Before I get into part 2 I need to clarify a few things. That rant and seemingly disrespectful view point is not directed towards anyone or the I Ho Chuan program. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel. No one called me mediocre and nobody left me behind, those are my words and thoughts directed at me. By becoming angry about it, and putting those questions in my mind, I thought it was going to inspire me to move forward... it didn't. In actuality what I was doing was trying to justify my own short comings by making excuses on how the I Ho Chuan is not working for me. When ultimately it was me that wasn't working the program. I left myself behind and chose to remain isolated. That is how I saw myself and that is where my mind was at the time. As I said in the beginning, it's nothing personal nor am I blaming anyone. This is all on me and I am accountable for it all. I'm trying to share my experience and since I am not so good at transferring my thoughts to paper, I apologize if I lit anyone up.
Now the otherside of the coin. The real purpose and guaranteed success cycle of the I Ho Chuan if you apply it in a positive way. Why 50,000 push ups and sit ups. This is the most basic and fool proof way to begin your success cycle and instill daily discipline and begin the concept of effortless effort. It becomes as common as brushing your teeth. Soon this evolves into a program of so much more. You begin to experiment with different ways to achieve them and develop a well rounded training discipline. If you are feeling an injury this will teach you how to adapt your training and still come out on top.
Why a 1000 form reps. This is a lesson on continuous evolution and places you on the path to mastery in your form work, be it a hand or weapon. If your getting to the point of boredom then you need to find a black belt to assess your form that hasn't seen it before. Everyone has a different eye for detail and I know through experience, this will definitely give you some homework and inspire you to move forward.
Why put yourself out there publically on the website and share your journey? One example would be if Bruce Lee never publicized his training and what he did to overcome a serious injury, would we even know who he was? Would we have any examples or inspirational figures to learn from? If I actually applied myself to journaling this past year, would I have remained in isolation? Would I have struggled as much as I did? What do you have to look back on if there is no record of your successes and failures. How are you going to help others not make the same mistakes if you don't put the experience out there? I'll get over myself on this one.
Why a 1000 rounds of sparring and why a 1000 miles under your own power? Why a 1000 AOK? All of these different challenges are tools to keep all aspects of your training rounded. It is a universal training package, both mentally and physically. Everyone has short comings and everyone lacks confidence or skill in anyone of these areas. Applied correctly and as a team you cannot fail. But no matter what you think, you can't be fully successful by trying to accomplish this yourself. I'm not saying you can't train on your own, you pretty much have to, but you also have to be at the kwoon.
Now to answer all the questions I threw out in anger a few months back. The I Ho Chuan is definitely going to help with my retirement because it promotes good health and increases my life longevity, I am slowly becoming more aware of what I eat and it continues to keep my body in good shape and my mind sharp. The confidence I build and the positive energy I gain along with the acceleration of my adaptability skills and maintaining a calm mind with solid focus will definitely help build my career, Not to mention my job can be extremely physical, so this will keep me productive and versatile. By being a positive influence both physically and mentally and leading by example through ethics and morals I learn through my Kung Fu and it's requirements, I will continue to be a good husband and father which will definitely take care of my family. If my past comes at me I will sever it just as easily as I have done before.
At a very difficult time in my life, what I chose to blame was still there all the time. The thoughts of dropping to do push ups, throw some kicks, read the curriculum, grab my weapon, as much as I felt there was so much more important things to deal with, the I Ho Chuan and it's lessons and my commitment to others never left my mind and never stopped me from doing these things, no matter what I thought. That's the effects of the I Ho Chuan, once there, never leaves. In fact if that wasn't there I'm not sure I would have come out of it the way I did. Choosing to isolate myself from the kwoon wasn't easy. Neither is walking in there now. I know no one is judging me, but I am judging me and that's not going to change anytime soon. I didn't know how to ask for help. I'm not good at that at all. But I'm hoping this year will be different, by journaling as much as I can, and being at the kwoon as much as possible, I hope to turn this all around, so when I say watch and learn, that's what you will see. If I continue on a hectic work schedule then it's my responsibility to communicate that to the team and share my training routines, no ones going to learn nothing if I don't share that.
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