More plans and getting readyness

I was excited to discover this week that my teammates are also getting ready for an amazing year! I started to follow two new teammates blogs and I look forward to discovering extraordinary-ness with them. I think that it is going to be a year of amazing discovery for all of us. I have been spending my free time trying to figure out how my goals are going to fit in to my everyday schedule. I will be adding a few things that I wasn't doing this year so it will take some work but I think that it can be done if I stay focused. I have also had a bit of down time this week so that I could plan for the coming year. I think that I am going to start blogging everyday on Jan. 01 so that I can test out how it will be, I will also start some of my other everyday goals so by the time that Feb.01 rolls around, I will have established a routine and be totally ready for amazingness! I am so ready to charge into the Year of the Horse!

Acts of Kindness - who really benefits

I love this time of year, not just for the pile of presents and the tons of food. I love that it gives people an opportunity to be nice to each other. I see them lending a hand to their fellow man, smiling a greeting, letting someone go in front of them and on and on. I used to be one of those people who hurried to get all the errands done, not really caring who I ran into or failed to notice, because I just wanted to get my stuff done. I really try hard not to be that person any more; I look around when I am shopping, smile at people, sometimes strike up conversations about anything, I help people wherever I go. Two very memorable acts made my week, I helped an elderly lady to her car and got some sage advise about aging (made me smile for days) and I overheard a couple discussing how the whole cart things works (do you need money or a special chip?) they both sounded super frustrated, so I offered them my cart. The look of surprise and gratitude has stayed with me all week and their shouts of Merry Christmas were heartfelt. 

When I first joined the UBBT team as a student, I wasn't really sure how the acts of kindness thing was going to work out. I was generally a nice person, helped people in trouble and although I could see how others might have benefited from the exercise, I certainly wasn't in need of any help in that direction. Of course, I couldn't have been more wrong! I'm not really sure how it worked but somewhere along the way, I began to transform into someone new. I began to be someone who looked for opportunities to help others and offer help even if it wasn't necessarily needed. I am a nicer person, I have developed compassion for the people that I encounter every day and I hope that I can teach others to adjust their mindset to do the same.

I am curious about how this particular requirement will enhance my life this year, the year of the Horse!

Patience

I have recently reaped the rewards of working towards and attaining my black belt, again! It taught me patience with myself and the learning process. My learning process is unique to me and I'm okay with that, I like to take my time and understand all the different parts before I am satisfied enough to move on. When I first started kung fu I was more concerned about keeping up with those standing beside me than learning the material. It was a learning experience for sure but the most valuable lesson that I could have ever learned. I am learning something new and I am in no hurry to get it done or learn it all. I am content to practice the pieces that I have and I can see that I am getting better each time I practice. I am grateful to kung fu for teaching me to accept my limits and to know when to push beyond them. I have never felt so calm and confident while learning something before and I like this feeling.

No kwoon for me!

This week had more to do with using the skills that I have learned in kung fu then practicing them. No I didn't get in a street fight! I did, however, need to use the patience that I have learned, was totally tested in the self control department and had to ramp up my treating everyone nicely skills (even if you disagree with them with your whole being). I was not at the kwoon at all this week except for Saturday and that is hard for me because I get re-charged for all the other parts of my life while I am at the kwoon. I try to manage the separation by reading the blogs and keeping up with what is happening on kwoon talk. I have one more week of not being there and then I am on holidays, hopefully I can manage until then. :) 

Goals, plans, thoughts

I have been working on my goals for next year for a while now and it is starting to get to the exciting part, making a plan. I have created a list of all the things that I would like to accomplish and now I am creating a plan for each thing so I can figure out if they are doable or not. I love a good plan so I really enjoy this part of the process.
Some of my goals require some prep work and a little research. Some of them require some determination and some 'just get it done' ness. It is shaping up to be a great year.
I had a great week at classes; I learned a lot in the kids classes and sweated a lot at Saturday's classes. It felt good at the end of the week to reflect and see that I had kept a few promises to myself this week and didn't give in to mediocrity.

I feel a little disjointed and not sure what or how to write this week's blog. I want to share what my week has been like but I am not really sure how to write it. I guess I want to say that I am really feeling positive about where I am with my Kung Fu right now. I am attending classes and working hard. I am setting goals and making plans. I am trying to create an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable doing the same thing. I don't want anyone to feel left out or like they can't accomplish what others are accomplishing, I think that with the right attitude, we can all accomplish what we set out to.