I had a really good kung fu week and a really good week at work. In my training I have been spending more time than usual talking to other students about different techniques and each person's interpretation of those techniques. I have really enjoyed trying out ideas with people that I don't usually practice with, different body types and sizes also play a pretty big role in how you are going to execute a move. It has been educational and given me lots to think about.
My work week has been challenging and rewarding all at the same time. I am learning more about how I communicate as a supervisor and how to improve it. I am learning how to calmly and succinctly express myself when challenged by another staff member. I have discovered that when commenting on someone's performance it is best to just say it instead of trying to be nice about it (that just seemed to get me in more trouble). It is sort of like ripping the bandaid off, it's best to just do it and not hesitate.
I have also been preparing for and teaching my suicide prevention refresher workshop. I have changed how I present it this year and so far I have received positive feedback. I still have a couple more workshops to do this week but I am not nearly as anxious about how they will go. Talking about suicide prevention always gives me a boost of energy about my work and pushes me to try new things and encourage others to do so as well. I also get quite a thrill from the teaching aspect, it is fun to organize something and then present it.
I also have the pleasure of teaching some new people all about how great it is to do the job that I do. I look forward to meeting the new people and sharing my excitement with them.
Until next week, work hard and have fun.

Reflection

I was recently looking back through my blogs, wondering where I was last year at this time, seeing what other triumphs and tribulations had occurred. There is definitely a theme to my ups and downs but the results are different, there is a distinct difference in how I react and how I deal with similar situations. So many changes have happened in the past year, that I had forgotten some of them, it was interesting to reminisce with myself.
While I was searching, I noticed that I have blogged nearly as many entries so far this year as I had all of last year. I am pretty proud of that. I am no longer struggling each week to figure out what to write, I just write about what I have been thinking about the most. Blogging has been a really great experience for me, I enjoy looking back at what was happening for me and I enjoy writing about where I am today. It is sometimes hard to sit down and admit that things aren't great or I am not where I want to be, but afterwards, it always serves to help put things into perspective.
It was a great reflective week.
Til next time, work hard and have fun.

Time Flies

I can't believe how fast time is going. Each day, I try to pack in everything that I can, training and domestic stuff. I am performing at a much higher level than ever before and time is just whizzing by. It doesn't seem that long ago that I would be totally gassed after spending the day training, now I come home and keep going. I think that I can also tell the difference between being really tired and my mind trying to convince my body to throw in the towel. I feel like I am in charge of my training and the direction that my life is going and I like it. I have often felt that I should do this and I have to do that, and right now I am doing exactly what it is that I want and need to do. I think this may be the living definition of being in the moment.
My training is going well. I have been working on my kicks for some time and I think that I may have had a break through this week. They feel different when I am powering up and when I am hitting the bag, I can feel the energy start to move through my leg until it releases at the bag. I can't do this each and every time but I think that I know what I am working towards now.
My forms continue to change daily, sometimes I feel good and I think that my forms look good too, on other days if I am not feeling it, I think that my forms look awful. I have yet to figure out if it is my head or my body that is leading the charge on this one. I am suspicious of the head on this one. My cardio is improving slowly, I did not realize how long and how much work it would take to get some strength and endurance back in this area. I know that I have come a long way from the very slow walks that I was taking at Christmas time, I sometimes lose sight of that and expect to be able to do what I could at this time last year. On the days that I can accept my limitations, I think that I perform better than on the days where I fight it. Hmmm...could be a pattern here.
I am continuing to read as much as I can about improving myself, I am reading some stuff about other people's journeys and finding that pretty interesting. I think that I can relate to some of the struggles that others have experienced. This helps me stay focused on my bigger picture.
I am struggling to write my progress down in more than one place. I write in my journal everyday to keep track of my training, but I am not as consistent in entering the data on the PhysOut site. I will work to improve this as it is more time consuming to add up a week's worth of numbers to put in than it is to do it daily.
So that is where I am at, working hard, enjoying the improvements that I am seeing and still working hard at what I think are my deficits. Until next time, work hard and have fun.

Cool thing

A cool thing happened last week, a client that moved away called me. He was very excited to let me know that he had started studying a martial art. He is totally loving it and I can totally imagine him embracing the discipline and respect that he will be learning. I can picture him adapting his lifestyle and excelling at everything that he tries. I am very proud of him for going outside his comfort zone and kind of thrilled that he shared it with me.