Alt-Ctrl-Del?

There are many times were we get to a point in our training and we wish we could start over... After getting my black belt, I had thoughts to re-join SRKF as a white belt :-). Training from ground zero and re-learning everything I already know.

At this time of the year, as summer vacations approach us and we are going to have harder time to attend all IHC functions due to "summer events", I hear more and more people talking about being lost, taking steps back, etc.

I was there. I am always there. Taking a step forward, 2 steps back, not knowing where I'm going, what I should focus my training on, etc.

Now I'm taking a step back and asking my self - why am I doing all of this? Is my goal to do 50,000 push-ups? No. What are my goals? Why am I engaged with a mastery program?

For me it is to enhance my life in few aspects - Family, Health, Happiness, Success, Friendship. These are my core values. This is why I do it all. So as long as these 5 values are being addressed. As long as I am going towards getting better at one of these - I'm good. It doesn't matter where it takes me as long as my core values are in front of me.

Now, did I need all these years in the IHC to figure it out??? I had it all written down for my black belt ceremony. I just need to re-read it once in a while.

Color the world!

Empathy, acts of kindness, pay it forward. These are not just words or theory. The more we do it, the better our life and the life of everyone around us will be!

Color my world. I will color yours!

Thankfulness - Canada Day

I saw a post recently about thankfulness and in this post the author (who is Canadian) challenged everyone to say Thank You instead of Sorry. Simple but might not be so easy for Canadians, eh?

Yesterday we celebrated Canada Day. 150 years. The number is actually irrelevant in a way as in my opinion the celebration is about being Canadian and having the privileges (and responsibilities) as a Canadian. It doesn't really matter to me what and how it happened 150 years ago. Everything was different back then and life for everyone was not easy as it is for us in Canada today.

These are the best demos. The ones we perform for random crowds of people. I love seeing the excitement from kids seeing the dragon or lion coming their way, I love seeing the people who get stuck in the middle and slowly making their way out of the performance area as they don't want the dragon to see them. But what I like the most about the demos during Canada Day  is the fact that we have multiple demos and that we socialize in between the demos.

Thanks for everyone who share the day we me yesterday. It was lots of FUN.

Wealth of knowledge

This week was pretty hectic. Maybe this is why I enjoyed the weekend (but we will get to that later...).

The week started with very long Monday. Starting at the Tri at 6am. Full day of work and ending with 4 hours teaching Kung Fu. During the kids class, which is the class I usually teach, I tried to change the pace of the class and keep it more up beat. It is hard for some drills. I don't usually lead the adults class in the evenings, but this Monday I had the opportunity to teach the beginners adults. I ran a very fast pace class. I felt it was a good class.

Tuesday, I tried to keep the pace in the early morning class. It is much harder as most of us are still asleep. All but Mr. Beeler :-).

There is more movement at my work, specifically with the new project which I'm going to be part of the leadership team. I actually waiting for it to officially start. I don't like the waiting period.

There is a wealth of knowledge this year in the IHC. There are few individuals that are perusing mastery in leadership and reading their experiences and thoughts is very inspiring. My list of books to read is growing.

Most times I have the problem of being overwhelmed with the amount of options I have. It is hard for me to focus on one thing and get really better at. I was always scared of becoming the expert guy in something. Scared of the responsibility. But we have been talking lately about how we are making progress. Step by step. It doesn't matter which direction I'm going as long as I move forward and not backwards.

So this weekend, although very busy, was very enjoyable. I had the chance to go on a date to a restaurant, work in the garden (dam mosquitoes), bike with the kids on the trails, kayak, eat pancakes, watch a music recital, do some house chores, go to a workshop, take a kid to a birthday party (and back). That was a fun weekend but I am so exhausted now. I'm glad I get to go to work tomorrow...

Step by step

This week started with some not so positive feelings. As much as I try to convince myself it doesn't matter, I do not like not to be acknowledged when others are (and we did the same amount of work). It brings my energy levels down and makes me wonder why I put all the effort in to what I do.

But the week passes on and I get back teaching my classes. Sifu Brinker was leading the kids class on Wednesday and as always he brings a sense of purpose to what we do. His presence is always energizing and empowering. I tried to implemented some of his methods with the adults class and at least from my perspective it was successful class.

During black belt class I partnered my self with a different black belt from previous weeks. This gave me different perspective on what we are working. I feel that there is progress both with the form practice and with the application we are practicing. Step by step, class by class, we get better.

Work is very confusing - I have more time as my current projects are winding down but a much bigger project is going to start soon and I do not know how to approach it and where to focus my energy. As in many other time - I feel that I cannot focus on one thing and get really good at it, as I need to know everything to do with this new project.

Anyway, this weekend was a great break from all of it as we were camping and hiking in David Thompson area. What a beautiful place. I wish I could camp and hike more.

Tomorrow is a start of a new week. Let it be even a better week than the one that is ending.

I am Grateful

How many different emotions/feelings can you have in one day? Today I had lots.

Nervousness
Anxiousness
Gratefulness
Fear
Relief
Friendliness
Anticipation
Struggle
Hope
Appreciation

I think that at the end of the day I remain with 2 - hope that all will work out and grateful to all the people that came and helped me today - Mr. Kohut (Mike and Simon), Mr. Beeler (and his dad), Mr. Dyble, Mr. Mckee, Mr. Solinger (who I am also grateful for his future help) and especially Mr. Helm who spent more than 8 hours on the road and helping.

Thanks guys!!!

It is not all about the money, is it?

What we do, how we behave, how we interact with these who surround us should not have anything to do with money.

But -

Would you invest in a super duper security system that will provide security for your house but also for the whole neighborhood? Would you pay more than your next door neighbor does?

Would you invest more than others in your street to beautify the street landscapes?

Would you pay more than your friends to ensure that their kids (and yours) will get the best education?

Most people will say no unless it serves our own agenda. Fairness is key when dealing with money, however it is not and should not be the only factor you consider.