Discipline is the greatest gift you can give yourself, with it, you can achieve anything..but what happens when life wont let you exercise your discipline as much as you had set out to. Are we not the masters of our own destiny, warriors of our own world and creators of our own path, striving for the pinnacle of perfection?
Tell that to your runny nosed, dirty pants 5 year old. You are Mom and you have to put that righteous stuff on hold until you get me a snack!
Its tough being a parent and trying to achieve anything in the day, never mind your life, community and globe.
We have many Moms at the school, both colored belts and black belts. I see the sacrifices they give of themselves both by attending class and practicing and by not attending class and not practicing.
As a mom, you are feeling guilty when you spend time on yourself(training) and when you don't train its usually because the family came first.
Now, I'm not saying Dads don't sacrifice, I'm only speaking from my experience and from the Moms I know in the kwoon. (Dads are another blog).
My thoughts over the years have come to this conclusion, you have to include the little ones. They wont leave you alone for very long, so don't fight it.
Kung Fu should be on your mind every day. Not just the curriculum but how do I do better at everything I do, say, feel and think.
But don't neglect your physical training just because you cant make it to class or you have no time to your self.
Get down and do push ups between reading books and crafts. Soon the little thing or things are intrigued by what you are doing and usually start to join in. Heck, get them to lay on your back and really get a good work out. Do your sit ups while they soak the bathroom walls during their bath time, its only water. Throw out some round house kicks while cooking supper and don't forget to sit in a horse stance while everyone brushes their teeth. It helps if you keep a daily log so it becomes a daily challenge for yourself and you start to feel the sense of accomplishment even if you couldn't get to class. The kids will begin to think this is all normal and then they start to expect it and sometimes tell you when you are cheating!
Don't stop training, be creative, find a way and make it to class when its possible.
So to the Moms, you are a righteous warrior!...Especially to little eyes.
JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada
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5 comments:
Excellent post Sifu. I know many of the moms in our school sometimes need to be reminded of the awesome example they are setting for their children. Work applied to mastery is never a selfish pursuit when you consider the positive influence it has on our children. The discipline we show today can serve our children long after they have left our care.
Thank you for the great blog. You are not only an excellent example of how to strive for mastery to your son, you are for the rest of us moms who are struggle to do it all. I will be using some of your great examples when trying to fit training in to my sometimes busy schedule.
It's funny,today I was just wondering how I'm going to juggle school, work, kung fu and still be a mom and wife in the coming year. Thanks for such a great post.
Andrea Prince
Thanks Sifu. I thought that the balance would return after black belt, but I still struggle with it. But you are right, the kids do get into it too. This blog hit home for me.
Sifu Wilson
It doesn't matter how big or little the kids are either, they still need "mom". I struggle with the balance as well. Thanks for saying it out loud.
Linda
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