Gratitude

 Hello it has been awhile, but gladly not my last. I went through a fairly serious accident last month. I learned that I had a fairly big hole in the top of my head, a concussion, and multiple fractures on my right side of my face. I last remember driving to work then waking up in the hospital. I was told I was unconscious for 3 days. 

  I have only recently learned as well from the police that I have somehow had a really good accident. They did not say those words, but I gathered that info from the info they said to me. Most of the passenger side had the most damage, the car crumpled properly to reduce the impact, and my seat belt and air bags did there jobs, and no fire. I hit a full tanker truck so good no fire. They made it sound like to me this accident could have been so much worse, but it was not. I of course still suffer injury's, but they are not the worst type. 

 I got to truly learn how grateful I am that I am here today, and the people I am surrounded with. I got lots of support from lot of friends and family, and I now believe to be so lucky with the fact I got amazing people that support me. I have found a new found appreciation for my parents and my friends. It kinda feels weird, but I feel super happy right now. I am still in pain, but I am looking very hopeful for my future. 

I am truly grateful for my time in kung fu. I was lucky enough to learn how to spot the extraordinary, and how to adapt and overcome, and especially never giving up. I look forward to what new things for me to learn in kung fu, but for now I will take step one: heal. This is the start of something really exciting for me. I know I will get better, and I will eventually adapt to my new reality. I know I will never be the same, but that is the fun of it. This is how I learn.

 I really want to thank all of you for your support, and I truly am very happy when I see or hear you all. This blog took me a long time to write, I have been trying to write this since 11:00 am, I had to take a lot of breaks in writing this. Even this give me a headache, but easily make me truly appreciate how great blogging is and I can't wait to do more.

 

Sifu Langner   

Shoulders

So I have been struggling with my shoulder for what seems like forever. But I have also learned do much more about myself and my body's movement. and how important proper posture is. I have learned with proper care I can get better and become more of a master of my body.

 Normally in forms I like to really put in power and snap into each move, all the while trying yo keep the flow and 6 harmonies aligned. With these shoulders of mine I can nor longer finish each move with as much energy as I would like. I now have to focus even more on my intent and control over my movement, because if it gets away from me I will feel it. Even picking up one of those black broad swords makes me feel pain. A light broad sword does not hurt though. I would say I still have amazing flexibility in my shoulders i just don't use it, because it would hurt after.

 I have  had to develop patience with this healing process. Slowly but surly I will get better but, I am also starting to try and live with the possibility that I will never be fully healed. I will forever have these bad shoulders and will have to get around it. If that is my future I won't let that dictate my love of kung fu, because I know that I will find another way to train and adapt to my future. That is always the least I can always do adapt, overcome, then thrive

Sifu Langner

Recommit to Mastery

 I had an eye opening experience tonight in class. I have been losing touch with myself and those around me. I have been using all these work hours I have been working before, and have not been doing any kung fu. Mediocrities have crept into my life and I let it happen. I have advanced in my career greatly, becoming a person that my work can rely upon and improved my overall competency at electrical, but life and kung fu has taken a step back.

   I have been unbalanced as of late. Work, work, work. I have to come up with a better way to keep myself engaged when times of work come, because it will happen again, but I can prevent the outcome this time. 

I know the year is almost over, but I have not given up. I here by recommit myself to Mastery of within reason. I will bring balance back into my life with a more sustainable plan. 

Sifu Langner

                                                Mastery by Stewart Emery

 Mastery in our career and consciousness simply requires that we constantly produce results beyond the ordinary. Mastery is the result of consistently going beyond our limits. For most people, it starts with technical excellence in a chosen field and a commitment to that excellence. If you are willing to make a commitment to excellence and surround yourself with things that represent excellence and pursue events and experiences that become miracles, your life will change. ( When we speak of miracles, we speak of events and experiences in the real world that are beyond the ordinary).

It is remarkable how much mediocrity we live with, surrounding ourselves with daily reminders that the average is acceptable. Our world suffers from terminal mediocrity. Take a moment to assess all the things around you that encourage you to remain average. These things keep you powerless, unable to go beyond the limits that you have arbitrarily set for yourself. Take you first steps towards mastery by removing everything in your environment the represents mediocrity, removing your arbitrary limits. Try surrounding yourself with friends that expect more of you than you do. Didn't some of your best teachers, your coaches, your parents expect more of you?

On the path to mastery, erase any resentment towards masters. Develop compassion for yourself so that you can be in the presence of masters and grow from the experience .Rather than comparing yourself and resenting people who are masters, remain open and receptive; a let the experience be like planting a seed within you - with nourishment, it will grow into your own individual mastery.

Correction is essential in power and mastery. You see, we are all ordinary. But a master, rather in condemning himself for his ordinariness, he embraces his ordinariness and uses it as a foundation to build the extraordinary. Instead of giving up, like ordinary people do, a master uses his ordinariness to correct his errors, which is essential in the process towards attaining mastery. You must be able to correct yourself without condemning or invalidating yourself, accept the results and improve upon them.

Correct, don't protect. 

 

Animal sitter

I don't know when but I guess I am a pet sitter now. I have taking care of Dan and Mels dog, then my Parents dog, now I am taking care of my aunt's pet. All 16 of them and they all get homemade food. 8 dogs, 7 cats, and 1 lizard. Also I will be taking care of my old land lords dog next, after this. 

 I just cant seem to say no. I say yes, because I know they don't have to many options, and it's the right thing to do. Also I usually never have any plans anyways, so I am usually free.  Now I am not advertising here haha. I am just realizing that majority of the time when someone ask me for help I will do it. So long as I have not already made a promise to someone else. 

 I realize being an animal owner people normally can't go for trip, because who will watch the pets? It has to be someone you can trust and know they will take care of your baby, or babies. I will say taking care of this many animals is a bit strenuous at times, but that just mainly the cooking. 

Right now I am staying on an acre of land so plenty of room to do kung fu when the dogs and cats are on their bathroom break.

  I really feel grateful that my friends and family trust me this much with their animals. My aunts animals are the small kind. So sometimes I will have like 4 dogs on me and 2 next to me and 1 or 2 cats on me as well. Quite the load, but pretty cool to.

 

Sifu Langner

Work and Questions

I have been working like crazy lately. All in the name of finishing on time. I feel really lucky in my career right now. I have a job, and I have been trusted with more and more responsibility. I am always nervous when I have to work on something new,  but I ask questions to things I don't know and figure things out on my own that I can. 

I would say I have kung fu to thank on how I approach and learn my trade. I am willing to learn and not afraid to ask questions if needed, but it's not just random questions. They are quality questions that helped me better understand what I was doing. 

I do run into some people who will be condescending to me because of my question, but then they said sorry when they heard the whole context. I am showed to that listening to someones question is just as important as asking. Asking the right question could help me figure it out without them ever saying a thing, or saying the question in the right way to convey what I am trying to figure out and learn. Interestingly enough sometimes I still get to learn something new even knowing they did not answer my question yet. So of course I ask it again with better wording, but I still got valuable information; that I did not even know that I wanted.

Sifu Langner

 

Rain

Whenever it rains for me in the beginning I get to have fun and think of where those rain droplets go. I envision them starting high in the sky then falling down as fast as you can. Then hits the side of a building and explores all the unique curves and edges; Cleaning in its path to ground.  Eventually leading to the ground and being soak up buy nearby plants.  Cleaning and providing life all in a fall. 

 Those are my stop to appreciate moments. 

Sifu Langner

Diet

 Diets are a interesting thing. They can be helpful or harmful, if used improperly.  There is diets that I personally would consider a more dangerous way of trying to become healthier and safer ways as well. For me diets were always about losing weight. 

The first time I did it I would not say I learned a lot other than portion control. The second time I lost the weight and it stayed off, but I learned a lot more ways to approach food. First time I was just doing what had to be done and nothing more. it worked, but it did not stick. I gained 40 lbs back. On the second time I learned hope to cope with eating some bad foods, and eating healthier, and working on my will power to not want to eat bad food. The Second time around I learned to make the diet apart of my life. I was not eating so little that I would be always hungry, but I eat with knowing what I am putting in me and fully in control of what I eat. I also developed eating plans to eat food I knew was not good for me. I made the second diet no long a diet but a way of living.

This is where I see what kung fu is and this is what I was thinking about when we were talking about making kung fu apart of your life, and not just a small mission to complete some goals then move on.  The most successful diets I have ever seen were the ones where people assimilated the diet into there lives. It changed the way they lived and I changed too. People who make that diet no longer a diet and a way of a new and healthier lifestyle majority of the time never gained the weight back and continued thriving. I believe Kung fu is the same thing some of the best martial artist I have seen have made kung fu apart of there lives. not just the physical aspects of it, but a lot of the mental and philosophical ways of kung fu as well.

 I have gained some weight, but I was unprepared for the mental strain I was going through, if anything eating was becoming my distraction from what was happening to me. I plan to get both my weight and kung fu back on track. I never thought life could suck so much, but I thank all of you that I talked with. I truly don't know what would have happened if I never did. Thank you

Sifu Langner