Travelling and Tracking

The month of July is going to be a month on the move. First week I will be in British Columbia, one week back in town then off to Whitehorse, one week back and then off to Drumhellar.

Training will have to be creative but the real concern is tracking my diet. This is the month my I Ho Chuan teammates have agreed to commit to tracking our daily diets publicly.

Truth is, its never a good time for me. I attempted this on my own a few times and failed. Probably because I prefer not being aware of how much I consume.

I have a wall of diet books, nutrition books, sports medicine articles you name it. I have researched and educated myself the best I can about nutrition all my life. Ironically, I lack the will power to limit myself from over indulging.

But this time, this July ,I think I am going to approach it differently. Instead of logging at the end of the day, I am going to take note of what I am about to eat before I consume. I am hoping this will force me to take the time(extra 2 seconds) to decide not only what I am about to eat but why.

Should be an interesting month. I’m already embarrassed!

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

The Bad Days

There will always be days where you had a bad class for one reason or another.

The problem is, sometimes you gauge your whole life’s training on that last class.

Occasionally, I have come home thinking…”boy did that suck…boy did I suck, more accurately!”

There is no doubt as we try and achieve the next level to our skill we will have set backs.

It happens at all levels, I remember it as green belt and I remember it last week!

These are the times where you should reflect(this is the important part) on what went wrong, without the emotional Debbie Downer attitude, think over the mistakes made.

Write down your thoughts, questions and maybe what you could have done better. Pick one thing you want to improve upon and focus in on changing it for the better. If it’s a giant list of things to fix, keep it as a list and save the other items for another day.

Bring your focus and your questions to next class, then, before you know it …Shazam! You’re feeling back in the groove again.

People are generally hard on themselves.

Don’t buy into the “Only as good as your last performance”.

Martial Arts should be a lifelong pursuit, be patient with yourself, allow yourself to fail.

The only thing that is mandatory is Effort, the rest will come with time and guidance.

So  next time you are feelin’ bummed out, relax, reset, and  just get back to class!

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

4 little letters

At work we have the power to allow a registration for an aircraft or not, if we deem it to be embarrassing or unseemly.(kinda like customized licence plates).
Well, this week one came in that clearly is an obscenity in my opinion and it started a whole conversation about morales.
The 4 letters chosen spell a swear, when I asked why we were allowing it, I was told ...'who are we to make that call? it is subjective and those suggested letters can be found on T- shirts now-a-days"

ok?...

I argue, as a society we become more and more tolerant of suggestive messages based on freedoms and rights. and basically what the public will allow without outrage. this happens in a slow but steady increase as not to push the extreme too far.
The "grey"area becomes broader and larger and no one wants to make issue of something for fear of offending or stepping into the argument of morale consciousness and responsibility.
Desensitising ourselves is easier than challenging ourselves to keep society on a path of morale example for our next generation.
 I argued the point of disallowing the letters of choice for the aircraft ...I stand behind the challenge to make a call on something. Don't be afraid to make a stand based on right and wrong.
I believe people know right from wrong, some choose to ignore that little gut feeling for sake of not wanting the backlash. it would mean supporting your position. One you may not be sure about, but i'd much rather put it out there then quietly accept what I find uncomfortable.
Sometimes you have to think that the wrong action is better than the inaction. At least you have a chance to learn from your mistakes.
Clearly  I am talking about more than 4 letters on an aircraft but this was where the conversation led.
Did I get my way...No.
But I am working on being Queen of the Universe...then look out!


JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada