On the path to black belt

You probably heard it before. But I’m not sure if you actually understand it. I definitely did not understand it the way I do now. 

You need to have a plan on how you get there and you need to start your journey yesterday/as a white belt. Not a year before your black belt grading. 

Sifu Brinker talks about the journey to Jasper an how some people find themselves in Toefield on the way to Saskatchewan. Now - there is nothing wrong with Saskatchewan if that is where you want to go but if your path leads you to Jasper, you should plan to get there. Not necessarily in a straight line. That will mean bushwalking a lot. Use the paths other paved before. Use the directions and signs others are giving you along the way. And use the tools that were proven to work before. 

Proud

 It is hard to remember the first time I walked into the matts with you, running around the Kwoon in the lil-leopards class. 

You were scared and shy and so I was. 

Today you turn 18 and I am so proud of what you have accomplished and of who you are. You are a diligent, disciplined person, you have earned your blah belt as a young teenager but never stopped and continued to earn you second degree. You keep inspiring me and you also helped with my own Kung Fu journey. 

I’m so proud of you Kobe! Happy birthday!

I'm proving --> Improving

 Who am I doing this for? Do I need to prove anything to anyone? Group settings are helpful to keep you accountable. The interest from the team members and the once in awhile push is important. But at the end I'm proving I can do it. I'm proving I am getting better. And I only need to prove it to myself.  And all I am looking for is to be improving. And when I say improving, I mean in every aspect of my life!

Fail. Fail. And fail again.

 This has been a challenging year for me. Many things I was aiming for did not turn out as I was hoping. 

But all I can do is re-focus adjust and learn from my failures.