The Kwoon maintanence is only 2 days in and we have almost completed everything on the list. It's not because there is not a lot to do, it's because we have had a lot of volunteers show up.
People are looking for things to do and it can be hard to do but that should not discourage them. They have shown up and that is the most important part. The Kwoon maintanence is not only about working bug connecting with other members of Silent River Kung Fu.
I am really inspired by everyone who has shown up and At this rate we should be mostly finished by tonight. This way everyone can enjoy the potato bake tomorrow and the long weekend after that.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Monday, August 22, 2016
Maintanence Week and What its About
The annual Kwoon Maintenance week is coming up next week and I am excited to be a part of it this year. In the past, I have contributed a considerable amount of time to the Kwoon maintenance and it helped me become a black belt.
It was not a direct factor it achieving black belt (hey you helped with the maintenance so here's your black belt) as it was more on the mental side. The Kwoon maintenance made me feel more comfortable training in the Kwoon as it felt like I owned a part of it now. With this change in mindset, I became more comfortable training at the Kwoon in front of other people.
This statement may sound like how everyone promotes the Kwoon maintenance and it should because it is so true. Ask any black belt or que belt who has taken part and see what they have to say about it.
I seem to have forgotten this over the last couple years as I have not had as much to do with the maintenance week and last year I showed up on the last day but everything was mostly completed by then. This made a bad year even worse in my opinion as I lost out on an opportunity that will never come back. I continued to struggle through the year and it was only near the end of the year I started to finally become reengaged with my Kung Fu. I regret not participating in the maintenance week last year even to this day as I know it could have kick-started me in September and not January.
How do I make sure not to miss out again. By volunteering to coordinate the maintenance this year. This way, I know that my commitment will be there and I will be able to benefit again.
This whole blog seems somehow all about what I get out of being part of the Kwoon maintenance but I hope I am inspiring others to come and see what it is truly all about. You get to meet other people who train and/or instruct at Silent River and it will take your training and commitment to a whole new level.
Also, there will be an awesome Potato Bake on Thursday, September 1st. Come hang out, enjoy a baked potato and meet some new people.
It was not a direct factor it achieving black belt (hey you helped with the maintenance so here's your black belt) as it was more on the mental side. The Kwoon maintenance made me feel more comfortable training in the Kwoon as it felt like I owned a part of it now. With this change in mindset, I became more comfortable training at the Kwoon in front of other people.
This statement may sound like how everyone promotes the Kwoon maintenance and it should because it is so true. Ask any black belt or que belt who has taken part and see what they have to say about it.
I seem to have forgotten this over the last couple years as I have not had as much to do with the maintenance week and last year I showed up on the last day but everything was mostly completed by then. This made a bad year even worse in my opinion as I lost out on an opportunity that will never come back. I continued to struggle through the year and it was only near the end of the year I started to finally become reengaged with my Kung Fu. I regret not participating in the maintenance week last year even to this day as I know it could have kick-started me in September and not January.
How do I make sure not to miss out again. By volunteering to coordinate the maintenance this year. This way, I know that my commitment will be there and I will be able to benefit again.
This whole blog seems somehow all about what I get out of being part of the Kwoon maintenance but I hope I am inspiring others to come and see what it is truly all about. You get to meet other people who train and/or instruct at Silent River and it will take your training and commitment to a whole new level.
Also, there will be an awesome Potato Bake on Thursday, September 1st. Come hang out, enjoy a baked potato and meet some new people.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Boot Camp was Awesome
I felt that this years boot camp was awesome. There were a lot of great seminars and I got to participate in a lot of them.
I am not sure why, but I feel that this has been one of the best boot camps for me. I thought the seminar variety was great and you could tell the instructirs were passionate about there seminar.
I hope more people can take part in next years boot camp because it is a life altering experience to attend.
I am not sure why, but I feel that this has been one of the best boot camps for me. I thought the seminar variety was great and you could tell the instructirs were passionate about there seminar.
I hope more people can take part in next years boot camp because it is a life altering experience to attend.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Missing Class
At I Ho Chuan class on Thursday we had 10 people there only which is just over 1/3 of the members. Sifu Brinker talked about 0 unexcused absences yet a lot of people did not have a legitimate reason for not being there.
What does legitimate mean? It simply means that you have a family issue to take care of, you are away because of work or something along those lines. It doesn't mean you want to watch your favorite show on TV or you want to check out a movie unless you are doing it because its your anniversary or your child's birthday.
I am by no means criticizing or judging people that were not there because you may probably had a legitimate reason. What I am doing is talking about my own experience with this. For the last 2 years in the I Ho Chuan, I struggled to take part in class and I never put the effort into my training that I should have. It was obvious because I didn't take part n demos but mostly, I quit coming to class and meetings.
It became much easier to come up with a "legitimate" reason to not go to class every time I missed one. This had such a negative impact on my training, my physical conditioning and my outlook on Kung Fu in general. Things got so bad, I was tempted to give up instructing the intermediate teen/adult class.
What changed my attitude was with two months to go in the year I started attending the class's and the meetings again. Once I started participating again, it got me reengaged in my training and my passion for kung Fu was renewed once again.
I have been able to carry the momentum into this year and I have not missed a meeting or a mandatory class yet. I have taken vacation and have done some travelling with work but have been able to schedule this to ensure I am still there for classes and meetings.
Remember that your journey is your own and struggling will be a part of it but I figured it might help those of you who are struggling to know that everyone on the team has struggled but just know you can still salvage your year. All you need to do this, is show up for class. Even if you cant or don't want to participate, just being there is a huge step.
What does legitimate mean? It simply means that you have a family issue to take care of, you are away because of work or something along those lines. It doesn't mean you want to watch your favorite show on TV or you want to check out a movie unless you are doing it because its your anniversary or your child's birthday.
I am by no means criticizing or judging people that were not there because you may probably had a legitimate reason. What I am doing is talking about my own experience with this. For the last 2 years in the I Ho Chuan, I struggled to take part in class and I never put the effort into my training that I should have. It was obvious because I didn't take part n demos but mostly, I quit coming to class and meetings.
It became much easier to come up with a "legitimate" reason to not go to class every time I missed one. This had such a negative impact on my training, my physical conditioning and my outlook on Kung Fu in general. Things got so bad, I was tempted to give up instructing the intermediate teen/adult class.
What changed my attitude was with two months to go in the year I started attending the class's and the meetings again. Once I started participating again, it got me reengaged in my training and my passion for kung Fu was renewed once again.
I have been able to carry the momentum into this year and I have not missed a meeting or a mandatory class yet. I have taken vacation and have done some travelling with work but have been able to schedule this to ensure I am still there for classes and meetings.
Remember that your journey is your own and struggling will be a part of it but I figured it might help those of you who are struggling to know that everyone on the team has struggled but just know you can still salvage your year. All you need to do this, is show up for class. Even if you cant or don't want to participate, just being there is a huge step.
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