You Are The Product

When people signup to learn Kung Fu, they are buying into what my existing students exemplify. I constantly remind my Black Belts and I Ho Chuan students that when it comes to Silent River Kung Fu as a business, they are the product. Unfortunately many of my students fail to maintain their clarity when it comes to defining what that ‘product’ is.

The product that I am expecting to be on full display with my students is discipline. Discipline means constant improvement, it does not mean perfection. When you obsess over being perfect, it becomes almost impossible to try. Returning to the journey vs destination analogy, improvement is a constant journey while perfection is a final destination. Perfection is impossible, while improvement is the logical byproduct of disciplined effort.

Apply discipline in your life and improvement will always follow. I am not expecting my students to have great skill, I am only looking to inspire them to try to be better today than they were yesterday. Skill will follow.

“Perfection is the enemy of good.” — Voltaire (1694 - 1778)

Jeff Brinker

What You’re Not Changing, You’re Choosing

I read this quote recently: “Don’t speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke.  Your body doesn’t know the difference. Words are energy and cast spells, that’s why it’s called spelling.  Change the way you speak about yourself and you can change your life.  What you’re not changing, you’re also choosing.”

When I am learning something new, or working on perfecting something, my internal dialogue has an immense impact on my success. If I say, “I can’t”, then I won’t.  However, if I add the word ‘yet’, then everything changes.  I keep a door open that allows me to try again and again, therefore creating the opportunity for success.  But if I get down on myself, and say “I can’t” I am choosing to fail.

Even as I age, my body can do amazing things as long as I choose to have a positive attitude towards it.  I may be unable to do all that I could 10 years ago, but because I take care of it to the best of my ability, and I focus on what I can do, I will continue to succeed.  My physical  abilities will not stay the same, but my life has and will change for the positive as I age because I choose to speak positively about myself.

Tania Vantuil

The Power of Blogging

Today was my first class on my second round of the ACE (Alberta Cancer Exercises) program.  I was able to do 30 seconds of full jumping jacks before moving down to a modified form.  I could look at this as I was only able to do 30 seconds of jumping jacks but by blogging my progression in the last 8 months, I could see how this was a positive step forward, small as it might be.  

Most of my documentation and blogging of my journey has not been on the IHC forum.  I have documented on my personal blog and journal and these are still a powerful tool.  Here are some of the steps and milestones over these months that show how 30 seconds can be a real positive step forward.  

April 26 - Entered the Foothills hospital to start treatment.  

May and June consisted of trips around the hospital pushed in a wheelchair.  I could only do some of the Tai Chi warm up exercises. There was even one instance when I had to get down on the floor for my slipper which was under my bed and I became stuck.  There was no way that I could get off the floor using my leg muscles and my arm muscles were just as useless.  In my mind, I still recall the image of a stuck seal trying to get up on a rock.  I am sure that is exactly what I looked like trying to get back into my bed. At least we can laugh at it now. 

July - I slowly transitioned to a walker which was my main form of assistance.  I had to move to my hands and knees to get up off the ground.  I needed help to climb up two small stairs to our friends’ deck. 

Aug - I turned in my wheelchair and walker just before heading home to Stony.  Once I was home, I could barely go up and down the stairs but I could start to get out of the tub easier. I was able to do more and more in my Tai Chi classes.

Sept - Started the first round of the ACE program.  Most of my exercises were from a chair but slowly I was able to do harder and harder exercises. Started to participate in the entire Tai Chi classes.

Oct - I had a hard time lifting my feet so would stumble when walking.  Could not do any of the jumping exercises.  Able to walk up and down the stairs at home easier, even carrying a laundry basket.  These were the months of weight gain from the medications so that brought on another set of challenges. I finally had my central line removed.

Nov - Mike and I went to Canmore and I walked to the bakery.  3 km round trip.  Legs burning but I did it (and what a reward at the end). Attended Tai Chi classes regularly.

Dec - Completed the ACE program and did the post assessment.  Was able to see improvements in all areas but needed a reality check.  I was expecting to do better and my ego was comparing me to others, comparing me to my former self.  I mean it had been 7 months so I should be better by now, correct?  This was a tough month mentally which slowed my physical progression.  

Jan - Started the year at Canmore.  Able to get some beautiful walks around Lake Louise, Banff, and Canmore area.  Yesterday I was able to do 175 wall pushups and modified situps. Today I started my ACE exercises using the weight and difficulty from last session and for the first time, I was able to lift my feet and do 30 seconds of jumping jacks.  

By documenting my journey, it shows how 30 seconds is a positive step forward and how I can look back at this later to remind me how far I have come.  

Jackie Kohut

Beginning 'Beginning Anew' Anew

Happy New Year! 

This is the time of year when people make resolutions and make plans to improve their lives. The logic being - “new year - new me”.

Anyone who has ever used their gym membership consistently knows how crowded the gym gets in January and how empty it is by the end of February. People enter the new year with big dreams and plans but life has its own inertia that is always pulling us back to our ‘normal’ state. The challenge of course is to slowly modify our normal state so that it evolves into something positive and sustainable. 

If you are someone who waits until the new year to implement positive change, your procrastination is a big part of the normal state that you are trying to modify. If you wait most of the year for a landmark date to begin improving your life, you will more than likely be one of those people who hit January running but run out of gas by the end of February and then waste the rest of the year waiting for your next opportunity to begin anew. 

If you wish for positive change to manifest in your life, you must first change your approach to implementing change. The opportunity to make positive change exists in every moment of every day. I begin anew several times a day. The moment I feel the presence of mediocrity, I immediately acknowledge it and address it.

Positive growth is a byproduct of positive choices. The first step is recognizing that procrastination is not a positive choice and then go from there. 

My new year’s wish to all of you is that if you have been waiting for January 1st to begin making positive change in your life, start that process this year by beginning anew in your approach to beginning anew. Make 2023 the year that you eliminate procrastination from your life and recognize the infinite opportunities that exist in every moment. 

Jeff Brinker

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