Decisions and Consequences

It is the time of year when families are finalizing their preparations for the beginning of the new school year. Part of those preparations consist of enrolling their kids in extra-curricular activities. This, in my opinion, is where many parents drop the ball when it comes to giving their children the guidance and support they need to make good decisions and learn to follow through on commitments.

Not many children are able to make responsible decisions when it comes to things like education. I know that if my parents had allowed me to make the decision to quit school in Grade 4 like I wanted to, my life would have turned our substantially different. Yet how many parents continue to let their kids slough off commitment to try whatever catches their fancy. Yesterday’s excitement is today’s blasé been there, done that.

Obviously I am biased. Kung fu changed my life and I have seen it change many others’. I believe in the art and what it can do for a person. I fully support letting our children experience everything they can but at the same time there is value in learning to commit to a higher ideal. Once a person starts using quitting as a strategy for avoiding work or overcoming obstacles, it becomes much more difficult to find the drive to push harder when the going gets tough.

There is value in everything that requires hard work and effort to achieve. The life lessons learned in such endeavours are priceless and are a foundation upon which more achievements can be added.  A child rarely looks beyond the now, and expecting a child to look ahead by fifteen years is not reasonable. It is our responsibility, as parents, to protect our children from making bad decisions.

“Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.” - Norman Cousins (1915 - 1990)

Connecting the Dots

It is not always easy to recognize cause and effect in life. How many things do we mindlessly purchase without considering the consequences? Wal Mart increased how much organic produce they carried based upon customer purchasing trends. We vastly underestimate how powerful our wallets are.

On a more personal note, it is easy to make what appears to be minor decisions without noticing or respecting the major impact those decisions can have on our lives. More often than not, the excuses we use to justify venturing off our goal’s path, are the very things that are standing between us and our success. It is infinitely easier to recognize the consequences of action than it is to recognize the consequences of inaction. Battles are lost over decisions not made.

Tick tock, tick tock. Time waits for no man.

“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” - Will Rogers (1879 - 1935)

Pokemon Go

For those of us that life comes easy for, it is difficult for us to relate to someone who struggles with the most mundane things that the rest of us take for granted. As a teacher, I see how prevalent anxiety is for many of my students and how it affects their ability to learn and progress. Anxiety affects a person’s perspective and interpretations of events. It can cripple resolve and make the most simple of tasks next to impossible to complete. Mental illness affects sixty percent of Canadians directly and indirectly and yet our acceptance of it as a common medical ailment continues to elude us as the stigma surrounding mental illness still prevails, keeping many sufferers from seeking help.

The game Pokemon Go was released only weeks ago but its impact has been dramatic. I’ve watched crowds of hundreds of people roaming the legislature grounds searching for rare Pokemons. What has really excited me about this game is the impact it has had for people suffering from social anxiety. Giving a person who is scared to leave their home a sense of purpose that gets their mind off their anxiety and focused on a task, creates opportunity for change.

A game for some, a life changing opportunity for others - it’s just a matter of perspective.

“And those who were seen dancing, were thought to be crazy by those who could not hear the music.” - Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

BOOTCAMP 2016

This past weekend’s bootcamp was a great, positive experience. Having so many positive, energetic people together in the same place is always motivating and inspiring. Our participants this year included many rookies attending their first bootcamp ever and the engagement of the instructors made the event one of our best yet.

Bootcamp highlights the value that comes from being completely immersed in an activity. No distractions, no options, just fifteen hours of training structure. Progress, mentally and physically, was apparent in all the participants.

An event like this is only possible with generous contributions from many black belts. I owe a big debt of gratitude to Sifus Freitag, Hayes, Dennis, T. Playter, Rybak, Vantuil, Masterson, Clements, Lindstrom, M. Beckett, and Wiebe. During a time when I have a lot of balls in the air, you guys made the day perfect. Thank you!!

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. “ - William Arthur Ward (1921 - 1994)

Ron Van Clief

After Bruce Lee, my childhood martial arts hero was Ron Van Clief. I used to buy any and all martial arts magazines that featured him. At the time, I would not have been able to put my finger on why he was such an icon for me but now, forty years later, he remains my hero.

Ron Van Clief’s accomplishments in film and tournament competition are well documented. What stands out and highlights my good judgement at picking such a hero, is his longevity as a martial artist.

Grand Master Van Clief competed in the tournament circuit for over forty years. At age fifty-one, he is still the oldest competitor ever to fight in the UFC. At sixty years of age, he won the All American Karate Championship. Now at seventy-three, GM Van Clief continues to compete and earn rank in Brazilian Ju Jujitsu. Amazing!

A few years ago I reached out to Grand Master Van  Cliff through the internet. Getting a personal reply from him was more than I could have hoped for, and that connection is one of the highlights of my martial arts career. Thank you Grand Master Van Clief. Your inspiration continues to guide and influence me.

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” - C.S. Lewis (1898 - 1963)