I have not been an instructor for very long, and at times I still feel inadequate as one. But with all things it is a necessary progression. I can not honestly stay as a student with out becoming a teacher if I want to give back to Kung Fu what it has given to me. But as a teacher I am also a student and each day as I spend teaching I have learned so much more from my students, and that knowledge, I then can pass back onto my students. One challenging part of being a student is watching and learning the teaching techniques of other instructors, and then applying them into my own classes, learning what works and improving on what does not.
Where am I? What am I doing?
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Family
A member of my
family was in a car accident on Friday and it really got me thinking.
Where are my priorities? Am I doing the things that I want to be doing
(or in some cases, should be doing)? Am I spending enough time with the
people that I care about?
The answer to those questions aren't easy to face. It's hard for me to admit to myself that I'm living a life that is below my expectations for myself. It's easy to think big and have great ideas but all the plans in the world don't mean anything if you don't follow up and put them into action. While it's true that I'm a more productive person than I was a year ago, I can't improve fast enough. Time is our most precious resource and there's never enough of it. How do you fit everything you want or need to do into a day or a week or a year or a lifetime? Something has to give.
That's where values come into play. I know that I haven't placed a high enough value on my family. I have a great relationship with my sisters and my brother but less so with my parents. I don't talk to them about kung fu or the I Ho Chuan. I don't tell them about the progress I've made or how my life has improved. They might ask me "How's the karate going?' and I say fine and change the subject. This is a conscious decision I've made based on my past experiences but maybe it's time I rethink things.
Anger and resentment act like poison and if you don't deal with them, they will affect you negatively forever. That's easy to say but the hard part is actually overcoming them. I need to do more thinking about this but I suppose the first step in solving a problem is identifying it in the first place.
Cory Smid
http://kungfucory.blogspot.ca/
The answer to those questions aren't easy to face. It's hard for me to admit to myself that I'm living a life that is below my expectations for myself. It's easy to think big and have great ideas but all the plans in the world don't mean anything if you don't follow up and put them into action. While it's true that I'm a more productive person than I was a year ago, I can't improve fast enough. Time is our most precious resource and there's never enough of it. How do you fit everything you want or need to do into a day or a week or a year or a lifetime? Something has to give.
That's where values come into play. I know that I haven't placed a high enough value on my family. I have a great relationship with my sisters and my brother but less so with my parents. I don't talk to them about kung fu or the I Ho Chuan. I don't tell them about the progress I've made or how my life has improved. They might ask me "How's the karate going?' and I say fine and change the subject. This is a conscious decision I've made based on my past experiences but maybe it's time I rethink things.
Anger and resentment act like poison and if you don't deal with them, they will affect you negatively forever. That's easy to say but the hard part is actually overcoming them. I need to do more thinking about this but I suppose the first step in solving a problem is identifying it in the first place.
Cory Smid
http://kungfucory.blogspot.ca/
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Staying on Track
Im having a hard time staying on track as we draw closer to the end of the year. Endings are only new beginnings and If I want to begin strong again I really have to start buckling down and refocusing on the task at hand. As always it easier said then done but in the end the only person that suffers from my lack of hard work is myself. I have to get back on the horse and ride it or it will take off without me.
http://michaelplayter.blogspot.ca
http://michaelplayter.blogspot.ca
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Memorization
Memorization has always been one of biggest problems. It’s
not that I can’t memorize something it is just that it takes me feels like four
times longer and twice that in effort than most people. And once I have finally
memorized something if I stop practicing it or using it daily I will forget it
almost immediately. One saving grace is if it was something physical like a
form or a technique and I practiced it enough to ingrained it completely into
muscle memory, so that I can do it without thinking, I would retain it far
longer so I would just have to let my body remind me what comes next in a
sequence. But even with that, if I leave off practicing something for too long I
will lose it also, and then have to go through the whole process of learning
all over again. For me practice, practice, practice only makes sense.
Where am I? What am I doing?
Where am I? What am I doing?
Sunday, November 23, 2014
The Four Agreements
Several years
ago a friend of mine introduced me to a book called, "The Four
Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz. It's about overcoming personal
limitations and creating happiness for yourself. When I first read it I
really enjoyed it and I've always tried to apply it in my life, usually
to limited success.
I started reading it again about a week ago and I was pleased to see how it applied to my kung fu. The four agreements are:
1) Be Impecccable With Your Word - Speak with integrity and don't use your words to speak against others or yourself. This is good advice in general but I think that most people (especially myself) say a lot of things to themselves that they would never say to someone else. Things like, "I can't do this", I'm not good enough", etc. I've told myself these things many times since I joined SRKF and I've held myself back as a result.
2) Don't Take Anything Personally - What others say and do is a result of their reality and has nothing to do with you. People (myself again) always seem to worry about what others think of them and this results in inaction. I experience this all the time. I concern myself with the opinion of others and this makes me hesitant to train outside because someone might see me and judge my lack of skill. But are they really judging me anyway? If they are, that's a reflection of them and not me.
3) Don't Make Assumptions - Ask questions and communicate with others (and yourself) to avoid misunderstandings. I have made assumptions every day of my life and most of them have probably been incorrect. Again, this creates a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. I assume I can't do something so I don't even try. I assume I'm going to get hurt so I don't push myself.
4) Always Do Your Best - This is pretty self-explanatory but one of the author's points is that "your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick." For someone that is working through injuries, this one really hits home. If I always do the best I can, regardless of injuries, I'm still going to make progress. And putting in 100% effort is a great habit to develop.
After reading this book again, I've decided to revisit it on regular basis. The four agreements are simple but they have far-reaching applications in all facets of my life.
Cory Smid
I started reading it again about a week ago and I was pleased to see how it applied to my kung fu. The four agreements are:
1) Be Impecccable With Your Word - Speak with integrity and don't use your words to speak against others or yourself. This is good advice in general but I think that most people (especially myself) say a lot of things to themselves that they would never say to someone else. Things like, "I can't do this", I'm not good enough", etc. I've told myself these things many times since I joined SRKF and I've held myself back as a result.
2) Don't Take Anything Personally - What others say and do is a result of their reality and has nothing to do with you. People (myself again) always seem to worry about what others think of them and this results in inaction. I experience this all the time. I concern myself with the opinion of others and this makes me hesitant to train outside because someone might see me and judge my lack of skill. But are they really judging me anyway? If they are, that's a reflection of them and not me.
3) Don't Make Assumptions - Ask questions and communicate with others (and yourself) to avoid misunderstandings. I have made assumptions every day of my life and most of them have probably been incorrect. Again, this creates a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. I assume I can't do something so I don't even try. I assume I'm going to get hurt so I don't push myself.
4) Always Do Your Best - This is pretty self-explanatory but one of the author's points is that "your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick." For someone that is working through injuries, this one really hits home. If I always do the best I can, regardless of injuries, I'm still going to make progress. And putting in 100% effort is a great habit to develop.
After reading this book again, I've decided to revisit it on regular basis. The four agreements are simple but they have far-reaching applications in all facets of my life.
Cory Smid
Friday, November 21, 2014
A Great Night
Today was the
first day I've had since I've been out of town that I'm really happy
with what I accomplished. I'm out the door at 4:55 in the morning and I
don't get home until 6:30. That doesn't give me a lot of time to do
everything I need to do, which is some or all of: hit the gym, go to the
grocery store, get all my reps in, make my lunch, have a shower, and
wind down for bed.
Leaving my reps until the end of the day isn't ideal but that's what I'm up against since I can't do anything at work and getting up at 4:30 is early enough for me. However, as I proved tonight, it's not really an issue. I got home from the gym at 7:30 and within an hour or so, I completed all my reps, made my lunch, cleaned up a bit, wrote this journal entry, and started some laundry. I would do 50 situps, empty the dishwasher, complete form reps, start on my lunch, do more situps, finish making my lunch, do some kicks, etc. Alternating reps with my chores made it easy to do both. Now I have an hour and a half to have a shower and wind down, which is plenty of time.
I feel like I really needed a day like this to get some momentum going. Now I just have to build on it.
Cory Smid
http://kungfucory.blogspot.ca/
Leaving my reps until the end of the day isn't ideal but that's what I'm up against since I can't do anything at work and getting up at 4:30 is early enough for me. However, as I proved tonight, it's not really an issue. I got home from the gym at 7:30 and within an hour or so, I completed all my reps, made my lunch, cleaned up a bit, wrote this journal entry, and started some laundry. I would do 50 situps, empty the dishwasher, complete form reps, start on my lunch, do more situps, finish making my lunch, do some kicks, etc. Alternating reps with my chores made it easy to do both. Now I have an hour and a half to have a shower and wind down, which is plenty of time.
I feel like I really needed a day like this to get some momentum going. Now I just have to build on it.
Cory Smid
http://kungfucory.blogspot.ca/
Decision Time
I have been waffling back and forth about committing to the I Ho Chuan year of the sheep. I don't achieve so many things that I set as goals for the year and yet I get way more done than I thought possible. I put myself thru all kinds of anxiety and stress trying to achieve all those goals and failing.
But on the other hand I get to Lion Dance, I am encouraged and supported in my creation of forms, I participate in so many events and activities that Silent River hosts and/or promotes, I hang out with awesome and motivating martial artists.
Its great being part of the team and its horrible when I fail in my commitment to the team.
I have rewritten my goals so many times this month ... trying to balance what I believe I can achieve, with what the point of the goal setting parameters are --- to make my self try harder and achieve more. To push past my fears of performing, of looking foolish, of looking not worthy of the belt I wear.
I decided to submit my list of goals, part of the motivation is the 2nd paragraph which is very positive, the other motivating factor is negative, it just ?????? me off that I am afraid. And when I am afraid I get angry and stubborn, maybe not the most inspiring motivation for others but it pushes me to do more.
But on the other hand I get to Lion Dance, I am encouraged and supported in my creation of forms, I participate in so many events and activities that Silent River hosts and/or promotes, I hang out with awesome and motivating martial artists.
Its great being part of the team and its horrible when I fail in my commitment to the team.
I have rewritten my goals so many times this month ... trying to balance what I believe I can achieve, with what the point of the goal setting parameters are --- to make my self try harder and achieve more. To push past my fears of performing, of looking foolish, of looking not worthy of the belt I wear.
I decided to submit my list of goals, part of the motivation is the 2nd paragraph which is very positive, the other motivating factor is negative, it just ?????? me off that I am afraid. And when I am afraid I get angry and stubborn, maybe not the most inspiring motivation for others but it pushes me to do more.
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