Current Status

The last little while has been going well in regards to my quest for Year of the Pig awesomeness, with a couple things that needed to be addressed of course as it is never perfect and never will be. I've still just been coasting along doing my daily thing and not putting too much thought into it really, less self yack, more smack. Well completely no thought is impossible, but just more less paying attention to detail. I'm posting another quick journal because I missed a week....and I didn't even realize it, mostly because I caught some wack job virus that has really knocked the crap out of me but I continued on with priorities at work and I was out of town breifly.

Now this was and is a good thing because I caught myself slipping into my old habits of not keeping my Kung Fu moving along with me. Yes I was busy and not feeling well but I am working towards not allowing the justification of excuses or the distractions that seem to come along and take over my journey this time around. I realized at the beginning of the year that things needed to change and in order to achieve change, you have to maintain control of your plans. But you still allow yourself the ability to steer around those obstacles and leave the emotions out. For me at this time, it's all business. I can basque in the glory once I get the wheels of excellence rolling in the most basic format I can that suits me and my situations. That's the goal anyway, I just want to train and enjoy it no matter the circumstances and prioritize my training in a manageable way because I really don't want to lose it.

Physically things are coming along nicely, adding a little more day by day and resting accordingly. Mindless effort has done wonders really in regards to my forms and the neat fact is, the less I think about it, the more of those little things I seem to catch because I can feel them as I go. Stop, do a little adjustment and apply it through a few reps and the issue seems to go away. My weapon form is coming along in pieces basically. Trying to mold it all together to flow well and make it practical is always a challenge but I'm not that far off and have a version 1.0 ready to go. Loa Gar is well...Loa Gar....I really like this style and at the moment we are working on it quite a bit in Black Belt class so that's an unexpected bonus for sure. I'm doing school form reps fairly consistently which is very important as there is so much there that applies to all of our Kung Fu that can be lost if you don't keep it up.

 Mentally I'm feeling pretty good and training in a more valuable approach which has done me a lot of good. The only thing that concerns me a bit is my work schedule is about to go into hyper drive which usually kicks me off of my plan. Mainly because I let it, and make all kinds of justifications as to why I can't or how the system doesn't work for me. Honestly though my work schedules do pose a serious challenge, it's so hit and miss, long hours and unpredictable days seem to be a huge part of it as well. But this is my jungle and nobody is forcing me to do it. Adapting is key, which isn't really a problem for me when my hearts in it and the focus is there...I take care of business and take care of it with my signature of quality, no matter what it may take. But this is where things can and do go to absolute crap for me. Suddenly imperative task focus takes precedence over everything until it's done, but everything else that is supposed to move along with that focus and other personal benefits become less important. When this happens I have to start all over again or pick up where I left off and that isn't always so easy. I think when your intensity and focus get jumped around so much, you begin to lose the things that are a important component to you. You have this misconception that just because you can do things well and see them through, respect them, they will always be there. To a strong degree that's probably true if it really is part of us, it never leaves. But if you don't maintain those important things they can break down and disappear. Without the focus and discipline they will disappear and you don't even realize it. I don't want to go there, so that's why I'm here and the focus is mainly self improvement and restoration to what's important to me and my well being, my Kung Fu. I need to put my heart into everything, not just what's bright and shiny in front of me. See you at the Kwoon.

Good Pain

One would think pain is never a good thing or sign, but I think this depends on the source or cause. Perhaps even the perspective. Pain can be a tool for our physical and mental well being, because as a law of physics states, for every action there is a reaction. What I mean by this is a broken heart will make you stronger and wiser mentally, and a damaged joint or broken bone will make you stronger and wiser physically. They will both hurt big time, but at the same time teach us how to adapt and progress and provide us with the ability to find the resources within ourselves to succeed no matter the challenge or situation. But the thing is, if you don't use pain as a tool, and perhaps a source of inspiration, it can remove so much of who you are and what you are. The point I'm trying to make here is never let pain win. This is from my own perspective in regards to training and how I deal with it, but I know people in my life that are in chronic pain and suffer a lot. The thing is they don't give up. They continue to push and fight and adapt and never use it as an excuse to stop, this inspires me so much to never give up and never let anything mess you around. I am humbled and inspired by these people, and excuses have no place, unless you let them.

Lately when I have been training I feel pain from sore muscles and parts of my body that have lost their flexibility due to my own neglect of discipline. Now right there I could just say, ah there's no point to this and I really shouldn't push myself like that anyway. I can't do this so perhaps I'll just go sit down and pound some unhealthy food into me and watch something stupid on TV.

Or I could be very excited about the fact that my muscles and joints are sore because that's progressing towards machine like awesomeness. I can teach my self that in order to overcome this pain, I need to discipline myself to stretch after my work outs and warm up properly beforehand to insure I don't blow out a joint or tear a muscle. I can eat certain foods, take vitamins and supplements, and hydrate properly to help keep that sore away and keep the equipment running smooth. Sure things still hurt at times, but sometimes it's better, for me anyway, to work through the pain and not use it to stop completely. Other times I have no choice, I have to stop. But when this happens, I use that disadvantage to heal properly and figure out another way to train because when you stop everything, you lose everything you worked through the pain for. It inspires me to educate myself on the bodies workings and push myself to get back on the horse and drive those spurs in. I just look at all of things I have accomplished in my Kung Fu, and to me a little pain goes a long way. I get excited when I feel that sore muscle pain and wise up quick when I feel those joints talking to me, because it's progress not a reason to quit or slack off. See you at the Kwoon.

 

Black Belt Code of Ethics Part 1

I had laid out a plan for last years personal requirements to visit each paraphrase in the Black Belt Code of Ethics. The intent was to dive deep into the meaning, understand it and apply it to the level I swore to. I did a post a while back on the whole point and purpose of swearing to an oath and from my own perspective, how important it is to have a code of conduct. How important it is to not only have the discipline to apply it, but give it the respect it deserves and promote that through example.

 I never did see this through but I wanted to make it so this year and use it for what it is meant to be. To me this will be a very valuable tool of guidance and the step by step discipline I really need to get an accurate account of it's meaning and purpose. To apply it's values to my training and use them to get back on track and possibly make me feel better about the fact that I haven't really followed through on something I swore to.  When I swear to something I mean it, it's not something I just mumble away to be accepted and then forget about. So when I do forget about what I swore to and not live up to the discipline, it bothers me. When I see how I have not given it the respect it deserves and failed to recognize how valuable of a tool it is, that bothers me too. So rather than ponder on it, best make the change and apply it.

All Silent River Kung Fu Black Belts must promise to;

Hold paramount the well being of Silent River Kung Fu , their students, their art, their community, and it's citizens.

So I have started with the first one and what it means to me and how I should go about living up to it. From the time we walk into the Kwoon to the second we leave, we become different people. We are training in a 2000 thousand year old art that has vast effects on us as individuals. We are taught a standard that is to be met in order to advance not just in rank, but within ourselves. We are taught to put our own signature on the art and live by it's example through humility. Humility and empathy, confidence and character, every form, every technique, and every example that our Sifu's teach us will change us as individuals. We must constantly build that change and promote it through example by how we carry ourselves amongst others outside the walls of the Kwoon.

 We are to take our training out of the Kwoon and into society. This is the example of taking something powerful and using to better our lives and the lives of those around us by applying the benefits for the common good of others, not just ourselves. What we don't want to do is be respectful and growing students in the Kwoon and the second we walk out the door, switch into a complete %$##^%. Like throw on our belts or some SRKF swag, switch into the jerk-a-tron and go punch someone in the face because we can or give false perspective to the overall benefits of the art through ego and arrogance. We are to be the position of understanding and tolerance, not ignorance of differences or pass unsolicited judgement. This kind of mentality hurts the art, the school, and our past masters along with everything else that is mentioned in the very first paraphrase. So this is how I perceive the first paraphrase and what it's meaning holds to me and how I should live by it. The bottom line? Be cool to everybody and live a happy and prosperous life, live through your training and share it as it was meant to be shared. 100% pure awesomeness. See you at the Kwoon.,

Until it's Gone

Sometimes perhaps, you don't really realize the benefits of something or recognize it's value until you neglect it or walk away from it. Taking things for granted or just assuming it will always be there, although not always intentional, is a habit everybody seems to have from time to time. The surprising thing is that most of the time the things we tend to take for granted or neglect was some of the most difficult things to accomplish and the most work to obtain in the first place. Even if it is not part of your character or ethics or morals. The thing is if you don't respect yourself and your journey and keep those things close, sometimes you never get them back. For me it was coming back to training that made me realize this and I feel more focused and engaged than I have for some time, it feels like I never left, but my Kung Fu at the moment might say something else. That being said, I was very lucky.

I 'm so pumped now to come to class and see my teachers and others I have trained with over the years, but there is much more to this and the ripple effect this kind of realization can have. I started making regular appointments with my reflexologist, I started to be more conscious of my fuel intake, making time for training is more of a priority than anything right now. This is all a great start to taking back what is mine and removing the things that swayed me in the first place. These things can be sneaky and other times attitude plays a huge role in all of this. I'll be the first to admit, I'm stubborn as hell, I don't really embrace change sometimes, and some people I just flat out don't like..period. This is who I am but I find the more I train, the more my Kung Fu is a larger priority in my life, the easier it is to be more understanding of change and seeing the other side of people. I become a much more balanced and empathetic person towards situations and others, but most importantly myself. So long answer short, if I'm not training I become a major %$hole..period.

So my weapon form is moving along well, I'm in the process right now of building the sequence and piecing together a battle in my head. I have have incorporated a Tiger kick which has been become a task in itself, but once I get this down and add in a couple of techniques I was taught during a boot camp years ago, my version 1.0 should be completed by the 28th. Loa Gar is giving me some grief as I have been using the wrong stance in some areas for quite some time now and muscle memory is never easy to rewrite. Regular routine isn't one of my stronger points either but so far it's coming along well as I am not trying to layout someone else's challenge to my liking, just doing it how it is laid out and adapting along the way one day at a time. See you at the Kwoon.