The famous 5

No, it is not the 5 animals of Kung Fu. The Famous 5 are five women who did not accept how women were treated in the past. If you have not heard of them, please read in this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Famous_Five_(Canada)

Do I have the courage to stand up for what I believe in even if I have to stand against more powerful people? And this is for all levels of life. It can be at work, in school, in our community. Do I have what it takes to take a stand?

Making the kwoon part of who you are

You cannot get your black belt in private lessons. Just showing up to your class and nothing more. There is so much more for getting a black belt at SRKF. As a student (but especially if you are a black belt candidate) you need to be present in school event and even more so - lead these event. This is a great practice for life outside the kwoon. Taking initiatives and leading them is key for your success and the success of your organization.

There are many opportunities to be involved and lead the kwoon. One of them is the school maintenance. This one in particular is great because on top of being involved with the school and better yet leading the effort, you are also making a better connection to the kwoon. Making it part of you are.

Back to business

Love going on vacation but...
It always takes me of my routine.
It is so hard to get back to work.
I have so much catch up to do.

So, is it worth it?

For me it is a time of reset. Time to do some thinking.

...and tomorrow it is back to business.

Preference

As I write this blog, we are in Yellowstone. It is nice here but a bit overrated in my opinion. 

The campground has many sites, they are close to each other and small. The roads are packed jam with cars. The parking lots are always full. The scenery is nice but I think the Canadian Rockies are much more magnificent. The geysers are unique, beautiful and worth the trip.

Before leaving, lots of people told me it is so beautiful there. I guess beauty is very subjective. We all have our preferences.

This is the same with martial arts. Each person may find one more beautiful than the other. One that works better for them. There is no right or wrong. Just preference.

Past and present

We are on the way to Yellowstone. Stopped for few days at Writing on Stone provincial park. 

We got here 2 years ago and loved it. It is funny how while here now, you remember what happened last time we were here. 

One of the themes of that trip was Sharida breaking a board or two every day. 

This time we are using the broken boards (we have lots of broken boards) for starting fire. 

And thankfully the boards are the only thing broken - but that is for a future blog. 

I got my black belt. And now what?

Getting your black belt is a big goal. You train hard. Harder than ever. You learn lots and progress with techniques. And then one day it happens. You get your black belt. And now what?

We talk about it being a journey. Not a mountain we climb and reach the top and then stop. Some people reach the top of the mountain and then see another mountain in the distance. Now they are focused on this new thing. Some people decide to retire in the valley- framing a picture of the mountain on their wall. Some realized that they did not actually reach the top of the mountain range and that there is still more to learn.

Goal Setting

Goal settings is not an easy walk in the park. You have to consider your ability to achieve your goals.

Set it too high and you are setting yourself for failure. Setting it too low leads to mediocrity. Setting it in a way that is too easy for you to achieve, and you will not grow from the experience.

Challenging yourself but at the same time making it attainable is the key.

Sometimes we are setting goals that are for life. With these goals we have to be able to maintain and improve on what you do for a longer period of time. Create habits that will help you continue with your journey.