The Hardest Part

I can safely say, at my age, I have years and years of training, working out, sessions in the gym, hi and low moments of physical skill but the hardest part...

Is showing up!

It seems a body at rest wants to stay at rest. Falling off a routine is easy, and whats easier is finding 52 different reasons, why you didn't get up early to workout, why you didn't get off the couch and go to your evening class, why you didn't go in Saturday to pick up a class or spend half an hour in Open training.

Getting up, putting on the runners, grabbing that gym bag.....oh the dread!

I am the worst for this, and I have all sorts of tricks I play on myself to counter the little voice that tells me "I will work extra hard next class I deserve a break today, I will get up early tomorrow and start fresh, I will workout later, I will...I will..."

I find preparation goes a long way. If I pack my gym bag ahead of time , lay things out the night before, tell myself I have to be at class like its an appointment, I don't seem to slip into excuses as easy.
(I also put an alarm clock in the bathroom!..it works!)

I 'm always  glad once I am at class or finish a workout but I always feel worst about myself when I
start down the slippery slope of randomly showing up.

So really, the hardest part is making that routine, that commitment but it all starts first by showing up.

Finding A Religion

I have definitely strayed from my upbringing when it comes to my religion.


My parents are Irish Roman Catholics, actually immigrated in the 60s to Canada, and with that brought their deep faith, traditions and beliefs with them to raise their young family.
  I was raised in a strict catholic home.
No regrets, it definitely has been and is more of a positive influence than a negative.
however, thinking back,  As I grew up, religion seemed like it was more of a punishment at the time .
As a kid, church was boring, giving candy up for Lent seemed pointless, doing the rosary as a family on Sunday nights was torture to us kids and I cant count how many times we were pinched in the church pews by my mother to stop goofing around a pay attention to the Fathers sermon.
Confession was the worst! ...especially when the same priest was coming over for Dinner to the house next Sunday!

As a teenager and young adult I justified not going to Church anymore because of the bad press/reputation the Catholic church was gaining. I could craftily argue with my Mother how it lacked logic and it was nothing more than political platform.  Maybe I was right...but...



I missed the point



You need faith, faith in something, faith in anything, you don't even have to put a name to it or call it a religion.

At some point in our lives we may find ourselves feeling completely alone. Parents pass away, spouses may not always understand and sometimes friendships can feel conditional or you may be the type that finds it incredibly uncomfortable to reach out for help.


Whatever the case, the sense of being completely alone especially during crisis can bring the strongest-willed person to their knees.
I think there is a human gravity and natural attraction to believe in something spiritual that we can source from when our inner strength is tested and tapped out. Something to gives us purpose for, something to set  our lives to a higher standard with, to hold all that is virtuous in the forefront. Something to relieve the fear and anguish of morality.


 ...so where do you turn? What religion is right? what philosophies to follow? Is all religion misleading? Why do we get caught up and argue about the details and miss the bigger message. Why do we fight about our religions?....These are the questions that Centuries have left unanswered, or answered in the individual 's own Faith.


What happens when you don't believe in anything or lost your faith in everything?


I suppose , the  answer is despair waits at the end of that road or maybe complete self-indulgence, which usually doesn't end well either.


As my son gets older, I realize, I need to find my "religion"...for his sake.
 He needs that source of strength and faith when I cant be there to save the day, or help him make the right decisions.





As I spend more time in the Martial Arts, it has become more concrete to me, how the three aspects of body, mind and soul contribute to a well rounded life long pursuit of becoming a Martial Artist and above all at peace as a human being.


What is my religion??...still searching, but I have faith in something...