How do you keep you and your uke training on the topic at hand? Stop the distraction before it starts.
If you walk into a dojo or seminar that has alot of unfamiliar people, "interview" them; the same way people "interview" each other before a fight, mugging, or assault, but maybe in a more subtle way. Walk up to people, how do they make you feel? Don't judge a book by it's cover; by what you see, what do your guts tell you? Is this person at training for the same reason as you? Does this person have something to prove? Are they depressed? Excited? etc etc.... Introduce yourself; what do you read from them there? Shake hands; how do you react to contact with them, how do they react to contact with you? Make small talk; what do you read from them in there? Don't brag or otherwise be challenging during the interview in a way that could blossom out into a bigger issue during training. "Interview" a few people...who do you think you'd train with best today? Sometimes this "interview" technique will work, sometimes it won't, but I've felt I've learned alot even from the people who "fooled me" during the interview process. Also, if you have some kind of relationship with someone, no matter how shallow, it makes it easier to say, "hey let's stay on topic with what the teacher is doing" or give other constructive feedback rather than if you were two total strangers or the unknown new guy in the ninja school trying to prove himself to the veteran students and the teacher.
Being able to gather information in a subtle way about your environment and the people in it has a wide range of applications. In my own life, I've found that this "interview" skill I'm developing has taught me as much about others as it's taught me about how I interact with the world around me.
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