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)

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If I Had Only One . . .

My one wish would be that all my students, especially their parents, would come to realize the value of activism and community engagement.

I've never had a parent approach me to teach their children kung fu because they want them to learn how to fight. Parents want the self esteem and confidence that comes from the training so that their children will become leaders and not followers. Parents want their children to learn how to handle bullies, not become one themselves. None of this is possible unless I am able to cultivate empathy in my students.

I have around 300 students and my goal each year is to inspire them all to fundraise $100 each for charity. I try to be very clear about that - $100/student, not $30000 overall. We're not going to change the world with any money we raise, but we just might with the awareness and compassion we inspire.

Is the world going to change if everyone just falls in line and takes care of number one? Is there not value to be found in seeing the world through another's eyes? Do we all not benefit by showing compassion as well as expressing gratitude?

I am not sure the specifics of where I am failing when it comes to inspiring my students to become the change they want to see. At times the message seems so simple and obvious yet traction with this empathy tool remains elusive.

"If you light a lamp for someone else it will also brighten your path." - the Buddha (563 - 483 B.C.)