Confusion

What is the next step? Is it to continue down the same path, will it produce the best results?  Or is it time to make a shift and see if a different path will produce better results?

I am sure many people have these thoughts and are confused by them.  I know myself I am constantly confused and wonder if this is the right path or should I make a change.

My confusion will continue I don't know how long or even if it will end.

Energy

Well two weeks away from the Kwoon.  I will be able to get back and get energy from the Kwoon again.  It is interesting just what the surroundings and the people do for my training. I train at home but many times the same intensity is not there.

Who would guess that the energy inside the walls of a retail space in Stoney  Plain, Alberta could be so intense.

The world keeps surprising me

Plan for the Bokken

I am now back to doing 200 push ups a day.  My shoulder seems to be holding out well.  I have stopped doing squat thrusts for a while until I feel comfortable that my shoulder is working well.

I have begun to work with my Bokken. I don't have a form yet but am working on feeling comfortable with the weapon.  I expect to have a presentable form by the end of April.  This is the first time that I am creating a form on my own so I am hoping there will be creativity in the form without making it a caricature of myself and the weapon.

Time will tell and I will see how it goes.  Once I have something I will ask for feed back on improvements I can make it presentable.

On the Other Hand

How is this week?  Well I am torn.

I will be missing a few weeks of training at the Kwoon and will not be able to make it to the Chinese New Years Banquet.  This is not good and I feel in my soul that I am missing out on something extraordinary.  But on the other hand I am at work doing something cool and also taking care of the household while my wife is experiencing a trip of a lifetime.

I do enjoy when I am at home and taking care of the place when my wife is away.  I have always said to my son's, we can live like bears for a while.  The dogs get a freer roam of the house, meals take on a whole new dimension.  and we drive vehicles around our place where they probably shouldn't go. Oh and lots of target practice with the guns.

I will be gone for  a few days of work but in Alberta, not too much exciting there.  But my wife is experiencing something that few get to do.  First off she is a Dental Assistant by trade and teaches Dental Assisting at NAIT.  Because of this she was invited to participate in an international exchange where she is able to go and teach practical skills in Uganda and Rwanda in Africa.  So far what she has learned is there is a huge gap in skills between Canada and Africa.  She is actually humbled by how very lucky she was to be born in Canada and to receive her training in Canada.

Being able to go and practice your trade in other counties is not something many people get to do.  I miss her deeply but and so proud and happy she is able to have this experience in her life.  Oh and she gets to go on a Safari and to go see the mountain Gorillas.

What is team

Team is used a lot in todays vocabulary.  We hear about it at work.  The team.  We hear about it in other organizations.  The team.  How many truly understand what team is? When I think of a team I think about how as a group the individuals are better that the simple sum of themselves.  A team should be able to exponentially be better that the sum of the individuals.

Is this a truth of all teams?  Sadly I think not.  But if each of the individuals think of the team above themselves then I think that team can be better.

One of my business mentors has instilled in me to be great in business the organization/team all need to think as follows:

Mission
Team
I

There has to be a shared mission and the team then has to take precedence over the individual.  If this happens great things can happen

I saw this list the other day and it made me think about what my mentor has taught me.  It is talking about hockey but the lessons are the same.

Here comes spring and running

As the days get longer, I look forward to spring and everything that comes with it.  Well almost everything.  My nemesis comes around again in the spring after the snow is gone: running.  I don't like to run in the winter so I tend to do running from April to September.  Ok, I don't like to run in the summer either to be honest.

What I do know is running is one of those things that not only is good physically but also mentally.  I find I am able to be in a meditative state when I run.  After 5 or 10 minutes I am able to focus on my breathing and I can keep my head clear for the duration of the run.  The physical part is something I am not a big fan of, but gaining a state of mental relaxation  is one of the benefits of running.

So just waiting for the snow to go then back at the trails at Chicakoo.

What is the Essence?

Well the sheep is ready to move off into the sunset for greener pastures.  The monkey is coming down from the mountain and is getting ready to interact with me for the next year.

I am now finishing up my second year of I HO Chuan.  This upcoming  year I will be embarking on a trail by myself knowing that I have support from past team members.  These past two years have been physically and mentally challenging for me. I Ho Chuan is what I was looking for in my life and the benefits I have gained by being able to be involved in this very unique team will last a life time.  I have been involved in self improvement my whole life and have taken courses, programs and read extensively to become a better me.  I Ho Chuan has taken many of the concepts I have learned , but maybe not implemented, and simplified them to their very essence.

BE ENGAGED.

Wow simple words but oh so powerful.  With out the sore body, hurt shoulder, knee that felt like I may never be able to do another kick, I may never have been able to understand what engagement means.  It is spending a few minutes, many times, through out the day doing push-ups or squat thrusts, smiling at the person in the line up at the grocery store,  engaging a stranger in conversation, saying yes I will help or simply picking up a broom or garbage to do what needs to be done.  These are the physical parts of engagement.

What about the mental aspects.  Journaling my progress, constantly challenging what I "think" is true and opening my mind to new and powerful new ideas and concepts is invaluable.  For myself journaling has been the most powerful tool I have been able to incorporate to help me to be engaged. Writing is not natural for myself.  I have been able to articulate my thoughts with the spoken word but the written word was always more challenging.  By journaling I have been able to take the scramble of thought that enter my head and put them on paper and make something clear and articulate. ( At least to me, maybe not others) These thoughts or journal then becomes a permanent artifact that I can reread and understand what was going on in my mind and life at a particular point in time.

I think that everyone who is fortunate enough to be living right now and have the opportunity to be involved in this unique team should be thankful.  I will not take for granted the opportunity I have been fortunate enough to have experienced.  I will continue to incorporate what I have leaned and to grow personally to become a better person for my family, community and myself.

I am unsure what the future will bring. I am certain that the present will be mindful, engaged and focused on happiness.