Learning

I really wanted to make a picture collage of what fall means to me but I have not been successful. I am going to ask someone with more computer experience than I to help me.  I have a difficult time asking for help so that will be my challenge for this week and hopefully there will be some beautiful pictures to post soon.

Emotions!!!

This week was powered by emotions of one sort or another. Some of them tried real hard to rule my actions but I persevered and didn't give in. I have been working really hard recently to control my emotional reaction to what is happening around me. It is mostly for work but it is helping in other areas of my life.

I cracked up when I saw this picture! I want to be a cat!!!!!

What usually happens when I get upset is that I turtle and don't do anything except eat things that I shouldn't. What I have been doing is recognize that something is upsetting me and try to analyze, in the moment, how best to handle it. What to say, how to act and how to react. It is not a 100% fool-proof plan just yet but it is beginning to slow me down a bit and I get in less trouble.
It is especially helpful at work where I have a tendency to react emotionally, say the wrong thing and make matters worse. So now I am taking a minute to gather my thoughts before I speak and spending a few minutes thinking through my actions before I act. It feels like a lot of hard work right now but I know that it is worth it.
I have also been dealing with an seemingly over-whelming feeling of not being able to handle what is put in front of me. It feels like it is too much, one more thing and I will explode! I am not sure where this is coming from or why but I know that I need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. I know that if I give in to the feelings, it will only make matters worse and I know that if I have a great work out then I feel better. So that is my big plan so far, 1) Do what I can, I don't have to do everything at once! and 2) Keep working out as much as possible, it is something that I have control over!

Demo practice

I wasn't really sure what to write about this week until I read Sihing Kreb's blog and realized that my blogging isn't just for me, people actually read it!
The last two weeks have been all about putting a demo together. Last week, we squeezed practices in when the dragon wasn't dancing. It was a lot of fun practicing in the park, I really enjoy the feel of the earth under my feet when I do my forms (even if there is mud oozing between my toes!). When you get a group of martial artists hanging out in a park, practicing what they love to do, you get a buzz that is indescribable! I want to say wicked awesome right here!!!! It is a buzz that carries into everything that you do, and it has people looking at  you and saying I want some of that.
This past week, we were inside, practicing after everyone had gone home. For me, it was reminiscent of late night practices for the Chinese New Year banquet, I liked it. On a couple of nights, I truly dragged my butt home so tired that I was already doing that twitching thing that happens sometimes before you fall asleep before I finished washing up. I still liked it!
On Friday, we unveiled our demo to the coaches and the students that we not able to be in it. The buzz in the kwoon was amazing! We were nervous and excited all at the same time, I loved it. I can honestly say that I am not sure how it really looked but being part of that moving energy was an incredible high. I walked away wanting to do it again and again and I hope that my teammates feel the same way.
The week ended for me at that point as I have come down with the head cold that is making it's rounds in my family and have had to take a day off.
I am so excited about my kung fu right now that I can hardly stand myself, it is all that I think about, in a good way. I think that I figured something out during feedback of the demo that has been plaguing me for years, I haven't been able to put my theory into practice but I will report on it as soon as I do.
Until next week, work hard and have fun.

Kung Fu things

I have lots of kung fu things on my mind right now. Demos, performances, volunteering, organizing, fund raising, leadership, mentorship, forms (fitting them to music) and perfecting what I have, teaching, learning.....I could go on and on. I feel fully immersed in my kung fu journey right now and it feels great.
We have been practicing a demo together that has been tons of fun, I love getting together with my team mates and creating something amazing. We feed off each other, share ideas and I am not the only one that wants to do one more rep. And no matter what happens, we always share a laugh!
I have been talking to people about doing a demo for them and I have been pleasantly surprised by how many are excited to have us come out and share a bit of ourselves with them. It has been a great experience so far, I'll keep you posted as the experience continues.
I love volunteering in my community and each year I look forward to shoveling for seniors. I don't mind the shoveling and I fully enjoy meeting the people that we help. They all have a story to tell and I love a good story.
I have discovered that I like fund raising because I have changed my perspective to focus on talking about the charities that we support and not really focusing on the money part. I am glad when people give me donations or buys my tickets but I really feel like I have a winner when someone takes a minute to find out about the charities that we support.
When it comes to leadership and mentorship, I am not really sure that I know what I am doing. I know the type of leadership that I respond to and I know who I want to be like.  I know that when I first started doing acts of kindness, I tried to act as if someone was watching me and counting my actions. Now I am watching me and I tried to act in a manner that I can be proud of everyday. I hope that makes me worthy of being someone's mentor.
I have been thinking and talking about teaching and learning a lot lately. I enjoy sharing what I know with others, young and old. I also enjoy figuring things out with others, like a form or how to help someone when they aren't very receptive to input. I work as part of a team in my career and have recently discovered that I am part of a large kung fu team that are all working hard to preserving our art.  I enjoy learning as part of a team, whether it is trying to reach a resistant teen or figuring out how to do a technique.
Those are the many things that are on my mind.
Until next week, work hard and have fun.

Another step on the road to mastery

What a great week! I am completely out of my element when it comes to this type of work. As usual, I make up in enthusiasm what I lack in skill.
I have enjoyed spending time with the students and leaving a little part of me in the kwoon. It is very difficult to put into words the impact that this has had on me and my training. I have worked very hard on my kung fu over the years and seen the benefits in my art and in my confidence. This week, I have worked very hard at our training hall and I feel like I deserve to train there now. I have had to make it a priority and make some adjustments in my schedule in to order to get the job done. The experience reminded me of when I first started working towards mastery, I had to adjust my life a little bit and make mastery a priority.
I get it! I embraced the opportunity and I am better for it.