The Best Answers dont come from Questions

We are a social animal, interactive, knowledge seeking, inquisitive and curious.

All good of course, but we have lost patience. We want instant answers.

We ask before thinking. We ask before trying. We don’t want to wait for the insight found thru the experience…it just takes too darn long. Tell me what I need to know, answer my questions so I  can shorten my path to the goal I seek.

Sometimes the best answers don’t come from questions.

When the apprentice is shown by the journeyman how to assemble the machine sometimes listening then doing are the best methods of learning. Try before asking, do before questioning. Learn the qualities of trust, patience and focus. The questions that come after the attempts are far more valuable and meaningful. (this comes from my earlier days on the shop floor working under the guidance of an older Japanese mechanic, he spoke very little english, he would only show you once, I had to make sure I paid attention and my questions had to be very pointed- he turned out to be one of the more influential people in my life, still have a friendship with to this day )

Challenge yourself to come up with the answers to your difficulties by doing and trying  then doing again. Absorb yourself in the moment and look for resolve independently.

Once you have taken action the questions that follow have more value to you.

I Hate the Sound of my Whiny Voice...

 

Sihing Langner was telling me about his knee pain and I began to dish out the advice and lecture him about making the time to have these pains and aches attended to before they interfere with your training. Good advice, I thought. I should listen to myself …

 

Its been over a week since one of my ribs slipped.

One doctors appointment, two Chiropractor appointments, 1 physio appointment, a bucket of Advil, endless stretching  and more of the same for next week.

Physio guy figures its been building up from overly tight shoulders and traps. Anyways, I have no one to blame but myself. I did not practice what I preach.  My shoulders  and upper back have been bothering me for months but I have powered through everything ..just didn’t make time to focus on the cause properly.  So now I have to, if I want to function properly, never mind train. 

Even if you are younger, take heed, for some things left may come back to haunt you later in life.

My sister said it best, we are fortunate to have the resources like physio, chiropractors, acupuncture, massage and other wellness tools at our hands in this county. It is unfortunate that it is not always covered financially but like she said to me , your health is not a luxury it’s a necessity.

 

We often as a society in general, don’t want to take the time for something like preventative measures. We feel we are being selfish or self-indulgent. Booking time for a massage, therapy or simply slowing down to stretch, who has time for that?. We are always in a hurry. On to the next task. Today is not a good day but I will make the time on the weekend or next weekend or , or ,or…

The sacrifice  may be time and money but I can firmly say after this past week, my health, my mobility, my ability to function are a priority and priceless.

Old Man Style

An Instructor I trust and look up to has told me several times don’t train hard and fast train “Old Man Style’.

This week I find myself contemplating this concept with much seriousness.

An injury has given me a reality check.

I am aging. I am not as flexible and pliable as I once was. I have to admit I am not as fast nor as strong as I used to be in my 20s and the longer I deny this it can only lead to consequences.

I need to approach my training now  with more logic and less muscle.

Analyze technique, focus on timing, think about my attack and defense from a smaller weaker perspective.

Train “Old Man Style”

I want to be actively training well into my seasoned ages.

My basic body health will be the foundation and my mind should over rule my muscle.

I get it now, when he says, train old man style.

Journal

Sifu Brinker asked us all to focus on our jounaling . Why we journal and maybe why we don't sometimes.

Years ago, when I started journaling I disliked it,  too personal and uncomfortable. Later I realized  journaling should not be an exercise in exposing yourself as it is sorting issues and thoughts.

I try to take stock on something that has happened or is on my mind. Journling forces you to think about your experiences and formulate your opinion and check your emotions. I always hope that logic is the end result from reflecting on something , even if its after I leave the computer.

For me, it gives me the opportunity to reflect on my thoughts or what has taken priority for me the past week.
It seems, when you take the time to compose your thoughts from what is circling around in your head and put it in front of you, you can find more order in your thoughts.
I think there are lots of benefits but probably the best one for me is to give myself a better understanding of what I am about to say. Journaling can take away the knee-jerk reaction because you have to express yourself in a slower time frame. A lot of realizations can be pushed to the surface when you take some time to analyze your topic, issues or feelings.
Clarity has been the best benefit for me so far. If things are a little more clear then solutions become more apparent, chaos seems less of a factor.

I haven't always seen the benefits of journaling, its taken a long while, and admittedly I started only because we had to.
That has changed for me but only through habit.
I'd have say this one is a good habit.

Dont get ambushed by the Tiger

Tiger Challenge is coming...

Its our somewhat annual school tournament.  It’s a great opportunity for every student in the school to come out on a Saturday and have some fun.

Each one has been different and each one has been full of surprises and laughs!

There is no better way to challenge yourself then having a little friendly competition with your peers. Whether you choose to be creative with a form, music or fighting partners or maybe you just want to focus on that curriculum form to prefect it, the best you can for your belt level, the benefits are countless.

Practicing something for the purpose of putting it forward gives the mind the challenge of picking something apart then building it back up to your own perfection.

When it comes to sparring, tournaments are the closest thing you can get to putting yourself in a realistic situation of having to defend yourself and defeat your attacker, but yet, stay safe. No life threatening situation but it can get your adrenalin up just the same! You get to challenge your ability to stay calm in an anxious situation but in a safe and friendly environment.

Of course the kids have the most fun, they seem to be the ones that can focus the most on a goal and make it look like a lot of fun!

 So here we are, Christmas is right around the corner. We have just about 6 weeks before the Tiger Challenge is upon us. Lets see what we can do with that 6weeks, sign up, practice, eat your turkey, then get back at it!

Don’t let the Tiger ambush you!

Volunteer

It’s a rewarding experience to volunteer. More often than not , you get back tenfold what you put into it.  I am proud to be part of a school that advocates volunteer work and puts the time in the community to practice what it represents.

It is great to see so many step up to the plate and put their names in for different projects.

However, it is disappointing when the volunteer commitment becomes optional in some minds .

Volunteering should be treated no different then a paying job. You have made a commitment to others, a group, and the community. There might not be a paycheck at the end of the month but there are rewards you can reap or  you can miss out on.

I was disappointed to hear and see how some  do not respond to a call out for shovelling snow.  Its understandable that people are not available but it is not understandable when you don’t let your group or team mates know you are unavailable.

Would you not call back your boss if they left a message on the phone for you to come in for some extra work?  I don’t understand the silent response when someone from a snow shovelling team makes a call-out. At the very least respond, this allows those who have taken the initiative to coordinate in a timely manner know the resources they have at hand. Just simple consideration is all.

I am hoping its just the beginning of the year glitch, we are all adjusting to the heavy hand of winter but tomorrow is December, we should be a finely tuned machine by now, like tactical snow police!:)

Colds to Cancer

Raymond has been home sick for three days now. Whenever I am home nursing him, I always think about health in general.

Our biggest investment to ourselves is the well being and maintaining of our health. That means Water, Food and Sleep.

Lets talk about food. Since it’s a blog , I guess I’ll just do the talking.

I am a firm believer in keeping yourself fuelled with wholesome nutrient rich food. Not just for optimum training and a shiny coat but for the days sickness comes calling. If you are running on all cylinders you are more likely to overcome flus, infections and other nasty stuff a lot quicker with less discomfort.

Unfortunately, I have seen too many around me affected by cancer in one form or another.  A friend of mine contracted stomach cancer a while ago, we used to lift weights  together. She was strong, in good shape and an avid health nut. She is down to 90 pounds now but her cancer is in remission.  She is by no means, back to normal, but everyone is amazed by her condition after going through such hell.

This isn’t a scientific observation but it seems to me , if you look after yourself you have a better fighting chance.  

As I sit here, waiting for the next ” ..mommy, can you get me…” I think about a comment from Sihing Chervenka, - trusting the food manufacturers,... the nutrients are not the same and what is that stuff their putting in our food?- I agree with him.

I also ponder on Ms  Donohues great research into the matter. I shall have to bother her some more.

Colds to Cancer- our food matters.