Be Bold and Proceed

This is the time of year my students tend to become inspired an motivated to refocus, retool, and begin their drive for black belt. Nothing like seeing a few of their peers get promoted to light the old fire.

I will be meeting with a few of my students this week to help them get on track to achieve their goals over the next couple of years. Any plan we come up with will still come down to their ability to follow through. Actions, not thoughts, produce results. No matter where you’re at, no matter where you want to go, the journey begins with just a single step. Overcoming the inertia of inaction can be a formidable task and anyone who takes that initial step gets my respect.

“If you’re going to do this you gotta pack your bags, kis your wife goodbye, and go to war.”- Samuel Mockbee (1944 - 2001)

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Today is the final day of the lunar year, the Year of the Dragon begins tomorrow. Chinese New Year is an important festival for a kung fu school and the next few weeks are going to keep us busy with lion dances, demonstrations, and celebrations.

The new year brings an opportunity to begin anew. The festivities of the lunar new year are about leaving the negative behind and starting the year off right. My plans are to start the new year strong beginning with 100 push ups and sit ups at midnight. By the end of the day I will complete at least 1000 of each. The pride of this accomplishment will be tempered with limiting my caloric intake for the day to less than 1000 calories to keep me mindful and appreciative of my privileged life.

It is no coincidence that my student UBBT team, the I Ho Chuan, begin their year-long challenge tomorrow. They will be leading my school for the next year through the power of example by mindfully embracing mastery. I am looking forward to sharing this journey with them.

“Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.” - Og Mandino (1923 - 1996)

Psychopath Test

I am currently reading Jon Ronson’s ‘The Psychopath Test’. It is a fascinating book that ultimately explores the prevalence of psychopathy in corporate and world leadership. It is estimated that about 1% of the general population could be classified as being psychopathic. In the corporate world, the percentage of psychopaths in leadership roles is four times as high.

This finding helps explain how corporations can turn a blind eye to environmental rape and exploitive labour practices in the name of profits. In fact many, if not most, companies actually seek out CEOs who have a proven track record of being able to make decisions without remorse or guilt so that shareholder profits are always maximized.

Jon Ronson is quick to point out that while it may be a psychopath who is leading the charge, it is the rest of us that are supporting and accepting this leadership. A lot of damage is being perpetuated by our collective greed and the political intimidation that induces a fear of speaking out or going against the flow.

“Suddenly, madness was everywhere, and I was determined to learn about the impact it had on the way society evolves. I've always believed society to be a fundamentally rational thing, but what if it isn't? What if it is built on insanity?” - Jon Ronson - (b. 1967)

Opportunities in a Moment

Sometimes we work so hard to improve ourselves physically and intellectually that we forget about our spiritual development. I eat healthy and exercise to feed my body, I read and study to feed my brain, and I practice mindful activism to feed my soul.

In answering the question - “What happens when we die?”, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh replied:

 “The question can be answered when you can answer this: What happens in the present moment? In the present moment, you are producing thought, speech, and action. And they continue in the world. Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature. Action is called karma. And that's your continuation. When this body disintegrates, you continue on with your actions. It's like the cloud in the sky. When the cloud is no longer in the sky, it hasn't died. The cloud is continued in other forms like rain or snow or ice. Our nature is the nature of no birth and no death. It is impossible for a cloud to pass from being into nonbeing. And that is true with a beloved person. They have not died. They have continued in many new forms and you can look deeply and recognize them in you and around you.”

All your thoughts and actions  continue on and bear your signature. What a wonderful thought and awesome responsibility. 

Beginning Anew

Everyday is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, leave the past behind, and begin anew. The start of a new year brings this opportunity to the forefront of awareness.

Beginning anew is an opportunity for forgiveness. Conflicts can take their toll without you even being aware of the cost you are paying. A lot of things seem to be important on the surface but upon reflection you are so much further ahead if you just let go.

Beginning anew is an opportunity to create. Creativity is an important ingredient of self worth. Often a lack of creativity is nothing more than a lack of mindful awareness. I plan on creating becoming part of my daily practice.

Beginning anew is an opportunity to simplify. Our daily clutter has a way of keeping us from seeing what is important. Sometimes we are so busy working for the future that we forget to live in the present. Experiences, not things define us. A mindful life free of conspicuous consumption is also a life free of guilt and endless want.

Beginning anew is an opportunity to act. Our world is created by our actions and our inactions. I live in a country where I can speak out for what I believe in without fear of persecution. For now. Rights and freedoms only exist if we exercise them and protect them.

My goal is to begin anew, everyday.

“No one else can speak the words on your lips. Drench yourself in words unspoken. Live your life with arms wide open. Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten.” - Natasha Bedingfield (b. 1981)

My Christmas Wish

Christmas has a way of reminding you of what is important. My most vivid memories of Christmas past are about the people I shared the season with and those whose absence reminded me of how important these shared moments are. The holidays bring us together as families, reconnecting us with who we are and bring to mind that we are the sum of our own experiences as well as those of our parents, and their parents. Every moment we experience colours the next. 

My wish is for Christmas to always be about the moments we experience and how great a gift a shared moment can be when we recognize all that is contained in that moment. May all our shared moments be enriched by our presence and may the quality of our presence be defined by the void left in our absence.

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)

"A" Is For Attitude

I have spent the past week helping my upcoming I Ho Chuan (Student UBBT) team prepare for the year long challenge that is going to begin on January 23, 2012 - Year of the Dragon. Many of the team became intimidated and filled with self doubt when they considered the scope of the requirements that lay before them. A few became frustrated when their strategy of only choosing personal requirements they were guaranteed of fulfilling was rejected by me.

There is an elegance behind Tom Callos’ Ultimate Black Belt Test that is easy to overlook. Every program requirement and challenge plays an integral role in ensuring the success of the participant. Whether the curriculum is making you more aware or helping you stay engaged, all serve a purpose.The best way to approach the curriculum requirements is to view each as a tool to assist you achieve mastery. I have found some people immediately interpret a requirement as a hoop they must jump through as opposed to the ladder it actually is. Just a small change of attitude can change the entire aspect of the challenge.

The UBBT has taught me a lot about kung fu and success, and all of that knowledge has come to me experientially. I have always known that a bunch of small things add up to a single big thing, logic dictates that. However, logical or not, that knowledge does not empower you until you put it into action and experience the rewards.

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference" - Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)