing. It is possible to push yourself within your comfort zone, but you should also explore the world outside of it, in order to grow.
• A higher class of knight requires a higher class of person in all aspects.
• This comes from pushing yourself to be a better person, a harder worker, a better friend and significant other, and on, and on.
• The teacher provides the tools, the student must provide the desire and will.
• This does not mean that the teacher should not work hard for their students. As I see it, both individuals should be doing an equal amount of work. In this way, the individuals can get as much out of the relationship as they desire.
• The basic shots are not a task, they're a lifestyle.
• Fancy techniques and styles may look cool, and often come in handy, but you simply cannot execute them properly without the basics. It is impossible to grow properly in any activity without a strong base to grow from.