Inconsequential Consequences?

As parents we all know that our children’s schedule is set by the decisions we make on they’re behalf. I think about how often a parent of one of my students has used their child’s busy schedule or varying interest as an excuse to pull out of training. This is inevitably the same parent who raved about the positive influence kung fu training had on their child’s self esteem and school work the year before. Things eventually become taken for granted. This tends to be our way when the extraordinary becomes ordinary.

Staying engaged with anything over the long term is always a challenge. There are always other interests and distractions conspiring to divide my attention. I continually prioritize my time and efforts to ensure they are serving my goals. Off course there are many times where I veer off course and lose my way. There are infinite reasons to take a break or a more scenic route and it is easy to convince myself that the consequences will be inconsequential. Yeah right, inconsequential consequences. I am constantly reminded that nothing is for free.

Experience without focus and discipline has little to do with mastery and promotes a lifestyle where mediocrity is the norm. It is easy to get used to not following through. Mediocrity is a numbness that can overtake you without you even being aware and sculpt you a life that is all about searching but never finding.

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” - Alexander Graham Bell (1947 - 1922)

Ego

I conduct a black belt grading once every year and holes in my teaching process are brought to the forefront each time. No matter how well you think your students are prepared, something always slips through the cracks.

Technique mastery only comes in phases. It is critical that form must be perfected before all else. There is no use in executing with speed and power, let alone realism, if the fundamentals of a technique have not been mastered first. I have a few students, always male, who are always too psyched about getting to realism that they never completely master the nuances of a technique. I have drilled it through their heads that they must slow down to perfect their method before progress can be made. You can lead a horse to water but . . .

Ego can be such a detriment to self improvement. I shudder when I think of all the opportunities I have missed by interpreting what my teachers had been trying to pass on to me rather than just absorbing. I realize now that the why was never as important as I thought it was. Arrogance is very limiting. Don’t think, just do.

“Give up all bad qualities in you, banish the ego and develop the spirit of surrender. You will then experience Bliss.” - Sri Sathya Sai Baba (b. 1926)

Remembrance Day

Today is a day for reflection. A day to take stock of what we have but better yet, why we have it. Growing up in a free country is a privilege that is easy to take for granted. It is important to remind ourselves of the unspeakable horror and sacrifice that has gone into securing our birthright.

158 Canadian soldiers died in Afghanistan. While they and their fellow troops were putting everything on the line a world away, life went on back home. The performance of the Toronto Stock Exchange got more news coverage and political attention than the military deaths announced in the same newscast that proclaimed new economic initiatives and sports scores.

Support our troops. This requires more than putting a slogan on a bumper. Remember the sacrifice, the permanent sacrifice, that is made in the name of Queen and country. No one comes home whole after experiencing the horror of war and our veterans need our support more than ever. Their combat in Afghanistan may have come to an end but their battle with their government at home continues to rage on. Let’s not let the government that has run up the biggest fiscal deficit in Canadian history, justify cutbacks  at the expense of our veterans.

Never take lightly the rights that so many have died to protect.

“It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the sounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell” - William Tecumseh Sherman (1820 - 1891)

Regroup

I’ve spent the past few weeks digging myself out of some big holes. It is easy for things to get out of control when a couple of things go askew at the same time. I’ve had to take a step back to organize my thoughts so I can prioritize, regroup, and get things back on track.

This added stress has been a good reminder for me that commitment and effort do not guarantee results. There are always factors beyond my control. When I think about it, It does not take much for things to go wrong and most of us are only a couple of simultaneous catastrophes away from homelessness. Somber thought indeed.

“It’s a good thing to follow the First Law of Holes: If you are in one, stop digging.” - Denis Healey (b. 1917)

Everyone Gets What They Get

I read an interesting article in the Vancouver Sun this week that reminds me of the importance of activism. By not accepting responsibility for our own situation we allow mediocrity to run rampant. In a free and just society, everyone tends to get exactly what they deserve.

 I am the creator of all my relationships, personal and professional. I have the power to mould them into whatever shape I choose. If I want my co-workers to respect me, I must conduct my professional affairs accordingly. Conflicts in my personal life are inevitable. The efforts I put into resolving them reflect the value, or lack of, I place on a particular relationship. I know I am judged by my efforts and people estimate their value to me by the time I invest in them.

If I accept mediocrity in any relationship I cannot expect that relationship to not be mediocre. I reap what I sow.

“A reputation for a thousand years may depend upon the conduct of a single moment.” - Ernest Bramah (1868 - 1942)

Quality of Life

Our student I Ho Chuan team made a trip to a senior’s lodge this weekend to entertain the residents with a Chinese Lion Dance and demo. I find myself thinking about the twilight years more often these days. With only one alternative, old age is something that awaits us all.

Quality of life in my later years is something that is important to me. It seems like yesterday that I was looking at thirty year olds and thinking I never want to be that old. Looking back I realize that those thirty year olds were old before their time. Bad habits and lethargy take their toll on everyone. I am thankful for the lifestyle kung fu has inspired me to adopt and the quality of life I enjoy and plan to take with me into my senior years.

“if you don’t set a baseline standard for what you’ll accept in life, you’ll find it’s easy to slip into behaviours and attitudes or a quality of life that’s far below what you deserve.” - Anthony Robbins (b. 1960)

That's It?

I’ve been tracking my pushups since mid 2008 and passed the quarter million plateau yesterday. I’ve been staring at that number - 250,000. It’s a big number but at the same time I can’t help but think - is that all? There is no doubt that 50,000 pushups/year is a pretty decent pace. Yet I feel like I have been doing pushups for so long that my total should be in the millions, not just 250,000.

Before I started tracking my numbers I had a lot of false assumptions about the state of my training. I had become complacent and in retrospect - lazy. When I don’t record my numbers I tend to be aware of everything I am doing but completely oblivious of everything I am not doing. I have wasted many years of potential progress that I can never get back.

My daily training journal has stopped the bleeding of wasted time. I can no longer lie to myself over how hard I am training because numbers are quantifiable and they do not lie.

For me, mastery is found in exploiting every opportunity for growth and recognizing those opportunities in every moment of every day.

“Stop the mindless wishing that things would be different. Rather than wasting time and emotional and spiritual energy in explaining why we don't have what we want, we can start to pursue other ways to get it.” - Greg Anderson (b. 1964)