Dragon

I have signed up for next years I Ho Chuan team. This has not been a great year for me but the last 2 months have been a lot better. A big part of this has been the dragon dance. I have always found being a part of the lion or dragon dance a huge part of my Kung Fu. It helps you feel like you are part of something and it helps me connect with the people I train with. I encourage any of you who are not coming to the practices to start showing up and be part of something special. Friday's at 7:15 pm and Saturdays at 12:00 pm. Remember that we need all the participants we can as last Friday we could not practice as we were short 1 person. Please come and be part of something great.

Blog Comment

I just want to thank everyone who commented on my last blog. It helps me to understand what other people are getting from the blogs. I was hoping for more comments but if I look at my own actions, I understand why there wer not more. It is sometimes hard to come up with your own blog let alone comment on everyone else's. I now =1 everything that I read (for the most part) so at least someone knows that I am reading what they post. Thanks to everyone that did comment and I would ask that if you haven't, please try so everyone that is not blogging knows why it is important to you that they are.

Survey Says.

I am still finding it hard to be consistent with my posts. It is not something new for me as it has always been a struggle going back to my first year in the UBBT. There is no specific reason for it that I have been able to figure out so I have decided to focus on why for the next little while. 1) Is it because I have nothing to write about? No, because I can write a blog whenever I attempt one. 2) Is it because I need to do it at work? No, because I have lunch or a phone that I can do it on. 3) Is it because its not a priority? Hmmmm. I think this may be a big part of the why. So why is it not a priority then. To expand further, I need to realize the benefit it has not only to me but to my teammates and possibly the school. What do people get from reading other peoples blogs? I would like to ask that anyone who reads this to answer the above question. Think of it as a survey for the whole I Ho Chuan team.

1 Minute a Day

It has been a long time since I have written anything and the only reason is because I got lost in time for a while. As I stated in our last meeting, this has been an extremely odd year for me. With my work changing, it seemed like I never had the time required to do what I wanted or needed to do. I was used to being able to make it to all the classes I wanted to and never had to worry about not being around. This change threw everything off for me and I started to fade away which was not only evident in class but also with my blogging and my participation in meetings and practices. The last meeting helped me a lot as I knew I was not the only one out there that felt the same pressures I did. I freely admit that I am no where near where I need to be and the only one responsible for that is myself. I know that I am just now truly starting my year in the I Ho Chuan which puts me 8 months behind schedule. Will I get to where I should be by the end of this year? Definitely not but if I am making the attempt, I will be a lot closer than if I do the same thing I have for the last 8 months. I have narrowed my focus to working on my forms, going to all the I Ho Chuan practices and classes, ensure I am blogging consistently and working on my fitness and conditioning. I am also committed to being at all the lion/dragon dance practices as there is no better way to feel connected with your teammates than that. Last year, I was in Toronto during the banquet and I feel like I missed out on something special. By actively participating, it will help me to get reconnected with this years I Ho Chuan team. For my final thought, I always wondered what happened to people who seemed to disappear from the I Ho Chuan and now I know because I was one of them. It comes down to a choice and whether or not you want to put the effort into it or something else at any given point throughout the day. For a while there, I didn't feel like I had a choice because of being away or getting home late. I realize now that there is always a choice and 1 minute a day is still better than none.

The first step hopefully

I must apologize for not keeoing up to date with my blogging. This past month has been a whirlwind of activity with a lot of travelling and a lot more late nights. It is by no means an excuse as it doesn't take that long to blog but once you miss your deadline it becomes easier to keep ignoring or putting off and before you know it a month has gone by. The past couple years have been a struggle for me in the I Ho Chuan and I had hoped for better this year. So far, it has been worse though. With the changes at work, it has become easy to blame it on that when I really know it has more to do with me. I am no where near where I want to be let alone where I need to be. I am ready to start on a new path that will get me where I want to be all I need to do now is commit to that first step.

Time has come for change.

As of April 1, I have started a new position at my company. That sounds all exciting and awesome and it is but now come the negatives. It means I will need to travel way more than I ever used to so that is going to be an interesting challenge for me. I am used to being home every night and being able to get to class on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Being at the Kwoon has become part of normal life for me and this is going to be a new challenge for myself. I will finally get an understanding of how it has been for Sifu Regier, Sihing Krebbs and Mr. Repay to name a few. It is daunting when you think of where you can find a place to practice or even when you can find the time. I look forward to my new role but I admit it is going to be very different not just in my professional life but my personal life as well. I will see you all at the Kwoon as often as I can.

Changes

Life is always there to make things exciting. There is something major about to change for me and it is both exciting and a lot scary. I can't reveal any details yet but it is a major change. It is something that will change my ability to stay engaged and focus on my training more that I have had to since my grading year. I think that sometimes a change is needed to refocus yourself. Once I can reveal more details I will fill you all in.

Retrospect

Last years I Ho Chuan seemed a bit like a train wreck to me. There were a lot of things that I did not accomplish that I thought I should have. With that being said, it was also a great learning experience. I was unable to do certain things, and got frustrated very early. I continued to try to change what I was doing without having the desired effect, so I quit doing things. Once that stage had been reached, everything was easier again for a while. I then got frustrated with myself as I knew I could be doing more and I knew I needed to do more. The accountability to the team and myself was what got me through that rough spell. I started to push myself and focus on my requirements again. I was ready for Chinese New Year’s when it all came crashing down again. I found out about 6 weeks before that I would be in Toronto on that weekend and would miss the banquet. This was hard for me as it is one of my favorite times of the year. What made this decision even more difficult was that I would miss the promotion of someone who I have worked personally trained with for a long time. It is always great to see the progression of someone from a colored belt, to a Sihing, to a black belt as it inspires me to work harder and to improve myself which is the goal of the I Ho Chuan.

Just show up.

I have been feeling more motivated this last week than I have in quite a while. It is funny how the simplest thing can change your perspective. I had been feeling a disconnect from the team since they started practicing the lion dance. It is tough being on the outside but I made myself part of it by showing up to the practices and helping where I can. All you need to do to be part of something is just show up.

New Year

So it's a new year and looking back 2014 kind of sucked. It was a struggle for most of the year and I'm glad it is over. The break was nice as it allowed me to think about where I was at and where I wanted to be next week, next month and 1 year from now. I have to change what I am doing and when, but I now have goals for myself that are achievable and i have taken that all important first step.