1000

As the new year approaches, I am gearing up for my annual ritual of beginning my year with 1000 pushups, 1000 sit-ups, and limiting my caloric intake to 1000 calories. Starting the year in this way makes a powerful statement and puts some things in motion that serve me well.

One thousand of anything is a lot. Committing to 1000 pushups and sit-ups on January 1st makes me keenly aware of what I have been doing with myself up to this point — especially the night before. The consequences of bad food or a hangover are impossible to trivialize when you are committed to completing a major physical and mental challenge.

I get a lot of value out of my yearly ritual. Beginning a year strong with a major display of discipline sets myself up with the right attitude for success throughout the rest of the year. I have never understood how people expect to be able to stick to their new year resolutions when they spend the first day of the new year sick, recovering from a night of excess. I feel that the biggest impact is made at the beginning and at the end of an endeavour. If you start big and finish bigger, whatever happens in-between becomes less significant.

No matter what I choose to do or choose not to do on the first day of the year, my choices will be made with the mindfulness to make those choices relevant to the person I am and the person I am striving to become.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Lau Tzu (531 - 604 BC)

Wish

2013 has been a monumental year of change for me. There have been ups, there have been downs, and found within were many lessons for which I am grateful.  I approach my life from a foundation of gratitude and it has served me well. For that I am, uh, grateful. The year is winding down and it would be cool if it were to leave a couple of parting gifts behind.

My emotional engagement with my I Ho Chuan team is simultaneously represented by extreme pride and monumental frustration. While some of you have embraced the process and truly transformed your lives, there are still those of you who continue to approach the I Ho Chuan as a mountain to be climbed rather than a tool to be honed. I guess my wish for you all would be to recognize the irrelevance of the word ‘but’ when it comes to mastery.

“I had intended to journal every week BUT my internet access was limited.”
“I would have been at class BUT my car wouldn’t start.”

For a student these are excuses for not fulfilling commitments, but to mastery they are reasons for not achieving your potential.  Accomplishment is found in actions, not intention so the only relevance excuses have to mastery is how they identify the reasons why goals are not being achieved. Mastery is or isn’t, there is no A for effort.

To my black belt students, you are the foundation of the school. There isn’t a single one of you who has not inspired me and nurtured me. You guys are always there to support me when I need it the most. Having you all in my corner gives me incredible confidence and absolute trust in the future of the school. My wish for all of you would be that your leadership be always generated by a compassionate heart. A compassionate heart understands and inspires. Without compassion, there is only cold judgement. Judgement is always prejudicial and rarely serves. Honesty is very important but honesty without compassion can devolve into plain negativity. There are always students who will construe honesty to be negativity and you can’t always control that tendency. My wish is that you control what you can and generate your leadership from a compassionate heart.

“In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want.” - Irish Toast

Minimalism

It has been an ongoing personal goal of mine to reduce the number of my possessions to 100. I recognize that it is not a perfectly achievable goal but like kung fu, the value of pursuing it is found in the journey, not the destination.

Reducing possessions and opting out of the consumption paradigm opens up options for me and maximizes my freedom. The monetary cost of a possession is only one aspect of its true cost. It is easy to forget what the ongoing cost of keeping the possessions I acquire is. The consequences of big ticket items like a car or a house are more obvious. The responsibility that comes with purchases of those magnitudes is not easy to ignore. Job security and ongoing cash flow became greater priorities so I could service my loans and maintain my investments. My five year career plan instantly became a twenty five year retirement strategy. Options that were there the day before, evaporated the instant I took on huge financial responsibility.

There is nothing like a household move to help one understand the hidden costs of minor possessions. My move in 2006 opened my eyes to all the stuff I had acquired over my lifetime that I was not aware I still possessed. Yet each time I came across these forgotten items, they became sacred treasures that I was reluctant to part with. Luckily for me. moving costs, packing time, and the reality of a new house that did not have a basement all helped me maintain a logical perspective and eliminate some of the excess that had crept into my life. Freeing myself of all that clutter had a reciprocal effect on my mind. As my home became less cluttered, so did my thoughts.

I recognize that I will never get down to 100 possessions. My house requires appliances and furnishings and my garage requires motorcycles. Regardless, I will continue to reduce what I own and stay mindful of what I acquire. Nothing changes the world quicker than spending my money mindfully. Governments and corporations will always listen to the votes I cast with my wallet. Such is the priority of the capitalistic society we live in. Environmental responsibility and social justice? Never at the expense of the economy or revenue.

What makes this a super cool personal goal for me is the positive influences I am surrounded with. A couple of weeks ago I had a great conversation with Sifu Rybak and Sifu Robinson about the value of being minimalistic. Whenever you can share something this authentically spiritual with someone, it becomes that much more compelling. How lucky I am to be surrounded by like-minded people.

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” - Socrates (470 - 399 BC)

Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013)

"I am the first accused. I hold a bachelor's degree in arts and practised as an attorney in Johannesburg for a number of years in partnership with Oliver Tambo. I am a convicted prisoner serving five years for leaving the country without a permit and for inciting people to go on strike at the end of May 1961.

At the outset, I want to say that the suggestion that the struggle in South Africa is under the influence of foreigners or communists is wholly incorrect. I have done whatever I did because of my experience in South Africa and my own proudly felt African background, and not because of what any outsider might have said. In my youth in the Transkei I listened to the elders of my tribe telling stories of the old days. Amongst the tales they related to me were those of wars fought by our ancestors in defence of the fatherland. The names of Dingane and Bambata, Hintsa and Makana, Squngthi and Dalasile, Moshoeshoe and Sekhukhuni, were praised as the glory of the entire African nation. I hoped then that life might offer me the opportunity to serve my people and make my own humble contribution to their freedom struggle.

Some of the things so far told to the court are true and some are untrue. I do not, however, deny that I planned sabotage. I did not plan it in a spirit of recklessness, nor because I have any love of violence. I planned it as a result of a calm and sober assessment of the political situation that had arisen after many years of tyranny, exploitation, and oppression of my people by the whites.

I admit immediately that I was one of the persons who helped to form Umkhonto we Sizwe. I deny that Umkhonto was responsible for a number of acts which clearly fell outside the policy of the organisation, and which have been charged in the indictment against us. I, and the others who started the organisation, felt that without violence there would be no way open to the African people to succeed in their struggle against the principle of white supremacy. All lawful modes of expressing opposition to this principle had been closed by legislation, and we were placed in a position in which we had either to accept a permanent state of inferiority, or to defy the government. We chose to defy the law.

We first broke the law in a way which avoided any recourse to violence; when this form was legislated against, and then the government resorted to a show of force to crush opposition to its policies, only then did we decide to answer violence with violence.

The African National Congress was formed in 1912 to defend the rights of the African people, which had been seriously curtailed. For 37 years - that is, until 1949 - it adhered strictly to a constitutional struggle. But white governments remained unmoved, and the rights of Africans became less instead of becoming greater. Even after 1949, the ANC remained determined to avoid violence. At this time, however, the decision was taken to protest against apartheid by peaceful, but unlawful, demonstrations. More than 8,500 people went to jail. Yet there was not a single instance of violence. I and 19 colleagues were convicted for organising the campaign, but our sentences were suspended mainly because the judge found that discipline and non-violence had been stressed throughout.

During the defiance campaign, the Public Safety Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act were passed. These provided harsher penalties for protests against [the] laws. Despite this, the protests continued and the ANC adhered to its policy of non-violence. In 1956, 156 leading members of the Congress Alliance, including myself, were arrested. The non-violent policy of the ANC was put in issue by the state, but when the court gave judgment some five years later, it found that the ANC did not have a policy of violence.

In 1960 there was the shooting at Sharpeville, which resulted in the declaration of the ANC as an unlawful organisation. My colleagues man and I, after careful consideration, decided that we would not obey this decree. The African people were not part of the government and did not make the laws by which they were governed. We believed in the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that "the will of the people shall be the basis of authority of the government", and for us to accept the banning was equivalent to accepting the silencing of the Africans for all time. The ANC refused to dissolve, but instead went underground.

In 1960 the government held a referendum which led to the establishment of the republic. Africans, who constituted approximately 70% of the population, were not entitled to vote, and were not even consulted. I undertook to be responsible for organising the national stay-at-home called to coincide with the declaration of the republic. As all strikes by Africans are illegal, the person organising such a strike must avoid arrest. I had to leave my home and family and my practice and go into hiding to avoid arrest. The stay-at-home was to be a peaceful demonstration. Careful instructions were given to avoid any recourse to violence.

The government's answer was to introduce new and harsher laws, to mobilise its armed forces, and to send Saracens, armed vehicles, and soldiers into the townships in a massive show of force designed to intimidate the people. The government had decided to rule by force alone, and this decision was a milestone on the road to Umkhonto. What were we, the leaders of our people, to do? We had no doubt that we had to continue the fight. Anything else would have been abject surrender. Our problem was not whether to fight, but was how to continue the fight.

We of the ANC had always stood for a non-racial democracy, and we shrank from any action which might drive the races further apart. But the hard facts were that 50 years of non-violence had brought the African people nothing but more and more repressive legislation, and fewer and fewer rights. By this time violence had, in fact, become a feature of the South African political scene.

There had been violence in 1957 when the women of Zeerust were ordered to carry passes; there was violence in 1958 with the enforcement of cattle culling in Sekhukhuneland; there was violence in 1959 when the people of Cato Manor protested against pass raids; there was violence in 1960 when the government attempted to impose Bantu authorities in Pondoland. Each disturbance pointed to the inevitable growth among Africans of the belief that violence was the only way out - it showed that a government which uses force to maintain its rule teaches the oppressed to use force to oppose it.

I came to the conclusion that as violence in this country was inevitable, it would be unrealistic to continue preaching peace and non-violence. This conclusion was not easily arrived at. It was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle. I can only say that I felt morally obliged to do what I did.

Four forms of violence were possible. There is sabotage, there is guerrilla warfare, there is terrorism, and there is open revolution. We chose to adopt the first. Sabotage did not involve loss of life, and it offered the best hope for future race relations. Bitterness would be kept to a minimum and, if the policy bore fruit, democratic government could become a reality. The initial plan was based on a careful analysis of the political and economic situation of our country. We believed that South Africa depended to a large extent on foreign capital. We felt that planned destruction of power plants, and interference with rail and telephone communications, would scare away capital from the country, thus compelling the voters of the country to reconsider their position. Umkhonto had its first operation on December 16 1961, when government buildings in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Durban were attacked. The selection of targets is proof of the policy to which I have referred. Had we intended to attack life we would have selected targets where people congregated and not empty buildings and power stations.

The whites failed to respond by suggesting change; they responded to our call by suggesting the laager. In contrast, the response of the Africans was one of encouragement. Suddenly there was hope again. People began to speculate on how soon freedom would be obtained.

But we in Umkhonto weighed up the white response with anxiety. The lines were being drawn. The whites and blacks were moving into separate camps, and the prospects of avoiding a civil war were made less. The white newspapers carried reports that sabotage would be punished by death. If this was so, how could we continue to keep Africans away from terrorism?

We felt it our duty to make preparations to use force in order to defend ourselves against force. We decided, therefore to make provision for the possibility of guerrilla warfare. All whites undergo compulsory military training, but no such training was given to Africans. It was in our view essential to build up a nucleus of trained men who would be able to provide the leadership which would be required if guerrilla warfare started.

At this stage it was decided that I should attend the Conference of the Pan-African Freedom Movement which was to be held early in 1962 in Addis Ababa, and after the conference, I would undertake a tour of the African states with a view to obtaining facilities for the training of soldiers. My tour was a success. Wherever I went I met sympathy for our cause and promises of help. All Africa was united against the stand of white South Africa, and even in London I was received with great sympathy by political leaders, such as Mr Gaitskell and Mr Grimond.

I started to make a study of the art of war and revolution and, whilst abroad, underwent a course in military training. If there was to be guerrilla warfare, I wanted to be able to stand and fight with my people and to share the hazards of war with them.

On my return I found that there had been little alteration in the political scene save, that the threat of a death penalty for sabotage had now become a fact.

Another of the allegations made by the state is that the aims and objects of the ANC and the Communist party are the same. The creed of the ANC is, and always has been, the creed of African nationalism. It is not the concept of African nationalism expressed in the cry, "Drive the white man into the sea." The African nationalism for which the ANC stands is the concept of freedom and fulfilment for the African people in their own land. The most important political document ever adopted by the ANC is the "freedom charter". It is by no means a blueprint for a socialist state. It calls for redistribution, but not nationalisation, of land; it provides for nationalisation of mines, banks, and monopoly industry, because big monopolies are owned by one race only, and without such nationalisation racial domination would be perpetuated despite the spread of political power. Under the freedom charter, nationalisation would take place in an economy based on private enterprise.

As far as the Communist party is concerned, and if I understand its policy correctly, it stands for the establishment of a state based on the principles of Marxism. The Communist party sought to emphasise class distinctions whilst the ANC seeks to harmonise them. This is a vital distinction.

It is true that there has often been close cooperation between the ANC and the Communist party. But cooperation is merely proof of a common goal - in this case the removal of white supremacy - and is not proof of a complete community of interests. The history of the world is full of similar examples. Perhaps the most striking is the cooperation between Great Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union in the fight against Hitler. Nobody but Hitler would have dared to suggest that such cooperation turned Churchill or Roosevelt into communists. Theoretical differences amongst those fighting against oppression is a luxury we cannot afford at this stage.

What is more, for many decades communists were the only political group in South Africa prepared to treat Africans as human beings and their equals; who were prepared to eat with us; talk with us, live with us, and work with us. They were the only group which was prepared to work with the Africans for the attainment of political rights and a stake in society. Because of this, there are many Africans who, today, tend to equate freedom with communism. They are supported in this belief by a legislature which brands all exponents of democratic government and African freedom as communists and bans many of them (who are not communists) under the Suppression of Communism Act. Although I have never been a member of the Communist party, I myself have been imprisoned under that act.

I have always regarded myself, in the first place, as an African patriot. Today I am attracted by the idea of a classless society, an attraction which springs in part from Marxist reading and, in part, from my admiration of the structure of early African societies. The land belonged to the tribe. There were no rich or poor and there was no exploitation. We all accept the need for some form of socialism to enable our people to catch up with the advanced countries of this world and to overcome their legacy of extreme poverty. But this does not mean we are Marxists.

I have gained the impression that communists regard the parliamentary system of the west as reactionary. But, on the contrary, I am an admirer. The Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, and the Bill of Rights are documents held in veneration by democrats throughout the world. I have great respect for British institutions, and for the country's system of justice. I regard the British parliament as the most democratic institution in the world, and the impartiality of its judiciary never fails to arouse my admiration. The American Congress, that country's separation of powers, as well as the independence of its judiciary, arouses in me similar sentiments.

I have been influenced in my thinking by both west and east. I should tie myself to no particular system of society other than of socialism. I must leave myself free to borrow the best from the west and from the east.

Our fight is against real, and not imaginary, hardships or, to use the language of the state prosecutor, "so-called hardships". Basically, we fight against two features which are the hallmarks of African life in South Africa and which are entrenched by legislation. These features are poverty and lack of human dignity, and we do not need communists or so-called "agitators" to teach us about these things. South Africa is the richest country in Africa, and could be one of the richest countries in the world. But it is a land of remarkable contrasts. The whites enjoy what may be the highest standard of living in the world, whilst Africans live in poverty and misery. Poverty goes hand in hand with malnutrition and disease. Tuberculosis, pellagra and scurvy bring death and destruction of health.

The complaint of Africans, however, is not only that they are poor and the whites are rich, but that the laws which are made by the whites are designed to preserve this situation. There are two ways to break out of poverty. The first is by formal education, and the second is by the worker acquiring a greater skill at his work and thus higher wages. As far as Africans are concerned, both these avenues of advancement are deliberately curtailed by legislation.

The government has always sought to hamper Africans in their search for education. There is compulsory education for all white children at virtually no cost to their parents, be they rich or poor. African children, however, generally have to pay more for their schooling than whites.

Approximately 40% of African children in the age group seven to 14 do not attend school. For those who do, the standards are vastly different from those afforded to white children. Only 5,660 African children in the whole of South Africa passed their junior certificate in 1962, and only 362 passed matric.

This is presumably consistent with the policy of Bantu education about which the present prime minister said: "When I have control of native education I will reform it so that natives will be taught from childhood to realise that equality with Europeans is not for them. People who believe in equality are not desirable teachers for natives. When my department controls native education it will know for what class of higher education a native is fitted, and whether he will have a chance in life to use his knowledge."

The other main obstacle to the advancement of the African is the industrial colour-bar under which all the better jobs of industry are reserved for whites only. Moreover, Africans who do obtain employment in the unskilled and semi-skilled occupations open to them are not allowed to form trade unions which have recognition. This means that they are denied the right of collective bargaining, which is permitted to the better-paid white workers.

The government answers its critics by saying that Africans in South Africa are better off than the inhabitants of the other countries in Africa. I do not know whether this statement is true. But even if it is true, as far as the African people are concerned it is irrelevant.

Our complaint is not that we are poor by comparison with people in other countries, but that we are poor by comparison with the white people in our own country, and that we are prevented by legislation from altering this imbalance.

The lack of human dignity experienced by Africans is the direct result of the policy of white supremacy. White supremacy implies black inferiority. Legislation designed to preserve white supremacy entrenches this notion. Menial tasks in South Africa are invariably performed by Africans.

When anything has to be carried or cleaned the white man will look around for an African to do it for him, whether the African is employed by him or not. Because of this sort of attitude, whites tend to regard Africans as a separate breed. They do not look upon them as people with families of their own; they do not realise that they have emotions - that they fall in love like white people do; that they want to be with their wives and children like white people want to be with theirs; that they want to earn enough money to support their families properly, to feed and clothe them and send them to school. And what "house-boy" or "garden-boy" or labourer can ever hope to do this?

Pass laws render any African liable to police surveillance at any time. I doubt whether there is a single African male in South Africa who has not had a brush with the police over his pass. Hundreds and thousands of Africans are thrown into jail each year under pass laws.

Even worse is the fact that pass laws keep husband and wife apart and lead to the breakdown of family life. Poverty and the breakdown of family have secondary effects. Children wander the streets because they have no schools to go to, or no money to enable them to go, or no parents at home to see that they go, because both parents (if there be two) have to work to keep the family alive. This leads to a breakdown in moral standards, to an alarming rise in illegitimacy, and to violence, which erupts not only politically, but everywhere. Life in the townships is dangerous. Not a day goes by without somebody being stabbed or assaulted. And violence is carried out of the townships [into] the white living areas. People are afraid to walk the streets after dark. Housebreakings and robberies are increasing, despite the fact that the death sentence can now be imposed for such offences. Death sentences cannot cure the festering sore.

Africans want to be paid a living wage. Africans want to perform work which they are capable of doing, and not work which the government declares them to be capable of. Africans want to be allowed to live where they obtain work, and not be endorsed out of an area because they were not born there. Africans want to be allowed to own land in places where they work, and not to be obliged to live in rented houses which they can never call their own. Africans want to be part of the general population, and not confined to living in their own ghettoes.

African men want to have their wives and children to live with them where they work, and not be forced into an unnatural existence in men's hostels. African women want to be with their menfolk and not be left permanently widowed in the reserves. Africans want to be allowed out after 11 o'clock at night and not to be confined to their rooms like little children. Africans want to be allowed to travel in their own country and to seek work where they want to and not where the labour bureau tells them to. Africans want a just share in the whole of South Africa; they want security and a stake in society.

Above all, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy. But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on colour, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one colour group by another. The ANC has spent half a century fighting against racialism. When it triumphs it will not change that policy.

This then is what the ANC is fighting. Their struggle is a truly national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by their own suffering and their own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live. During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." - Nelson Mandela - April 20, 1964

Apocalypse

David Suzuki is 77 years old. He acknowledges that he is on borrowed time and living in the “death zone”. as he calls it. As his life and career wind down, Suzuki feels environmentalism has failed while the fight against climate change has come to a halt with world governments putting the economy ahead of the environment.

Stephen Harper’s government has pretty much beat David Suzuki, one of the few strong voices for reason, into submission. Suzuki has resigned from his own foundation out of fear that his involvement would cause the foundation to be targeted by the Harper government and lose its chartable status.

With David Suzuki fading out, who can fill his shoes? As the results of climate change continue to ravage the planet, people like Ezra Levant continue to make a living by bullying scientists and stretching facts to the fringes of libel to discredit any voice of reason.

We continue to argue about climate change when no one can deny that conspicuous consumption is not sustainable. If the economy is so so important, why are we putting all our eggs in the non-renewable resource basket?  We are heading toward an environmental apocalypse and no one seems to care as long as our wallets are being filled.

"Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, The moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky Are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass." - Dogen (1200 - 1253)

Transformation

I conducted my nineteenth black belt grading last night. A black belt grading is about evaluation and transformation. The candidates prepare for their grading for years with their final year being dedicated to mastery. The grading day is all about the transformation to black belt. The grading day is also an opportunity to evaluate the efficacy of the school’s curriculum through the performance of the candidates. A failure at a black belt grading is as much a reflection of the chief instructor as it is of the candidate. No matter the outcome, a black belt grading is an enormous opportunity.

A person dedicated to mastery has my respect. I know the discipline that is required to realize the payoff for all the hard work. I’ve seen many give up before achieving their goals. Not following through on your commitments dooms all the time invested to become a sacrifice.

I appreciate the time I got to spend with my candidates yesterday. It is inspiring to be in the presence of people who are dedicated to a higher ideal by striving to improve their own situation without resentment.

“On the path to mastery, erase any resentment you have towards masters. Develop compassion for yourself so that you can be in the presence of masters and grow from the experience. Rather than comparing yourself and resenting people who have mastery, remain open and receptive; let the experience be like the planting of a seed within you—with nourishment, it will grow into your own individual mastery.” - Stewart Emery

Scorpion Nature

There is a fable about a scorpion and a frog. The scorpion wishes to cross a pond but cannot find a way to safely cross. So the scorpion approaches the frog and asks, “Frog, my friend, would you please take me across the pond?” The frog replies, “I would very much like to help you but what if you sting me during the trip? I will die.” The scorpion says, “Why would I do that? If I sting you, you’ll die but I will die too.” The frog feels reassured and says, “Okay, that sounds reasonable. I do not mind carrying you across the pond. You can jump up.” The scorpion jumps on the back of the frog and the frog jumps into the water and begins to swim.  Everything is going well until, halfway across the pond, the scorpion stings the frog. The frog, deep in pain, cries out to the scorpion as he begins to drown, “Why did you sting me? Now I’ll die, and you are going to die too.” The scorpion replies, “I know that , but I cannot help myself. It is my nature.”

Everyone has a scorpion nature. We all do and say things that fail to serve anyone, including ourselves, but yet we do them regardless. It is our nature.

We can change our nature. I have students who dwell on the negatives. Rather than concentrate on what they need to do to succeed, they resent the success they see others achieve.  Careful attention to the words we choose to use and the  emotions we choose to release can change the way we think and the way we interpret the world. They key is choice. It is always ours.

“Smile, breathe, and go slowly.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)

Inertia

I am an idealist and I believe in the inherent goodness found in everyone. We all want the world to be a better place. More kindness, more compassion, and less suffering. We may have different ideas on how to achieve these objectives but it is my belief that we all want the same things.

Politics have never been something that interests me nor have politicians ever held my respect. My lack of interest would never be classified as apathetic. I have always cared deeply about social issues and I am aware that, without government support, many issues cannot be adequately addressed. Over the past several years I have taken a more hands-on approach to politics as one of my mastery goals. I’ve educated myself and actively participated in elections to help facilitate the change I believe is needed. I have learned a few things on the way.

People care but don’t feel their vote really counts. Yes, they do understand that every vote counts but when their elected representative is expected to represent the wishes of his party leadership over the wishes of his constituents, our vote do not mean much. We basically have government without representation. People do care but until the politicians actually represent something worth voting for, people cannot be expected to believe their vote actually counts for anything,

What is the answer? I am not sure. I recognized long ago that most political parties are pretty much the same. They govern to meet their own needs and to placate those who put them in power but they do not really address the social issues that most of us care about. Their primary mandate is to keep the economy growing at its unsustainable rate and hope like heck the day of reckoning does not come during their watch. We’re all complicate in the cycle of indifference this creates with the voting public. As long as we’re feeding our family and the kids have the newest iPhones, we become quite complacent with how things are and accept a certain level of mediocrity.

Back in 2006 I made a huge mistake. I had the idea that if everyone held the current government accountable to keep the promises that got them elected, eventually the system would work the way it was designed. I voted for Stephen Harper, not because he promised change, but because he was change. I figured if he turned out to be like all the rest we could just vote him out and begin anew with another guy. Politicians, more than anyone else, know how their bread gets buttered. They will do whatever it takes to get elected and if telling the truth and keeping promises is what people want, they will adapt. On paper my idea is sound but what I did not factor in is the untold damage a person like Harper can do while he is in power. Nor did I expect it to be this difficult to get everyone on the same page to get him out of power.

Stephen Harper was change but not the change he promised nor was he the change we needed. The damage he has done to democracy in this country is so massive, it will not be fixed in my children’s children’s lifetime. Harper promised to reform the senate. Not only did he not reform it but the very senators he appointed are behind the scandal that promises to force the reforms he promised seven years ago. To add insult to injury, Harper is now blaming the opposition parties for the lack of senate reform despite his promise that if we gave him a majority government the opposition could not block him in any way. Well we gave him his majority and he is still claiming he is impotent.

Despite seven years of broken promises, despite running up the biggest deficit in Canadian history, Harper continues to enjoy the support he needs to hold on to power. I really thought the senate scandal would be enough to show people his true colours but now I am not so sure. Harper has continued to contradict himself week by week and has been proven to have been telling one lie after another but listening to people at the Conservative convention this weekend in Calgary gush about his integrity makes one wonder what someone has to do to get fired  by that party.

Our parliamentary system is one of the most democratic on paper. In practice, it does not seem that way and under Harper it has become a virtual dictatorship that is going to be very difficult to usurp. Those who are turning a blind eye because they support Harper’s ideals will someday regret it when the next guy in power does not conform to their ideals but still enjoys the unbridled power that Harper has put in place for the ruling party. What goes around . . .

“Leaders must wake people out of inertia. They must get people excited about something they’ve never seen before, something thad does not yet exist.” - Rosabeth Moss Kanter (b.1943)

Russell Brand

It is impossible for me not to be a huge Russell Brand fan after this. I admire people whose passion comes out as clearly as his does. If we all were as well versed about issues we care about, public apathy would not be so prevalent.

"I recognize that I have the ability to be selfish, but I also recognize that you can't be happy if you only care about yourself at the expense of other people." - Russell Brand (b. 1975)

A Single Act, Many Ripples

This is one of the most inspiring things I have ever seen. Being in the right place at the right time is one thing but making the most of an opportunity is when magic happens.

"Life well spent is long." - Leonardo Da Vinci (1452 - 1519)

Connecting the Dots

As a teacher, it can be frustrating when a student continues to let opportunities pass them by because they are too busy dealing with their own frustrations brought about by missed opportunity.

I tend to have more questions than I have answers and I usually get more things wrong than I get right but there are a few things that I know to be absolutes when it comes to mastery.

• There are more opportunities in every moment in every day than you can count.
• No one has control over you that you have not given them. 
• Everyone has something to offer.
• Small things add up to big things.
• Gratitude is key.

My advice:

• Take responsibility for your situation and change it to your liking. And for everyone's sake, stop pointing fingers and stop whining. 
• Be mindful and take instruction whether it is offered or not. Everyone is a potential mentor. It is easier to build upon someone else's mistakes than having to make your own. 
• Stick to your commitments. You can only break so many promises before you lose all credibility. You must be able to trust yourself or future commitment is pointless.
• Learn to show gratitude for what you have. While things may not be pristine and perfect, they are still pretty freaking awesome. Open your eyes and be thankful.

Lastly, follow the Black Belt Success Cycle:

• Set a goal 
• Have a plan (and success coach)
• TAKE CONSISTENT ACTION
• Review your progress
• Review your goals

"The truth knocks on the door and you say, go away, I'm looking for the truth, and it goes away. Puzzling." - Robert M. Pirsig (b. 1928)

Thanksgiving

A small portion of what I have to be thankful for:

I live in a privileged country where war and the atrocities associated with it remain primarily an abstraction for most. While I have moments of want, I have never been in need.

I share a lifestyle with a bunch of amazing people that supports a healthy mind and a healthy body. I live a life of consequence and that ensures I will never have to sacrifice quantity for quality or vice versa.

As I continue to refine my practice, my mindfulness allows me to witness more miracles in a single moment than I can count.

My life is blessed by people who love me and inspire me to be a better person every day.

"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." - Woody Allen (B. 1935)

Evolution

I spent a lot of time cleaning out my email this week. I tend to hold a few gigabytes of data in my mailboxes and every so often I get rid of old, no longer relevant, messages. Mixed in with the soon to be deleted bunch are always a few gems that can be inspiring to revisit.

Change is constant. Reading old correspondences can be a real eye opener to just how much I have changed. I have dedicated the majority of my life to mastery but my focus has never been as intense as it has been these past five years. Nor has change, and that's change for the better, been more prevalent.

Reading my old emails remind me that I am evolving. Everyday I go to bed a different person than I was when I woke up that morning. It's up to me to fill my day with things that ensure I am evolving into the person I want to be.

“We change, whether we like it or not.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Wuji

After my posting last week I have been much more conscious of the concept of wuji (without extremes) and its importance in everyday life. With anything that requires discipline for success, the value of wuji is obvious. If wuji is not applied to your approach to training, it is very hard to make meaningful progress in something like kung fu. Training like a demon when you are inspired and motivated while not training at all during the inevitable periods of low motivation makes attaining a black belt almost impossible. Discipline is not an all or nothing concept. It is all about consistency — without extremes.

The value of wuji extends to all aspects of life but it can be an easy abstraction to overlook. I find the more stress that enters my life, the greater extremes I go to in order to endure it. Ironically those extremes rarely serve me and tend to generate more stress and perpetuate a negative cycle. Mindful effort to stay in the present moment is really all that is needed to eliminate extremes and apply wuji.

“If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be much better to turn your attention to the fact that there’s an arrow in your heart…" - Pema Chodron (b. 1936)

Intensity

The term intensity, when applied to kung fu, can be a difficult concept for a student to grasp. Intensity is a physical state that is induced by your mental state. Many people are mentally intense but cannot channel that mental intensity so that they benefit physically from it. There are many facets to intensity but they all come down to right mind. Right mind can be defined as right thought, right emotion. Right thought has many components behind it but the biggest factor contributing to right thought and right emotion is wisdom. The more experience we have, the easier it becomes to control our emotions and by extension, our thoughts and the focus of our actions.

Wude, or 'martial morality' describes kung fu's code or system of ethics. The term consists of two aspects — morality of deed and morality of mind. Right thought and right action are achieved by harmonizing our emotional mind and our wisdom mind. It is all about control.

Wuji, or 'no extremity', is the ultimate goal of a kung fu stylist. This is a state where emotions and wisdom are in perfect harmony. The right mind required to maintain this harmony is in constant flux from environmental factors. I teach my students to disrupt their opponent's mental state before concentrating on defeating them physically. Pushing your opponent out of a balanced mental state (wuji) diminishes their effectiveness.

The six harmonies teach us to harmonize our spirit with our intent, our intent with our chi, and our chi with our strength. When I talk about intensity I am referring specifically to the first internal harmony — your spirit with your intent. If you have not achieved wuji, this harmony will elude you.

"Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind." - Zen Proverb

Regrets

Perhaps the greatest gift my parents ever gave me, beyond their unconditional love, is the gift of music. I was five years old when they acquired the family piano and gave me and my sisters the opportunity to learn to play. Their only condition was that once we started, we would not have the option of quitting until we were sixteen years old. With my five years of life experience, I considered all the implications and jumped in with both feet. There was never any doubt in my mind.

Within days I learned that time was relative. Thirty minutes of practice everyday did not seem like much when I considered how fast each episode of the Fintstones flew by. Yet a half hour is a lifetime when you are sitting at the piano, practicing a piece you hate, while outside your window all your friends are playing hockey within your peripheral vision. How I pleaded with my mom and dad to let me quit.

Mom and dad were true to their word. I spent the next eleven years studying through the Royal Conservatory because quitting before sixteen was not an option. My biggest regret in my life? Quitting piano at sixteen. Ah the folly of youth.

Studying the piano gave me an appreciation for music that I have since passed on to my own children. The discipline of the art, forced or not, has taught me to be to not be a quitter. I hold a black belt because of that piano. My experience with the piano reinforces what I have observed as a teacher — Children need the benefit of their parents' experience to make important decisions for them. If it were up to me, I would have quit piano before my sixth birthday. What a horrible loss that would have been.

Thank you mom and dad for looking out for me and making the right decisions for me. My only regret is that you gave me that much control at sixteen because my decision to quit was the wrong one.

“At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child's success is the positive involvement of parents.” - Jane D. Hull (b. 1935)

Mental Health

Silent River Kung Fu supports Rotary's Run For Life every year to help raise funds for suicide awareness and prevention. Odds are that we all will be touched by mental illness in our lifetime yet finding help when you need it can be difficult. As a society we are quick to address obvious physical ailments but we tend to sweep mental issues into the closet and cloak them in a shroud of stigma.

I have witnessed loved ones suffer unspeakable mental anguish while I feel alone and helpless, unable to help or fully empathize. There is no greater feeling of guilt than the guilt of letting down those you are responsible to protect.

Rotary's Run For Life is a big step in the right direction. Mental illness needs to be brought out of he shadows and acknowledged as an important health issue that deserves proper attention and funding.

“If there were a physical disease that manifested itself in some particularly ugly way, such as postulating sores or a sloughing off of the flesh accompanied by pain of an intense and chronic nature, readily visible to everyone, and if that disease affected fifteen million people in our country, and further, if there were virtually no help or succour for most of these persons, and they were forced to walk among us in their obvious agony, we would rise up as one social body in sympathy and anger. There isn’t such a physical disease, but there is such a disease of the mind, and about fifteen million people around us are suffering from it. But we have not risen in anger and sympathy, although they are walking among us in their pain and anguish.” - Russell Hampton - The Far Side of Despair

Gratitude - Brian Macdonald

It has been over thirty years since I took my first lesson in kung fu. Kung fu has been a huge part of my life ever since and I am very grateful for the people the art has brought into my life.

I first met Brian Macdonald around twenty years ago. I had sought out certification under Grand Master Margie Hilbig and Brian was her right hand man at that time. Margie spent around five minutes with me that first day and then passed me on to Brian. I was immediately struck with how engaged he was. His manner is such that he can immediately put anyone at ease. Little did I know that I had just met the person who was going to become one of the most important and influential people in my life, and a trusted lifelong friend.

Sigung Macdonald is one of the most skilled martial artists I have ever met. I know that if he ever reads this he will cringe. His humility makes him an avid promoter of others and reluctant to accept praise for himself. I think it is that humility that drew me to him as it is an attribute I greatly admire.

I am grateful to have Brian Macdonald in my life as an example of what it means to be a dedicated student of the art. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of his flying spinning back fist knows first hand what blinding terror feels like. We also are blessed to have experienced, a moment later, the absolute relief and joy that comes when you realize you are still alive. Despite his advanced rank and skill, Sigung Macdonald sees himself as a student first and a teacher second.

Kung fu has blessed me by bringing many amazing people into my life and none are more important than Brian Macdonald.

“In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” - Albert Schweitzer

Compassionate Honesty

Every teacher has their teaching methods. Likewise, every student has their learning methods. Since the teacher is teaching multiple students, it is impossible for them to find a teaching method that will work for each and every student. However if the students learn to be flexible and adapt their learning method to suit the teacher's teaching method, everyone progresses. It is no coincidence that one of the most common attributes of a black belt is adaptability.

Feedback, an essential element in teaching, is only effective if it is received openly by the student. If the student gets defensive and attempts to invalidate the feedback, the lesson is lost. Excluding the students who will always be impossible to reach, the way feedback is delivered is the biggest determining factor on how the feedback is received.

Most teachers are never lacking in compassion. We see ourselves in our students and we take responsibility for their progress. We spend a lot of time empathizing with our students and looking for ways to inspire them to open their minds and believe in themselves. Sometimes in all that compassion, the lesson can be lost.

A key component to compassionate teaching is honesty. I am my students' eye for detail. My experience helps me see their strengths, their weaknesses, and most importantly — their potential. My compassionate honesty is essential to open their minds to see what I see.

“If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed.” - Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180 A.D.)

Connecting the Dots

Journalling has never been an easy undertaking for me. My thoughts and ideas tend to be very abstract in nature and I would describe many of my decisions and strategies to be intuition based. Obviously my intuition is based upon the sum of my experiences but that experiential knowledge resides more at a subconscious level making it difficult for me to provide logical explanations and justifications for the decisions I make and the value system that influences them. Hence why journalling is such and arduous task for me.

Rewind to six years ago. My friend and mentor, Tom Callos, convinced me to commit to a weekly journalling routine. Not something I wanted to do but my respect for Tom inspired me to go outside my comfort zone and trust his advice that weekly journalling is an important tool of mastery.

Fast forward to today. Weekly journalling is no easier for me today than it was when I started six years ago. In fact it is a little more difficult. I continue to struggle to find my voice and temper my postings so that they serve more than just a venue to vent my rage and frustrations. The world is not even close to being perfect but there are constructive and non-divisive ways of addressing the issues I am passionate about. I am learning and my progress continues to be slow but steady.

Despite the difficulty I face in journalling every week, the benefits I have realized by using this tool have been spectacular. I often talk to my students about expanding their vocabulary of motion and in that vein I have found weekly journalling has expanded my vocabulary when it comes to defining the benefits of kung fu.

A tool is only useful as such if you use it. I have used my journalling tool 299 times in the last six years. I have journaled about politics, the environment, mental health, kung fu, pets, and life in general. My postings haven't all been gems but each one served its purpose by helping me find my voice and learn what has gone into making me who I am.

“Words are the voice of the heart.” - Confucious (551 - 479 BC)

Perpetual Victims

Some people are difficult to help. These people tend to be perpetual victims of circumstance. Things are never quite right for them as they struggle, too focused on things that are not perfect to notice all the opportunities they have in front of them. It is easy to get trapped in a cycle of self-imposed helplessness where it is easier to find excuses than solutions.

There is a proverb that says - "He who cannot dance claims the floor is uneven." The difference between success and failure often comes down to honesty. If I look at myself in the mirror and see myself for exactly who I am, and take responsibility for that person, I will work diligently to fix those things I know about myself that I do not like. If I am not honest, I will only see what I want to see and blame outside influences when reality does not mesh with my ideal construct. In essence, I victimize myself.

"Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses." - George Washington Carver (1864 - 1943)

Ego

There are those who want to get a black belt and there are those who are a black belt. The difference is found in their approach after that black belt is tied around their waist.

Being a black belt is all about mastery. and mastery is more than discipline and hard work. There has to be a resonating purpose behind the efforts of a master because mastery is not the blind pursuit of knowledge, it is about understanding and awareness.

This is the time of year that I put a lot of thought into what type of black belts I am trying to produce. A person only earns that rank once so it is important that I get it right. I want my students to recognize that their actions can serve them or their actions can serve their ego. That difference in perspective will determine if the student gets a black belt or becomes a black belt.

“The Ego is not who you really are. The ego is your self-image; it is your social mask; it is the role you are playing. Your social mask thrives on approval. It wants control, and it is sustained by power, because it lives in fear.” - Deepak Chopra (b. 1947)

Boot Camp 2013

Yesterday was one of my favourite days of the year - Boot Camp day. It is a day of challenge, opportunity, and inspiration. There is nowhere else you could find a better bunch of people gathered together with such positive intent than Keephills yesterday.

Certain circumstances prevented me from attending every seminar but I could tell that everyone had a great time. My students are extremely fortunate that we have such a strong base of skilled, dedicated black belts to allow us to put this event together every year.

The real value of the boot camp is realized when the students are able to take the vast variety of knowledge they were exposed to and apply it, over the long term, to their training.

“Many of life's failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” - Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931)

Spirit Versus Letter

Summer is almost half over. It is amazing how quickly the time slips by. There is a lot going on and when you get into only putting out fires, mindful living becomes difficult.

SRKF's annual Black Belt Grading is coming up fast and I am thankful for the great group of black belts that make up our grading board. We have a total of 28 degrees between the seven of us and I value the unique insights that each one brings to the table. Our grading process continues to evolve and improve each year but the last three years have seen the biggest improvement to the process because of the infusion of the fresh perspectives of three new members.

Grading someone for their black belt is not an easy process. Every requirement from white belt to black belt serves a purpose. Each requirement's purpose is that of a tool – a tool to be used to build the skill and experience necessary to create a quality black belt. The grading becomes a challenge when the requirements are approached as hoops for measuring achievement as opposed to the tools for which they were intended. The most limiting approach anyone can take is that of striving for the letter of the requirement as opposed to the spirit of the requirement.

What creates confusion for the student is when what is considered a pass for one student may not be a pass for another student. It is easy to think that way when you ignore the hoop versus tool and letter versus spirit approaches. Once you recognize and achieve the correct perspective in your training, comparisons lose their relevance.

In a nutshell, every requirement is a tool to achieve the six harmonies. It is the job of the grading board to help each student utilize every tool at their disposal to develop the correct skill that produces the necessary results.

"He kept explaining to us reasons why things can’t get done. It infuriates me." - Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)

Form Versus Application

Form is an integral part of the martial arts, in fact form is the one thing that makes a martial art an art. There are the forms we learn, Kempo, Lao Gar, Da Mu Hsing — their practice give us the base upon which our style is built. But form is also found in the way we teach applications. The subtle movements of an application, along with the theory and thought process that supports the movement, make up the form of the application. This form is the base upon which every variation of the applied application is based.

Ego is a major interfering factor when it comes to approaching a martial art as an art. It is our ego that limits our understanding and limits our receptiveness to higher level learning. Ego-based practitioners focus on application first and form second.

An application is only an application for a very specific list of parameters. Opponent grabs me here, I shift my weight, turn their arm, and take them down. Voila, it works. Now if my opponent grabs me over there then I learn another application to respond. I keep learning new applications to address specific scenarios. If someone attacks me outside my learned defences, I am on my own.

Form is the idea and logic behind the application. Motions are exaggerated to reinforce the subtleties of the application so that it is technique and not brute strength that addresses the situation. A person who learns form is actually learning an infinite number of applications where they just have to adapt their core knowledge to the specific situation. Their defence is not based upon a set number of memorized responses but rather a single fundamental idea. Their response is a continually in flux as the parameters of the attack change.  A person who only learns application is very limited in their response because the natural flow from one application to another is not supported by a cohesive base.

Form versus application? The ego decides.

"A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at." - Bruce Lee (1940 - 1973)

Perspective Revisited

As a kung fu teacher, I recognize that perspective is important when it comes to maintaining momentum toward achieving your goals. It is easy to fall into a motivation trap if your perspective begins to warp.

The biggest issue I see students struggle with is recognizing the different between an investment and a sacrifice. If you only see the time you spend training as a sacrifice to other aspects of your life it is pretty hard to remain committed to your training. However if you recognize the overall payoff that will come from the training, that investment becomes something easier to commit to.

Another issue that students struggle with is clarity of purpose. Sometimes the reason why we are working so hard gets distorted to such a degree that the value becomes lost. Staying mindful of the why behind the activity helps validate the time and sweat that goes into it.

Proper perspective feeds proper perspective. With clarity of purpose, it is much easier to recognize the value of an investment. Once mindful of that value, everything that used to be a responsibility now becomes an opportunity. It is a lot easier to motivate yourself to cease an opportunity than it is to execute a responsibility. It is all a matter of perspective.

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” - Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

Misery Loves Company`

Fear of failure can be crippling. I remind all of my students that there is always growth and benefit from effort. We learn from our attempts and refine our approach accordingly. Every attempt is one more step closer to our ultimate goal. The only true failure is when you fail to even try.

Insecurities can be alleviated or reinforced depending upon what one is trying to accomplish. Unfortunately one of the most common reactions to insecurity is to seek validation. There is logic behind whom we choose to share our insecurities with. Our choice depends upon whether we want help to overcome our insecurities or whether we want another passenger on our pity bandwagon. It is more often the latter than the former as misery loves company.

The solution to insecurities ultimately lies within. There are a lot of strategies that can be employed to empower ourselves to take responsibility and, ultimately, control over our situation.

• Ask yourself how your words and actions serve you? This one act of mindfulness can change a situation rather than drag someone else down into it.

• The solution lies within so talk about your insecurities. Share with someone who can help as opposed to searching out like-minded people to validate your feelings.

• When listening to others, don't just listen to what they are saying, listen to why they are saying it. It is easy to get get your back arched when you are not hearing what you want to hear. If you consider why someone is saying what they are saying it is always easier to recognize the benevolent heart behind their words.

• Become a resource for others. Help them through their insecurities and you will develop solid strategies for dealing with your own.

“If men as individuals surrender to the call of their elementary instincts, avoiding pain and seeking satisfaction only for their own selves, the result for them all taken together must be a state of insecurity, of fear, and of promiscuous misery.” - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Germany

I have been in Germany for the past week with little or no internet access. The Germans don't seem to sweat their lack of connectivity as much as we do in Canada. Hotel wifi tends to be very problematic but everyone seems to just go with the flow. Immersing myself in a foreign culture has identified some things I am not proud of in my own.

We take resources for granted in Canada. The towns in Germany are spectacularly clean and they take reducing and recycling very seriously. The supplies in a German hotel room are spartan compared to Canadian hotels. Litter is almost non existent and I would estimate 30% of residences in some communities utilize solar power.

There is a lot we can learn from the German example. They equate the quality of their environment with the quality of their lives.

'The frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives." - Chinese Proverb

Green Business Certification

I have been incorporating Environmental Self Defence into my curriculum for a few years now through various projects and initiatives. I am a firm believer that respect for the environment is an integral component of developing respect for oneself.

It is not easy to always do what is right for the environment, let alone encourage that responsible behaviour in my students. I continue to butt heads with students and parents concerning issues like the banning of bottled water products from Silent River Kung Fu. I do my best to lead by example and I am slowly making progress along the environmental responsibility front.

I am proud to say that as of June 14, 2013, Silent River Kung Fu became the first martial arts school in Canada to be Certified as a Green Business. When I began pursuing this certification a year ago, my intention was to set a strong example for my students and community but my achievement paid dividends beyond my original goal through the additional knowledge I acquired during the certification process.

I am reminded that no effort expended toward self improvement is ever wasted.

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” - Earnest Hemingway (1899 - 1961)

Control

I've been encouraging my daughter to change the words she chooses to use when describing a negative experience. I remind her that words can resonate forever and, at a minimum, colour her perceptions and her mood. The words we use mirror our thoughts and vice versa. Change one and the other will also change. It is much easier to change words than it is to change thoughts. I remind her that everyone has a choice in the words they use, they just need to exercise that control.

We are constantly bombarded with experiences and situations that evoke emotions that influence our responses. It is important to be reminded that while we cannot control what others say and do, we can control how we choose to interpret what they say and do. Taking it one step further we can control how we respond to what they say and do. This is the control I am talking about when I tell my students that a black belt needs to be a control freak. I want everything in my mind to be my responsibility. I want to decide what will and will not influence me. I am 100% accountable for my situation. If I do not like it, I have the power to change it.

“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.” - Albert Ellis (1913 - 2007)

It's the Little Things

I have the world's best job. I spend everyday surrounded by people endeavouring to improve themselves and the world around them. There is no greater source of inspiration than sharing the journey to mastery with someone. You feed on each other's accomplishments and you lend a hand when one of you falter. Experience has shown me that it is the little things that are the difference between failure and success.

I constantly remind my students that every moment of everyday is another opportunity. It is the little things we choose to do with those moments that move us closer to our goals or, at a minimum, open doors for future opportunities. We all know that often inspiration and success are achieved by nothing more than being in the right place at the right time. When it comes to kung fu, I remind my students that we have no control over the right time. You can have the same lesson taught to you by your instructor over and over and it never gets through until one day all the pieces seem to fit and the lesson finally sticks. It is just the right time. While we may not have control over the right time, we have absolute control over the right place — the kwoon. At the kwoon we are surrounded by like-minded individuals, all focused on our own and each other's success. You are not going to learn kung fu sitting in front of a television. Each time you show up for class, you create the opportunity to improve.

Everyone looks for a game-changing experience or opportunity when it comes to achieving their goals. Often it is the seemingly insignificant opportunities that we miss while we are busy searching for those big opportunities that keep us mired in mediocrity.

I have noticed three little things that make a big difference when it comes to achieving long-term goals:

• Always show up. Woddy Allen has famously said the “90% of life is just showing up.” While things rarely work out exactly as initially envisioned, no effort is wasted. Every moment is a chance to exploit an opportunity or a chance to create an opportunity. Neither is possible unless you actually show up and try.

• It's all about the push-ups. Pushups, situps, walking, running, anything mindless and easy. These are things a person can do when they are sick, busy, or just plain unmotivated. If you can discipline yourself to make something mindless a part of everyday AND turn it into something extraordinary, you've got some serious motivational mojo working for you. I do over 50,000 pushups every year. That works out to about 180 pushups every day. Pretty mundane stuff unless you keep track of your numbers. That documentation motivates me when I forget about my past accomplishments and serves to remind me that consistency is the key. The daily toil keeps me engaged in my success even when I am struggling. My pushups create new opportunities every day while getting me closer to my goals.

• It's the journey that is important. Whether or not I achieve my goals, there is value in the effort. One of the greatest gifts my parents gave me was the gift of music. Growing up I thought of it as more or a curse than a gift. Having to practice the piano everyday while I could see my friends playing hockey outside my window was torture. I never became a concert pianist but there is no question in my mind about the value I got out of studying the piano for all those years. The meat was in my journey, not my accomplishment.

“Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things.” - Frank A. Clark (1911 - 1991)

Vision Values

The first step in defining my vision for Silent River Kung Fu is best accomplished by first defining my values as a martial artist. As the master instructor of the organization my values are ultimately reflected by SRKF's curriculum and how it is taught.

Vision Value - Leaders are here to serve, not to be served.
The single most important attribute that I value in a black belt is quality of leadership. In any mentoring situation the student places a lot of trust in their instructor. To my knowledge, in all the time I have been teaching kung fu, only one single person has ever verified the validity of my credentials before signing up with me. Most people will immediately put you on a pedestal and give you their respect without any empirical evidence of the quality of your character beyond the colour of your belt. One only has to look at how the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world has been shamed by the Lloyd Irvin scandal to recognize how easy it is for someone to lose their way when they start buying into their own hype. A true leader recognizes that respect must be earned, not given. It can take years to earn someone's respect but it only takes a single unmindful word or action to wipe it all out.

Vision Value - Community activism makes the world a better place.
I believe the true value of someone can be found in their level of engagement within their community. We all benefit from belonging to a community and it is important that none of those benefits be taken for granted. In accepting their roles as leaders, I expect that acceptance to be reflected in my students' level of community engagement. No act of activism is too small or insignificant. In a world filled with mediocrity, there are no bystanders. Either you are part of the problem or part of the solution.

Vision Value - The world needs more and better role models.
Physical discipline is the cornerstone to success in kung fu. It is impossible to get students to apply themselves if the standard of excellence is not personified in the instructors. Instructors need to be the living, breathing, advertisement for the value of kung fu.

Kung fu goes beyond the physical. We live in a country besieged by self serving and morally corrupt politicians who inspire everyone to look out for number one. They encourage us to place more value in how much is in our wallet than the cost future generations are going to have to pay to allow the present privileged to live so large. Leaders must be role models for conscientious consumption and set examples through their actions, not just their words.

Vision Value - Humility and empathy serve everyone.
It may be cliche´ but it is true — with power, comes responsibility. I always temper my students' knowledge with humility because empathy gives you the power to influence others. I am reminded of the Roman tradition of making it a servant's job to continue saying “Memento mori” to a general during his victory parade. Memento mori is Latin for “Remember you will die.”

“If you don't stick to your values when they're being tested, they're not values: they're hobbies.” - Jon Stewart (b. 1962)

SRKF Vision

I am proud of the organization that Silent River Kung Fu has become. We have come a long way over the past 26 years but unless my vision is fully understood by my students, our continued progression down this path is not sustainable after I step down. I need to have a succession plan in place so that SRKF will outlive me and continue to be not just a school, but an ideal.

Right now I have a lot of support for my vision because the majority of my black belts believe in it. I am grateful for how their trust and loyalty has allowed SRKF to progress and evolve into the progressive centre of excellence it is known for, but belief is not enough. Understanding is necessary if the vision is expected to remain viable over the long term. My goal over the next few months is to better define my vision for SRKF so that the future leaders of this organization not only believe in it but understand it passionately enough to ensure we never stray from our core ideals.

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” ― Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Mastery Once Again

Mastery is a simple concept that is difficult to understand, harder to teach, and a monumental struggle to consistently embrace. Yet once you fully grasp the ideal of mastery, everything changes. Activity is no longer confused with progress and every action you take has a sense of purpose. Everything you do is another step forward on the relentless march toward your goals.

Sometimes it is easier to define something by identifying what it is not. Mastery is not a part time commitment. Either you are on the path to mastery or you are not. If you challenge yourself to give up a bad habit for a month and then resume your old ways after the month is up, the whole exercise only served to stroke your ego without generating any lasting benefit. Mastery brings permanent change and permanent change requires full time commitment.

Mastery is not a sacrifice, it is an investment. If your path to mastery feels like a responsibility rather than an opportunity, you are on the wrong path. The path to mastery serves you, you do not serve it. Mastery is a process you adopt, not a program you complete.

Steps toward mastery:

• Change your self talk. Excuses are motivation killers. If I put my mind to it I can come up with hundreds of excuses to not complete my 180 pushups a day. The second I give air time to excuses the 180 pushups start to look like 1000 pushups. Change the self talk into a positive motivational tool. Find an excuse to do the pushups. For me that is easy because the pushups are an opportunity for me to reinforce my level of engagement, build my strength, and strengthen my resolve.

• Embrace structure. Habits provide a baseline to which we return to when our mental engagement level is low. Ensure those habits are positive habits that serve your commitment to mastery, My day is structured to guarantee I make progress toward my goals everyday. I never deviate from that structure because I remember how hard it was to get those healthy habits into place and, due to past failures, I understand intimately how easy they are to break.

• Reject mediocrity. From our political leaders to the substandard quality of the goods we consume, we all accept mediocrity. This needs to stop. Everything is changeable. In fact change is the only guarantee in life. We have the power to change things for the better. Before we can reject mediocrity we must first open our eyes and identify it. When a person says "good enough", I hear "mediocre". I accept nothing but the best from myself. I know I have a lot of mediocrity in my life but I am a work in progress. I acknowledge the mediocrity and I am working diligently to eliminate it.

• Share your journey. Everyone needs help. Build a support structure of mentors and other like-minded individuals who can help you when your focus begins to wane. Any support structure is only as useful as you allow it to be. Build it AND use it.

While I believe that anyone can embrace mastery, I acknowledge that mastery is not for everyone. Each of us are the sum of our experiences. so we all have different strengths and weaknesses. The playing field is never level but as long as the focus is on the journey and not the destination, the playing field is irrelevant.

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Posted with Blogsy