Writing Blogs For Me

  So this is something I have struggled with for a long time and still find some difficulty in doing so. I am way better than before, but I always have room to grow. When I first started writing I would be short and sweet. I could not think of a whole lot to write and sometimes sat in front of my laptop for hours with a blank mind. 

 I had many reasons for why I did not write one, but I did not know the full value of a blog yet. I remember making lots of blogs about  “what YOU can do to do better” and not about me. Not that I think a blog that is more of a “YOU can do better by…” is a bad thing. They can help yourself and those that could possibly read it. I just feel those type of blogs come every now and then, not every single blog.

   I see that blogs are meant to showcase what I am personally going through and if you learn something about a “YOU” then that is an added bonus. I try my best to act as a responsible blogger, but I have certainly made some stinkers in the past. 

  I mainly learned to try and make any new blog I write about my journey and whatever is being effective by it and try not to make a “YOU” blog and make it more about me. The blogging experience is a unique one and should be a time of selfishness to talk about yourself. I used to make blogs that were pretty much like a cheerleader. “Go Team Go”

  I also suffered from wanting to make the most inspirational blog that all the people come to and sing about the blog I wrote praises. I was using the blog in my opinion wrongly. I was seeking praise for an act that should just be about me and my self growth and struggles in kung fu. If I have nothing to write, I know I am not engaged at all, if I have a lot to write then I am more engaged in my kung fu.

   This blogging experience this time around has felt so much different than all my previous blogs I have ever wrote. I have been truly thinking about each blog in advance that has been really affected my life and kung fu. It has helped me have huge realization about myself. Even get through really hard times in my life. I am not seeking the getting lots of comments on my blogs anymore. They certainly did motivate me to write more, but now whether everyone comments it or not it's not the main goal anymore. The main goal for me is to write a blog that means something to me and something that tracks my highs and lows. Blogging for me will always go down in history as the best tool the I Ho Chaun has ever giving me.

As always thank you for reading my blog and here are some numbers.

Acts of kindness: 240

Km: 171

Sit ups: 2550

Push ups: 2550

Da mu hsing: 50

Drum stick form: 64

Spar: 85

Basics

 During class I was unsatisfied with the vectors and flow of my punches and kicks in my form. I found myself knowing my issues, but at the time did not have a solution. I found myself trying to force my punches where I want them to go and having to think overtime while doing my forms. My mind knows what to do, but my body is not ready.

  I ended up having an epiphany and got into a horse stance and started to just simply throw punches. I was no longer trying to make my whole body trying to listen to me while I do the form. I was able to just simply focus on what my arms were doing to do a punch. I was performing something I have not done for a very long time, basics.

  I was lucky enough to re-learn my foundations and how important it is to some times to just focus on one part of the form. To use the tools I have been taught through my time learning kung fu. Finding a great amount of value of doing something as small as just throwing punches. 

 When I was more consistent in kung fu before my small hiatus I took for granted the great power of practicing simply the basics I have. I got to learn again so much about myself where I feel weak and where I feel strong. 

   I would say I am right now having a lot of fun getting the WD-40 into my mind and joints and muscles. I am seeing my struggles, but I have been able to stay positive and try and look for what positive I am learning, or having to re-learn about myself or my kung fu. 

 There is easily 2 paths I could take about what I am doing right now. Honestly I am always walking that balance beam physically and mentally. Right now I am on the up swing of my mental and I want to keep that going. I am trying to accomplish to keep this attitude for when things will inevitably change. I am trying to keep this idea alive about always seeing the opportunity’s life keeps throwing at me. Instead of looking at what obstacles are put in front of me. I am not trying to see the world through rose coloured glasses, but I am trying bring the hope back into it. Maybe even keep that hope going for myself at all times.

 Anyways back to about basics. They are a very important aspect of my martial arts. They are my foundation and what were the very first things I learned as a white belt. I’m just really lucky that I get to re-learn the enjoyment of learning my basics again.

Thanks for reading here are some numbers:

Acts of kindness: 200

Km: 150

Sit ups: 2000

Push ups: 2000

Da mu hsing: 45

Drum stick form: 55

Spar: 70

Finding my Center

  My center has been a literal roller coaster through the time I started doing Kung fu, till present day. It has been a journey that constantly has re-taught me over and over again where I am  mentally and physically. Talking about it now I can see it more clearly now the ups and downs of my center finding.

  I started kung fu like most men do and I had my center higher in my chest area. It was a time in my life where I was younger and thought I knew so much more than my teachers. I was more rigid and had a to big of an ego. (Side note: I did not join kung fu with the right attitude or intentions. That is a whole other story) 

   I inevitably quit kung fu for 3 years; my attitude and physicality were on the decline. My center was nonexistent. I was a student who did not care and only stayed for a long time, because I was too polite to quit. I thought they would be upset or mad with me if I quit, or thought I was being rude. 

 Then after my 3 years hiatus I came back to kung fu. I was  more mentally and physically healthier. I was motivated and humbled. I started to learn what my center was and learned how greatly it affected everything. I was less tense, but my center was a lot more defined and I was finally making progress to having a consistent center. My center at this point was around my belly button. I still had so much to learn and I was looking forward to it.

  Unfortunately the next thing that happened to me was that I got into a pretty bad car accident. I physically lost my center. I could no longer even just stand up straight without losing my balance and falling over. I had to do a years worth of physio just to find my balance again and standing for long periods of time again. I learned a lot of good things about myself on my road to recovery. So obviously I have found my balance again( for the most part) and my center. I got the opportunity to re-learn what is my center and how to find it. I unfortunately was going down a negative attitude path and started to pull away from kung fu again, but this time I did not quit, but I was running away. It freaked me out to show my vulnerability publicly. I started to dive into work and then I was gone for another 2.5 years this time. 

 Finally I came back and brought kung fu back into my life and this time I have the better attitude and my experience in re-establishing my center. Last class got me to define my center and how to control it. I re-learned about the more tense I am and mentally not focused the more my center rises. The more calm I am and relaxed the better my center feels closer to my core or belly button. I learned that I have to rebuild some muscles that I have lost so I can maintain my center through my forms and simply walking. 

I have done this journey multiple times in finding and maintaining my center. It is a journey I tend to have fun on and look forward to re-establishing my center and love for kung fu. Don’t get me wrong there was plenty of frustration in trying to find and maintain my center, but I am just trying to maintain the positive outlook and always finding that silver lining. 

Ok lots of rabble today I always want to say thank you after you read my blogs, just because I know the effort you took out of your day to read my blog and I really appreciate that. It is a solid skill that I am still working on and exercising to read all of your guys blogs as well. Anyways hear some numbers.

Acts of kindness: 160

Km: 138

Sit ups: 1800

Push ups: 1800

Da mu hsing: 35

Drum stick form: 45

Spar: 55

 

3 Steps to a Better Lifestyle

  Hello so I have been working on this particular lifestyle for a very long time. You would think I would be really good at it, but I am still improving myself. These 3 steps that I will be posting here are very much face value. Every step can become very deep and mind provoking and sometimes just a cold hard truth. Individually each step only gets you so far, so all 3 are needed for the best outcome. Well enough building it up here they are.

Step 1: Mindfully Living

 This step can be a place of limbo, or a place of extraordinary potential. Multiple times I have been on the limbo part where I knew what I was doing wrong and I knew what my path is to fix it, or make it better. I would ask myself “do I need to practice Kung fu, answer yes, do I, no. Why am I not getting better, because I am not practicing. What am I doing about it, nothing.” So there entails a state of limbo. I have the solution in front of me, but I chose to do nothing. So my outcome was a bad one. 

Mindfully living engages the thought process and problem solving of how to improve yourself. It also means being more mindful about who’s in your life and could help improve you. What I said “ I know Sifu Brinker, I could ask him for some help with my issue in Kung fu” I did not ask, but he called me and helped me come back to kung fu. He was someone in my life I did not ask, but should have. So not every problem or issue can be solved by others, but be aware of those around you that are good souls and would be happy to make you grow.

 To drive it home this is important step to have because it’s the beginning of something wondrous. It’s a daily tool that keeps me engaged in life and how to go for my betterment of myself and those around me. This first step is very personal, because everyone is unique. There are definitely some commonalities, but how we all get there may be very different. Once you have mindfully prepared yourself the next step will work great with it. 

Step 2: Just Do It

  This step is pretty self explanatory, but I will still add to it. Take action, follow through, actually do what you have mindfully discovered. This is the step no one likes to do, because you have to do it if you want results. I have had lots of issues in the past with this, but it has also changed me forever, for the better. Once I followed through with practicing Kung fu again my life gets better and I become happier. Sometimes you just need to stop waiting for the perfect moment when the blue moon rises and just do it.

Step 3: Consistency

 Now we are finally here we’re mindful and we’re taking action and now we need to consistently take action. The first 2 steps more times then not disappear after some short time goes by; New Year’s resolution. We get a plan and start doing the plan, but fails because we did the plan for a week or month or even a day. Consistency involves making that choice and action you chose consistently. Which can make your life better normally for the rest of your life. I consistently practice kung fu and now I am becoming more confident in my forms and myself. The results of doing all 3 steps together. This is the step of starting to go and climb your mountain and at the top awaits some amazing, extraordinary events that will change you forever. 

   In conclusion, I have been struggling with these three step for a good portion of my life, because I do not always have all three. I mainly live in step one. Once I get going life will get better and life will throw another curve ball, but I have been training for a long time and hope to be able to get through that and then get through the next one. Change in life is inevitable but if you go back to these 3 steps I believe anythings possible.

Easier way to remember it 1. Live Mindfully, 2. Hardwork, 3. Discipline. The very training we all have been trying to achieve in our school since day one. 

Thank you for reading all this here are my numbers.

Acts of kindness: 120

Km: 110

Sit ups: 1400

Push ups: 1400

Da mu hsing: 30

Drum stick form: 35

Spar: 30

Endless Cycle

  I feel like I am constantly just barely making the right or wrong decisions in my life. Making a choice to continue to rent out a place on my own or moving back home. I am currently in a position where I have zero income, and choosing to live outside of my parents home. I am not hurting for money by any means it just feels like I make some head way to earn money to one day have my own home and then I fall back a little from not working. 

I have loving parents that have already offered me to live the rest of my life with them, but it is not an environment that is mentally good for me. It’s not because my parents are horrible it’s because my mental aspect as an adult becomes stifled. I give into mediocrity and stop trying to do anything for myself. I start feeling like I’m a teenager, but I’m 36. 

 I see where I am in life and always feel as though I am behind. The experience of living on my own was introduced to me late in life. I just never had a good reason to leave, because my parents really love and care for me. I don’t want to blame them for me getting a late start in life, because it is not their fault, but my own. Sure they can take some blame but not a lot. Majority to almost all I would say is on me. They support me to stay and support me to go. I chose to stay, because I thought I could save money faster. Which I did, but the cost was my mental. 

I find when I live on my own I become more responsible to myself. I have to, if I do nothing I get nothing. I found when I was on my own I was more motivated to be healthier and more productive in my life. I found I was trying to make better decisions in what I do. I found walking in grocery stores that I have no desire to go to any spot in the store to buy the unhealthy items. I find myself wanting to be better. I was turning into a functioning adult.

A new comfort I found was being anti social and just secluding myself at my place. Another form of mediocrity. I had these habits at home too, but now just more isolated. Honestly I always choose to stay in my place then go out, because it is comfortable. I love being home and not interacting with the world. I would say in my case this is not a good thing. I do think you should feel happy where you live, but you need to pursue events that could change your life for the betterment of one’s self. I don’t really pursue anything.

I am making small adjustments in my life to bring more people into it. My first step was Kung Fu. It is the foundation for me to become the best version of myself. I am trying to become confident in myself again. 

Thanks for reading my blabul here some numbers:

Acts of kindness: 80

Km: 91

Sit ups: 1100

Push ups: 1100

Da mu hsing: 22

Drum stick form: 27

Spar: 15