Sifu Kevin Lindstrom

Our back to school week is behind us and so is another successful kwoon maintenance project. Once again our leader this year was Sifu Kevin Lindstrom. Kevin got us organized and accomplished everything we set out to accomplish, plus some stuff we hadn’t planned on tackling. There were so many people that went above and beyond this year but I am singling out Kevin Lindstrom because his approach to his extra-curricular kung fu activities is a textbook example of how to make the most of the opportunities you are given.

When Kevin started learning lion dance, he wasn’t too engaged or interested. It did not take long before he recognized the value the lion dance brought to his kung fu. His stamina improved, so did his strength. That translated to better form and power. Kevin is now a passionate ambassador for the lion dance team.

When it comes to extra-curricular activities at the kwoon, Kevin shines best during maintenance week. Kevin’s blood and sweat are in every wall of the kwoon. He takes ownership for his kwoon and it shows in his kung fu. Every year that Kevin has led our annual maintenance, his engagement level in his kung fu is at a peak. That is no coincidence. The extra effort Kevin puts into these projects pays him dividends toward his training. That is why he sees these projects as opportunities, not responsibilities.

Thank you Sifu Kevin Lindstrom. The example you set for the rest of us is recognized and appreciated.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931)

Less is More

It has been four years since I set about reducing my number of possessions to 100. I have always known that achieving that goal is not possible and the value was going to be in the journey, not the destination. My garage still has two motorcycles and my house still has furniture. The motorcycles are not negotiable and my family feels the same way about the furniture, so the journey will continue with the mythical destination remaining beyond the horizon. Yet so much has changed.

These past four years I have run an acquisition deficit. I have donated most of my books and all my excess clothing to homeless shelters. I have eliminated most of my cds and dvds and rely upon streaming content when it is necessary, and I have the public library and digital downloads for my reading needs. Every purchase I make is prefaced with mindful analysis of the necessity of the situation. Most of the time I can get by with borrowing or adapting instead of acquiring.

My minimalistic journey has been exceptionally rewarding. I have not made an impulsive purchase over these past four years and most of my money has been invested in experiences, not things. My thinking is clearer as is my conscience. It is no coincidence that I am more content now than I have ever been.

“There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little.” - Jackie French Koller (b. 1948)

Grading Time

It is getting close to that time of year when we will be conducting another black belt grading. This always gets me thinking about what it means to be a black belt and how I can better prepare my students for their own black belt grading.

The best advice I can give to someone wanting to grade for black belt is to focus on becoming a black belt, not achieving a black belt. Too many people spend too much time trying to negotiate a black belt promotion. I do not set the standard, I enforce the standard. The criteria for black belt is set, it cannot and should not be changed. Kung fu is a traditional martial art and so achieving a black belt has not been simplified to just application. A black belt in kung fu is not just a good fighter, a black belt in kung fu is an engaged, cognizant human being.

If you focus on becoming and not just achieving, you will be on the right path.

 "Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda

Family

I spent a great day with my Silent River Kung Fu family today. We spend so much time together training but we don't take enough opportunities to connect outside the kwoon. I would like to change that. Today was an awesome day spent with awesome people. Congratulations Mel and Dan.

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life." - Richard Bach (b. 1936)

The Green Stripe

I have been studying the martial arts for most of my life.  Thirty five years of training has taught me a lot about myself and the world.  Everything good in my life today is what it is because of my kung fu. My dedication to my art has never been a sacrifice but rather an investment that has generated massive returns. My life is blessed and I owe it all to kung fu.

There has not been a day in the past thirty-five years that I have not used my kung fu. I used it to build a body that is as healthy and strong as it was when I was a teenager. I have used it to  become mindful of the miracles that exist in every moment.   I have used my kung fu to become a more compassionate and cognizant human being.  Kung fu has made me who I am and my friends and family love me, warts and all.

Somewhere down the line, we in the martial arts industry have allowed the term ‘martial arts’ to become hijacked by people and sports who wish to reduce it to the lowest common denominator - fighting.  As long as you are wearing the fancy uniform and the coloured belt, you are a  marital artist. “Who needs to meditate when that stuff does not work on the street? Respect? Of course I know respect. I’ll teach respect to anyone foolish enough to step into the ring with me. “

Where is the value in martial arts? Is the only value garnered through weaponizing yourself so that you can handle yourself in a street fight? If so, I have to question your character and your lifestyle if your training is about addressing your fear of being beat in a street fight. Each of us is infinitely more likely to have our butts kicked by our diets, our limiting beliefs, and our acceptance of mediocrity than we are by a physical assault.

Thirty-five years of using my kung fu everyday and not a single street fight to show for it. Do I lead a charmed life and have somehow avoided being victimized, or could it be that kung fu has given me the emotional intelligence as well as the physical ability to live my life without fear?

Defeating an opponent has little to do with the martial arts. The only person I compete with is myself. I end every day different, hopefully better, than I started the day. Kung fu pushes me to understand myself, like myself, and push myself to improve.

“When people ask me about what I learned from martial arts, I don't talk about favorite punches or kicks, or about fights won or lost. I talk about learning self-discipline, about ethics and manners and benevolence and fairness.” - Jonathan Maberry (b. 1958)

Eye For Detail

A long time ago I learned that the two qualities every successful person has is a good eye for detail and follow through. An eye for detail is knowing where you are right now, recognizing what you are presently doing, and how both are supporting your goals. Follow through is using this knowledge to tweak your approach and refocus your efforts. As it applies to kung fu, an eye for detail and follow through are essential qualities found in every black belt.

At class this week, I asked my students to visualize what kind of black belt they wanted to be. I told them to picture themselves five years in the future as that rank. I then had them complete a couple of drills while they held that vision in front of themselves. At the end of the drill I asked - "How many of you, while picturing yourself as a black belt, envisioned yourself with two artificial hips and requiring the use of a walker?" Not one hand went up. The point I was making was that while they all were picturing themselves as black belt, that vision did not translate to proper foot position when they were throwing their kicks. Improper technique leads to bad hips. My point was eye for detail is exactly that - detail. Having a vision of yourself as a black belt without a vision of the details that go into making yourself a black belt is the difference between having a dream and having a goal. A dream is a vision and only a vision. A goal is a dream with a plan. A plan is the detail that will make a goal an attainable reality.

Following through with what needs to be done to attain a goal is putting your eye for detail into practice. Recognize where you are and stay aware of what you are doing. If your thoughts and actions are in harmony with each other, meaningful progress will be made. Seeing where you want to be and working backwards to where you are, holds the details of success.

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." - John Wooden (1910 - 2010)

A Friend In Need

I lost you to suicide a couple of months ago but I only became aware of it yesterday. I knew you had your struggles with depression and I had been keeping you in my thoughts but somehow in the cacophony of my life, I missed your passing and your memorial.

I know you fought to keep the demons that haunted you at bay. The courage you displayed while you fought your battle kept the ferocity of the fight well hidden. You lived your life like it was an adventure. I always found it difficult to correlate your illness with the intensity and zeal in which I saw you live. Logically I understand the issues of mental health are complicated and deep rooted, but emotionally I feel the guilt that comes with such a loss. While you struggled, I lived my life. I worked. I played. My life went on, simple and so, so easy.  I am sorry you suffered so much for so long  in silence.

Goodbye my friend.

“The so-called ‘psychotically depressed’ person who tries to kill herself doesn’t do so out of quote ‘hopelessness’ or any abstract conviction that life’s assets and debits do not square. And surely not because death seems suddenly appealing. The person in whom Its invisible agony reaches a certain unendurable level will kill herself the same way a trapped person will eventually jump from the window of a burning high-rise. Make no mistake about people who leap from burning windows. Their terror of falling from a great height is still just as great as it would be for you or me standing speculatively at the same window just checking out the view; i.e. the fear of falling remains a constant. The variable here is the other terror, the fire’s flames: when the flames get close enough, falling to death becomes the slightly less terrible of two terrors. It’s not desiring the fall; it’s terror of the flames. And yet nobody down on the sidewalk, looking up and yelling ‘Don’t!’ and ‘Hang on!’, can understand the jump. Not really. You’d have to have personally been trapped and felt flames to really understand a terror way beyond falling.”  - David Foster Wallace (1962 - 2008)