Beagles Love Blueberries

I'm one month into my second consecutive Ultimate Black Belt Test and am starting to find my stride. You would think that continuing on from UBBT 6 into the Live Project would be a natural flow but the transition has been surprisingly challenging. The rhythm I maintained throughout UBBT 6 that helped me succeed is not quite what I need in to achieve my UBBT 7 goals. Once again I am expanding my comfort zone and adjusting to the situation.

There are some things I learned in UBBT 6 that are going to help me make even more personal progress in UBBT 7.

- 1000 reps of anything is a lot.
- A Canadian traveling to Alabama during winter tends to sunburn.
- 12 months is a lot shorter period of time than one thinks.
- Watching Master McNeill swat someone in the shin with a cane is infinitely more entertaining than receiving the swat yourself.
- A team is only as strong as its weakest link.
- I’m lazier than I thought.
- Nothing is for free.
- Journalling and tracking your progress is an important key that reinforces the process.
- Getting enough protein as a vegetarian takes careful planning.
- Doing anything with a group is a lot more motivating than doing it alone.
- Walking meditation with 300 strangers can be intensely intimate.
- Sitting meditation with swollen knees can be intensely painful.
- All the planning and intentions in the world are not worth a hill of beans if you do not take consistent action.
- 87 kilograms is a good fighting weight for me but 84 kilograms would be better for my knees.
- Sometimes listening can show more leadership than speaking.
- Getting and receiving feedback from your teammates strengthens the bonds of the team.
- It is never too late to apply mastery.

"Each painting has its own way of evolving. When the painting is finished, the subject reaveals itself." - William Baziotes (1912 - 1963)