The importance of blogging

I have been going over the importance of blogging and what I have heard, learned and now need to embrace about blogging. Blogging is a tool that can be just a hoop for some to jump through, or it can become an amazing tool that really helps you become engaged in what and how you are doing things in your life. It can impact not just your kung fu but also your everyday life if you let it. When you're blogging consistently as a member of the I Ho Chuan, you are connecting with your teammates. By reading and hopefully commenting on each others blogs we are getting insights into our teammates. We see their successes, their hopes, their trials and even their failures. I for one find I can learn from all of that. Being alone struggling through something more often then not sucks. But having a positive minded and supportive team behind you can inspire and motivate in ways you can't do alone. You never know the impact you can have on another by just sharing your journey towards mastery. I have yet to hear of or read of someone who has had an easy road to mastery. Mediocrity is easy to achieve, we see it all around us everyday. But mastery is something worth working towards. It won't happen over nite or even in a month or two. It's a life long journey with many twists turns and sometimes detours along the way. By blogging about what we are going through on our journey we may help another avoid a pit fall or two. We may inspire someone to try something they didn't think they could do before. We can even get a word or two in return that helps us through a difficult time or aspect of our training that we just can't quite figure out. I am finally starting to see what Sifu Brinker means about how much more someone can learn about themselves by overcoming their failures as opposed to just coasting along and not truly stretching our limits and expanding our thoughts. I am not a great writer. Math is my strong suit, or give me something mechanical to fix and I am in there like crazy. When it comes to writing my ideas down I sometimes get to many things going on in my head at once. Blogging has helped me try to put my thoughts and ideas down in such a way that I can make them understood. This helps me focus better. I don't think mastery can be achieved without focus, discipline and definately hard work. If you stay in kung fu for any length of time, you can't be afraid of a little hard work. But achieving the focus and discipline is by no means a piece of cake. Becoming mindful of everything we do and how we impact others. Thats very powerful. How we impact another can have a huge ripple effect, that we often aren't even aware of or can see. But it is there nontheless. I know I have a long ways to go in my journey. But I have alot of teammates and friends at Silent River Kung Fu that are going to make that journey memorable, fun, exciting and very enjoyable. I would rather be in a tiny room full of friends then in a enormous room full of indifferent people anyday.

Sept 30 th blog

When my internet started acting up I started hand writing my blog. Here is the first one I did. My daughter wows me. I often blog about my kids. But I noticed that I do so more about my son then my daughter. We both do alot of the same things together so its easy to focus on his achievements. I started spending some more time with my daughter so we could connect more. She is truly amazing me this year. She loves to sing, dance and act. This fall she has taken on 2 major productions. She is in Horizon stages Aladdin and she got a lead role as Red riding hood in her schools major production of Into The Woods. So now she is rehearsing 4 or 5 days a week. On top of that she wants to do basketball again this year. Tryouts aren't for a month yet and I personally don't think she can do all 3 at once, but my wife and I have left it as her decision. We trust that she can make the right choice. To see the smile on Shelby's(my daughter) face when she got the news that she was in these productions was awesome. She is becoming so much more self confident and believes in herself. Everyone in my family sings well with the exception of myself. I can make it through a toon, but a few cats and dogs may run for their lifes on some notes. Shelbys singing has always been good, this year she is becoming even better. I am so proud of her and happy that she is challenging herself and loving the choices she is making. As a Dad I can't be any happier.

Absent and in limbo

I first want to apologize to the snake team. By not blogging every week like I should be, I have been a wonderful example of what not to do. But also a terrible teammate and I have definately lost alot of my focus and engagement the last few weeks. I Have no honestly good excuses. It started easy enough with problems with my internet service and computer. But looking back, I had a number of other ways to still get my blog out each week. So I took the easy way and let myself down. Then after a few weeks went by it became less urgent to get back blogging. I fooled myself thinking that just because I was maintaining my pushups, situps etc that I was still fully engaged in my kung fu. I know now that that wasn't the case at all. A large number of distractions have been cropping up in my life lately. The jobsite I'm on is winding down and there is uncertainty about where I go and even when I go to the next site. All the work my company has gotten in the last few weeks is out of town work, meaning that I would be away at least 4 days a week or more. This would severly interfere with everything I am doing in kung fu. It would also put a huge strain on my marriage and I would not be able to spend time with my kids as much as I like to. I know now after a long nite of soul searching and thought. That dealing with all the obstacles that are popping up in my life would have been much easier to deal with if I was blogging like I was before and staying fully engaged in my kung fu and ultimately, myself. I have never been one to share my short comings well. But I am only human and have to admitt that it doesn't show weakness to share your failures or the areas I am needing work in. I have grown so much from the first day I started kung fu. But I have only taken a few steps on a long journey towards mastery and what I believe to be an amazing future in kung fu. It has taken 2 years to finally realize that change can be good. Scary, nerve wracking and unknown sometimes. But change with a goal and focus towards that goal can be empowering and inspiring. It is better by far to be part of a like minded team and not an individual. An individual can get easily moved off their path. But a team can pull you back on track and help you maintain your path. I have realized my failure, now I have to prove I have learned and get back on track.

Starting young

My sons grade 5 class is starting a project this year that will extend into all his years in school. They are learning how to blog, comment cratively and positively on other blogs and how to leave a positive electronic footprint in todays day and age. I am really looking forward to seeing how Jordan does with this and hopefully we can inspire each other as we grow in blogging. I think it is a great idea for kids to learn this skill. So often today we hear about one person or another and how they had to withdraw from a contest or political office due to some stupid thing they posted or did in the past. Todays age is so much more fast paced and the world has truly shrunk in size when it comes to the internet. We receive news almost instantly today, whereas in the past it could take months for news of big events to travel the globe. Most issues were considered local and were barely heard about in other areas. Today we hear all about everything and anything in hours and even minutes. The problem I feel is that alot of news today seems to glorify the bad in man as opposed to the good. We instantly hear about mass murders and attacks or suicide bombers. Sadly it seems bad news sells and is watched. Greed and waste are seen as normal and acceptable by todays youth. Commerciallism and the all mighty dollar are more important then feeding our fellow man or doing the right thing. Hopefully by starting today my son can learn to not accept everything as fact just because its on the net like some people do today. I want him to grow up to show a positive example of what it means to be a human being on the planet earth. I hope he can learn right from wrong and fact from fiction. With proper guidance I know he can. Technology has grown and effected our lifes in ways I couldn't even imagine from when I was in grade 5. It is going to continue to do so. Giving our kids more skills now, can only help them in the future. I can even imagine that some day my sons kids will say," You had to use keyboards when you were young?, Wow thats so old school!".

Opportunity knocks

I saw a quote this week that really got me thinking. It said, "Every single person you meet knows something that you don't". That hit me in a way that got me thinking about opportunities. Every time we meet someone there is an opportunity to learn, grow and influence. In every interaction we have at work, the store and the kwoon, we have an opportunity. Being aware of and making the most of the opportunity is the hard part for most people. It's something that I have finally become more aware of. I am no where near perfect in making the most of my opportunities. But I am becoming more aware of where I am and what I am doing. I believe that is the first step to making the most of the opportunities presented to us every day. The difference between grumbling and complaining about what a hard day we are having or persevering through a tough task with a positive attitude can have a profoundly different impact on the people around us. That impact can then project to even more people as the ones we influenced, encounter even more people. I am not perfect and don't ever expect to be. But I can be mindful of how I am impacting the people I come in contact with daily. Hopefully with practise and patience I can work a positive, helpful, inspiring spirit into everything I do, from my work to my kung fu. Especially my kung fu when I'm helping in the kids classes. A child with a positive outlook, confidence and demenour can be anything they set their mind too. That is truly inspiring to me.

Renovation week complete?

The past few days have seen very few people turning out to help with the renos at the kwoon. I understand that its the final long weekend before school starts, but the renos are important and we can't resume classes if they aren't complete. I saw so much excitement and energy at the beginning of the renos. The tiling went so quickly and smoothly. It was very inspiring and was awesome connecting with so many people on a more personal level. Then for some reason the excitement and energy really fell off. I want to thank Sifu Lindstrom so much for again leading the renos. He truly has great vision and boundless paitence and energy to see the renos through. Thank you for allowing this wannabe carpenter the chance to grow in my skills and commitment. I don't look at renos as a chore or a duty. I look at them as an oppurtunity to invest myself in the kwoon. I'm proud of my second home and want it to look as awesome as it can. Yes that is a bit of ego, but ego that is good in my mind. How we finish something is as important as how we start, possibly even more so. It's like the I Ho Chuan, starting great full of energy and good intentions is great, finishing great is even more important. Half done means not complete. I would prefer to complete a project as best as I can, then to only complete 50% of a project amazingly then stop and do nothing. I am finally understanding the true definition of commitment and responsibility. Now to take that understanding and apply it, thats the next step.

What the I Ho Chuan means to me.

I have spent the majority of this year sitting back watching and listening to everything and everyone on the team. Being the lowest level belt on team, it has been hard for me to know when to speak up or even what is appropriate to say. I am leaps and bonds ahead of last years fiasco, but still I am failing because I haven't been a teammate like I should be. I have been inspired by every single member of the team at some point or another. Every single member has gotten me to think about a topic in a way that I would never have done on my own. It is because of the team that I have opened my mind to possibilities that I would surely have missed if I wasn't on the team. But I have internalized most of those aha moments and have not been as supportive a teammate as I should be. That stops now. Everyone on the team and even everyone in the kwoon has influenced me to some degree. I am having the most amazing journey physically right now. I am meeting or exceeding all my goals physically and its because I have seen and heard the message from all my teammates that I could do it. So I said no more excuses and dove facefirst into the pool. Last year I came up with a million excuses to not give my all. This year I want to give my all and more. I could have fallen into the excuse trap, but a comment at a meeting or watching someone struggle with a form would provide that spark that if they could do it, so could I. My failure was to shout it out and return the inspiration. Even those on the team that think they have failed haven't if they can just reconnect with the themselves, the team and the kwoon. Don't wait for next December or next week even. Do it now. Sure it may be rough at first, but you have a team there to help you. We are not alone in our journey as long as we are willing to humble ourselves and ask for the help we all need at some point. My wife asked me last weekend why I do kung fu so much. I wanted to give her the most honest answer that I could and I have really searched my heart and soul for the answer. Its because I am finally becoming the person I always wanted and hoped I would. I am like a child that is finally becoming fully aware of his/her environment and my place in it. I am finally becoming aware of the impact I have on everyone and everything around me. I no longer want to accept mediocre or the so called norm. I want to excell both phsyically and mentally and I want to be a positive influence on the lives I touch. I was 45 years old and 232 pounds when I started kung fu. I was so terribly out of shape when I started that 10 pushups or situps was a real challenge for me. Mentally I was completely messed up. I was definately of the glass is half empty mindset. I was cynical about way to many things in life, and I had no real long term goals other then to keep paying the morgage and provide for my family. Kung Fu has presented me with an oppurtunity to better myself and everyone I encounter along my journey. I am far from perfect and I still mess up. But I have learned to accept that aspect of my growth. Growth is my main goal now. That includes both phsyically and mentally. The physical is progressing better then I would have hoped and I am truly happy about that. The mental growth for me is much more difficult. Seeing the people I am inpired by fail and not pick themselves up, dust themselves off and try again frustrates me. It can seed a small kernal of doubt in my mind and I have to work hard at destroying that doubt. Yes each persons journey is their own, but as a member of the I Ho Chuan it is also part of my journey. I am frustrated when I dont know how to help someone on the team. I am even more frustrated when I don't know how to approach a higher belt. That is something I need to learn and improve if I am going to become a true teammate. I have become much more aware and engaged in my own journey, now I need and I think all the team needs to become more engaged in each others journey. Everyone has the potential to become a black belt(Sifu Brinker has stated this many times), but we all need help along the way to achieve that goal. No one can do it alone. Lets show everyone in the kwoon what being a team is all about and finish this year with the roar of a dragon like we started it.