Looking ahead into the new year raises the bar of actually how far I need to be
in my training to accomplish earning a black belt. I feel in a lot of ways I set
myself back farther than I actually thought. Not so good if this is going to be
the year I take the challenge of grading. I learnt much from the mistakes I made
last year, which should make things a lot better to plan and organize a routine
for this term. As sceptical as I may seem at this moment in time only installs
the determination to succeed and fulfil my goal to get to the next level of
training. It was mentioned at the meeting that a person shouldn't put the
accomplishment of black belt as a triumph to the top but look at it as another
plateau or another turn in your path to wherever it is you envision as your
destiny. I have always looked at it this way and I do see where I want to be. I
know in my heart and in my future vision I can accomplish this with a few added
things to keep the mindset where it should be. First step is to journal
absolutely everything I can for reference purposes and focus. When I was
journaling regularly last year the inspiration to go above and beyond came to be
an installed motivator, it does really work if you stick to it. I'm not going to
get wrapped up in the numbers like I did last year, it just installs stress and
brings you down if you let it. This challenge is designed to be fun and hone you
and your multitude of skills to a perfectly polished and sharp machine. Don't
get wrapped up in the numbers. Stick to the plan and see through the requirement
for what it really is and the numbers will take care of themselves. I will mix
up all the requirements again because that will take the monotony of it away. I
found trying to do a bit of everything each day became way too overwhelming and
took the fun out of it. I plan on completing the less time consuming
requirements first and foremost, to concentrate on one thing at a time aside
from remaining dedicated to the physical requirements. One thing that a person
taking on this challenge should understand right off the get go is don't try to
do this all on your own. I'm not really cool with reaching out to others because
I have done things on my own for a long time. Last year taught me something new.
You are no less of a person to ask for help or be willing to work with others to
accomplish your goals. They need you just as much as you will need them. I
gained a lot of help and inspiration from members of the team last year. Sifu
Wetter posted a multitude of advice regarding a plan to layout a weapon form
which was very helpful. Thanks again Sifu. If any one is interested in what he
had to say I can forward you his post. It was an awesome tool from a Sifu that
has a few weapon forms under his belt. Sifu Rybak gave us all a swift kick in
the ass that we all deserved and motivated us to put our skills out there and
get our first demo together. It was pretty cool witnessing the creativity that
Sifu coordinated and to be part of the end result. Sifu pushed us out of our
comfort zones and expected more out of us than what we may have felt was good
enough. Thanks go to you too Sifu Rybak. One thing that I did was write down any
piece of advice or something that stuck in my head from a team mate and wrote it
in my journal and I intend to do the same this year because it helped keep the
motivation up and the connection true to the team. If you are stuck on something
use, kwoon talk. This is a tool that is highly neglected and it is probably
one of the greater displays of how dedicated our teachers are. There are a
number of black belts that check kwoon talk quite frequently. I have posted many
question regarding training and have always received advice or direction within
hours. Not only from one black belt, but several, which gives you many
perspectives on how you can decipher and solve your problems. I have a really
good feeling about this year and look forward to training and succeeding with
not only my teammates, but those that I will work along side with to achieve
black belt this year.
Brian Chervenka
I like the idea of journaling advice and words that stand out, I started it yesterday! Thanks for the idea!
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