Mastery with Peace
I see so much anxiety in the people around me, my friends and family, peers and students. There are times I feel helpless, unable to break through the barrier that is built between them and the peace they deserve in life.
The I Ho Chuan is a program built specifically for the purpose of furthering us on our path, to get us closer to what we want and who we want to be, to empower us to make the choices and take the actions necessary to get more from life.
But I see this message getting twisted for some individuals. Instead of being empowering, the message becomes a staggering weight. Instead of knowledge it becomes resentment. Instead of a driving force, motivation to make what we want for ourselves, it becomes an unhealthy expectation of oneself or others.
Check in with yourself. What do you feel when you think about your path to mastery? Empowered, confident, bold? Or resentment, anxiety, burden?
What do I want for you? I hope we’re on the same page with regard to this. I want you to achieve the depth of understanding and ability, in whatever field you are passionate about, that constitutes as mastery. I want you confident enough to feel pride, humble enough to admit limitations, and empowered enough to make the choices that will get you what you want.
We always strive to become a better version of ourselves. But this does not mean we cannot know peace. Find that balance for yourself; be driven but without anxiety or ego. Be confident, confident enough to be comfortable with your shortcomings. Take pride in both your achievements and failures. Embrace the journey.
Taken directly from resources provided by the Safe Horizon Society for Abuse Response. Please reach out to me (Sifu Rybak) if you choose to participate; you do not need to disclose which Focus Group you select. For participation tracking purposes only.
Tri-Region Gender Based Violence (GBV) Awareness Project
Phase 2: Focus Group Discussions with Community Members
Greetings,
You are invited to participate in an upcoming focus group discussion on the prevention and response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the Tri-Municipal Region, which includes Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, and Parkland County.
Each focus group will include 8–12 participants and will be guided by a series of open-ended questions to encourage meaningful dialogue and the sharing of diverse perspectives. The purpose of these discussions is to better understand public awareness of GBV, explore perceptions of risk and prevention, and identify opportunities for action. Insights gathered will inform both short- and long-term recommendations for GBV prevention and support the development of a region-wide public awareness campaign.
We appreciate your time and support, and kindly ask that you take a moment to carefully review the following information below.
Background Information:
The Tri-Region GBV Awareness Project is an initiative led by Safe Horizon Society for Abuse Response with research support from the Collaborative Applied Research for Equity in Health Policy and Systems (CARE) Lab of Dr. Stephanie Montesanti at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health. As recipients of the Government of Alberta Family Violence Prevention Grant Program, Safe Horizon contracted Dr. Montesanti’s CARE Lab to carry out a 3-phase GBV awareness project in the Tri-Municipal Region.
This project uses a community-based approach to gathering local knowledge and perspectives from people living and working in the Tri-Municipal Region. It focuses on understanding the factors that contribute to GBV in the region, as well as identifying gaps in services, community needs, and how prepared local organizations are to support prevention efforts. By connecting with local leaders, service providers, and community members, this project aims to strengthen public awareness and build a shared, evidence-informed understanding of both the social conditions and protective factors related to GBV in your communities.
Focus Group Information:
The Tri-Region GBV Awareness Project team is currently inviting community members to participate in focus group discussions that will help shape both short- and long-term recommendations for preventing GBV in the Tri-Municipal Region.
As we bring groups together, we are committed to creating a space where everyone feels safe, respected, and heard. We will thoughtfully consider factors such as gender, age, power dynamics, and lived experiences to support equitable participation. Each session will begin with introductions, a clear explanation of the purpose of the discussion, and a review of confidentiality guidelines.
In any setting where a group discussion could pose safety concerns, we will not proceed with the session. We also aim to be mindful of participants' time and energy. Participation is entirely voluntary, and you are never required to answer any question you do not feel comfortable responding to. To support your well-being during the session, support personnel will be available on-site if you need a break or someone to talk to at any time.
Discussion questions will be circulated to attendees one week before our session to allow time for reflection. Following the session, an online survey will be circulated to participants to share feedback on the process and overall satisfaction with the conversation.
Event Details
You're invited to join a focus group to share your thoughts on the social conditions and root causes of GBV, and to explore ways we can work together to prevent harm and support those most affected. Your voice and lived experience are important in helping shape meaningful, community-led solutions that reflect the diverse needs of people across the Tri-Municipal Region.
Please carefully review the sessions listed below and select the one that feels most relevant to you and where you feel most comfortable contributing:
Youth (18-24) Focus Group
Wednesday, August 6th from 12:00 - 2:00 PM
Stony Plain Public Library, Meeting Room
2SLGBTQ+ Focus Group
Wednesday, August 6th from 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Stony Plain Public Library, Meeting Room
Indigenous Sharing Circle
Thursday, August 7th from 4:00-6:00 PM
Skydancer Indigenous Cultural Centre
* Note: A local Elder will join the Sharing Circle to offer support and to open and close the gathering in a good way.
Your comfort and safety are important to us. If you find that these dates or times don't align with your availability, or if you have questions or concerns about confidentiality, privacy, or participating in a group, we want to make sure you have other options. Our Research Manager, Nicole Orji, is available for individual meetings. Nicole has a decade of experience in community work and the nonprofit sector, and she operates from a trauma and violence-informed lens. She is dedicated to creating a safe and comfortable space for you to share your experiences. Please contact Nicole Orji directly via email (norji@ualberta.ca) or by phone (587-646-7070).
The session will last approximately two hours, with refreshments and breaks provided throughout to support participant comfort and engagement. At the start of the session, participants will be asked to complete a consent form that includes permission to audio-record the discussion. The form will clearly outline how anonymity will be maintained and how any identifying information will be removed from the data.
Thank you for your time and interest in supporting our Tri-Region GBV Awareness initiative. We appreciate your engagement and look forward to connecting with you.
Registration Link: https://forms.gle/nPaTTxJYpweqno619
Thank you,
Dr. Stephanie Montesanti (Principal Investigator)
Nicole Orji (Research Manager)
Sarah Demedeiros (Research Coordinator)
Humility vs Ego
I remember when I was a teenager being asked “what is humility vs ego” as a part of the theory needed to advance in rank. To be honest, I could give a definition of each but I did not understand the question.
We talk a lot about recognizing when we are acting on our ego. We all acknowledge that we all have one, and so the goal is to recognize it, to be in control of it and to not let it define our actions or thoughts.
What is the difference? Humility is honest. It allows you to see the good and bad, your strengths and weaknesses. It does not judge and it does not elicit pride or shame. It just defines what is. With that knowledge you can then redefine and change your reality as you see fit.
Ego, on the other hand, lies. Not that you yourself lie, but ego is that little flurry of thought that alters what you do and what you say in an effort to control what is instead of embrace it. It is a way to try to manage what others believe about you. Ego is dishonest, and as such it holds you prisoner inside your current situation and removes your ability to affect your reality, to change your situation, to better yourself instead of just the perception of you.
Are you trying to sell yourself instead of build yourself? Do you feel like you have something you need to prove? To convince others of? If you ask a question, does the answer generate more questions or just more comments, justifications?
To excel at anything, you need to understand what you know and what you still need to discover. You need to open your heart to the idea that you have more to learn. And be excited about it, not ashamed of it. Seek out those that can help you, open yourself to their knowledge and experience. Do not be frustrated that you have holes in your abilities or understanding. Seek to fill them, not hide them.
Pursue betterment for the sake of becoming a better you. You have nothing to prove, only something to gain. Accept yourself as you are, all of what you are. There is nothing wrong with you. Choose to create change in yourself and your situation. Or not. Just don’t spend your time and energy on creating an image that is false. The energy needed to maintain it is so much more than the energy needed to elicit honest progress.
How to Write a Blog- Part IV
Let’s review.
The four reasons for not blogging are-
I don’t know what to write about/I have nothing to write about.
Absolutely nothing happened, I did nothing, there’s just nothing to write about.
I’m too busy.
I have nothing positive to write about.
Number four is broken down into two justifications;
a) Liken this to “once, long ago, I wrote a blog and I felt like I got in trouble for being honest. Now I shy away from writing anything”. This was the focus of Part III.
And now, the second justification;
b) There are some big emotions going on (a lot or a little, big is big), lots of negativity, and I’m not ready to “get over it”. Therefore, I can’t write in a constructive way.
That’s totally okay. We’ve all been there. You’re in the sulking stage, which I personally believe is a legitimate place to be, we all have to pass through it when something goes awry. But, we cannot stay there. To stay in this stage is only damaging to ourselves and detrimental to our overall goals. And I don’t care what goal you want to insert here, owning doggies or achieving mastery in Kung Fu. To stay in this stage is detrimental to us.
The solution is the same as Part III.
This place provides us the best reason to write a blog. It allows us to voice our emotions, tell our side, and then work through it all to a place where we can benefit from the experience. How, you might say. Well, let me tell you a story.
Last year, actually the past three years, have been exceptionally difficult for me. Lots of personal problems, the death of four family pets, an autism diagnosis, the diagnosis and ultimate death of my loving mother, the diagnosis and ultimate death of my father, planning funerals, selling off the farm, and to top it all off, estrangement from my brother.
Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
Oh, add in taking over a school from someone who is so far above my level that it didn’t seem crazy, it seemed ludicrous. Yeah, add that expectation in there.
Anyways how, pray tell, do you “benefit” from all of that? I’ll focus on the ongoing estrangement between my brother and I. The only surviving member of my original nuclear family. Specifically after my mother told me to never let anything get between us, as she lie on her deathbed.
Well, it’s not good that we’re not talking. No positive spin there. Except, I learned what I am capable of, the empathy I am capable of, the weight I can carry without crumbling and what I will and will not tolerate in my life. (Side note, I never thought I was particularly empathetic. At least, I lack the ability to outwardly show it in a meaningful manner.)
All of which led me to believe in myself. And look, SRKF is still alive, a year later, in my care. I don’t think I could have I would have thought I was capable of it. And granted, it’s been rough. There are potholes the size of Denmark that have developed under my nose. But, I can proudly say that the school survives. I survived, I thrived, and I learned.
You can learn from anything, if you allow yourself to.
I have not “gotten over it”, hence the ongoing distance between my brother and myself. But, although I do not see the light at the end of the tunnel, I have confidence enough in myself to recognize that it will be there, when I choose to make it so. I recognize the immense stress he was/is under, and although I will not tolerate some things, I do have empathy for him.
There you go. I just wrote a blog, even in the sulky, everything is wrong and nothing is good stage. Added to that, I used my negative space in a positive manner, in hopes of providing some motivation and clarity to those of you who find yourself stuck.
So, to address the name of this series, the question everyone has in their mind; How do you write a blog?
Just do it.
How to Write a Blog- Part III
Welcome back. Let’s get into it.
Next reason- I’m too busy. If this is your reason, I will refer you to these fine resources;
https://vimeo.com/1026981384/3fe78813a3
https://www.silentriverkungfu.ca/i-ho-chuan-news/2024/11/19/honesty-and-time
https://www.silentriverkungfu.ca/i-ho-chuan-news/2024/11/19/time
Last, and this is “the big one”- I have nothing positive to write about. Again, there are two reasons for this one.
Liken this to “once, long ago, I wrote a blog and I felt like I got in trouble for being honest. Now I shy away from writing anything”. Okay, this one is tricky. Well, tricky if you’re not keeping things in perspective.
No one gets to live a life with only positivity. We all have bad days. Sometimes a bad week. Heck, bad years! But again, we have the ability to manipulate our surroundings. Does that mean we can control the people around us? No. But we control ourselves, our own thoughts and actions. If we don’t know how, we have the ability to learn.
When it comes to blogging about something negative, you need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. We react strongly when emotions are involved. We are opinionated. But, if someone did us wrong, or made us mad, or unjustly stole our last piece of pie, remind yourself that we ALL think that we are the one who is in the right. Including the person who wronged you!
How does this help? Well, think about why the other person felt the way they felt, did what they did. Say you write a blog. In it you vent about something. Okay, fair. We all need to do that. But what did you do about it? If all you did was vent off steam, identify what is wrong and unjust in the world, did you really do right by yourself? Or did you stop too short and left yourself in a state of aggravation, frustration and general unpleasantness that will slowly eat at you, alter how you think, feel, act?
If you never took it past this place, then yes, we would have reached out to you and told you that you needed to rethink what you had written.
Get it out. Identify the negatives, but then do something positive with it. My pie is gone. Woe is me. Now I’m hungry. Wait, I have half a dozen apples wilting on my counter. I’ll make me another pie! And in doing so, I’ll feel better about not wasting those apples! AND become a better baker! Learn how to make my own crust! Share my pie, bring happiness to the world! Oh oh, maybe I could share it with the fella who stole it in the first place, alleviate his/her hunger, make them go oh, I stole his pie, and now he’s sharing this one? Wow, is that my heart growing three sizes? Did this make ME want to do something kind for someone else?
Don’t stop at the problem. Continue through to a solution. Make sure that every cloud has a silver lining, even when you have to create it yourself. Your perception can shift, which can change your whole outlook. When your outlook is positive, you tend to notice the positivity that surrounds you. What’s more, you tend to create the positivity around you.
If you stop, only venting, offering no solution, giving yourself nothing to move forward with, then heck yes, we’ll call you out on it. Because we want you to thrive, not wilt. We’ll protect you as much as we can.
How to Write a Blog- Part II
Now, I want to narrow it down to the specific reasons people don’t want to write a blog. There are four, split between two of these articles.
First- I don’t know what to write about/I have nothing to write about. These are grouped together because they are indicating the same things. There are only two reasons that this may be the case.
You are not actively/mindfully/honestly reviewing your past week.
Things happened to you. Many things happen to or around us that we just don’t take notice of. Many things that could have an effect on our daily living are left on the floor where they landed after bouncing off our faces. This is normal. But normal doesn’t mean we have to accept it. We’re a cool, albeit funny looking, creature called a human, and the cool thing about that is that we have the capability to affect our surroundings. But, we have to practice our skills just like any other critter. Even more so; our big brains give us the ability to create cool gadgets but we need to learn how to walk first. That is okay. We get the itch to get that toy on that shelf and start pushing ourselves to stand and walk over there. We suck at first. That’s also okay, we also have a thing called a booty that protects us. Anyways, we keep trying and we get better until one day we can run like Usain.
Blogging is the same. Being mindful is the same. It needs to start with a desire, a plan of action, then consistency and then, boom. We got skills baby!
If you don’t see Sifu Brinker slapping his hands together and hearing his voice “take consistent action” then we’ll have to revisit this one.
2. Absolutely nothing happened, you did nothing, there’s just nothing to write about.
Did you live? Then you must have done something, or something must have happened to you. What you are likely saying here is that you did not train, did not think about your training, and did not engage or were not receptive in your classes. Beyond that, you did do something. It is impossible to do nothing. Nothing means you have ceased to exist. When you say you have nothing to write about you’re saying you don’t want to confront what you did or didn’t do for the past week. It was boring. Or not related to your training. Maybe you slept on the couch, or sat in front of your computer gaming. That means you did something, and you likely don’t want to admit to the team what it was. Do you know what the best remedy for this is? Admit it to the team! Take a step towards doing something else, and talking about what is going on is a great step.
Hello, my name is Khona and I spent the past week mindlessly staring at the TV. I know that isn’t a great way to spend my time. I have things I would love to do/have, but no ambition to do anything about it. I feel stuck, like my body is heavy and my mind heavier and so instead of tackling the things that are weighing on me I tend to zone out and stare at a screen watching The Next Generation for eight hours.
Interesting how I can relate watching reruns to my path to mastery. You do see the connection, correct? No matter what you did or didn’t do, you are on a path. And paths go in more than one direction.
So to fix this article, let’s revisit number 2.
Absolutely nothing happened, you did nothing, there’s just nothing to write about.
That’s better.
Next reason- I just forget. Remember when I mentioned our cool ability to create gadgets? One of those things is called an alarm. Most of us have them on our cool smart phones. Also known as reminders. Problem solved.
How to Write a Blog- Part I
I’ve had several conversations lately about the difficulties everyone is facing when blogging, particularly when there is a block. Not a writers block, but a been-absent-from-blogging-for-too-long-now-I’m-feeling-angry/resentful/sheepish(insert descriptor here)-and-can’t-get-started kind of block.
I’ve been hearing all the reasons; I’m so busy, I don’t know what to write about, I’ve nothing positive to write about, I just forget!
I hear ya. But I also know there are solutions to any reason you have. BUT, you have to want to solve the problem. And there’s the big one, eh? You DON’T want to solve the problem. Why not?
Same reason you know you should eat the broccoli, but opt for mac and cheese instead. Same reason you know you should go outside in the sun but opt for the screen instead.
Where’s the gratification in the broccoli? The instant gratification? Broccoli in your teeth, that’s what you get. Happy, tasty, gooey, yummy in my belly NOW feelings with mac and cheese.
Just do it. That is the answer. But let’s break that down for a minute.
Why is it so easy to “just do it” when it comes to things like pasta, video games, caffeine, couches?
Because it takes no forethought to give into these.
But it takes forethought to pick the broccoli.
What is the instant gratification in blogging? Some people feel a relief, another week taken care of. But some people feel anxiety, what will others think, now I’m accountable, where is my glass rock?
So, why the difference? Those who feel the relief have experienced the anxiety, and kept going anyways.
You need to think of the long term.
What do you want? I want my couch. No, you’re thinking too small. What do you want out of this limited time you call your life? Health? Happiness? Doggies? A house with unlimited doggies, angelic kids and free wifi?
Start big, then work your way back. What do you need in order to obtain what you want?
Enough money to buy a house and fence the thousand acres I’d need for the doggies.
Alright, best way to earn that cash?
Winning lottery ticket. Good, high paying job.
What about the happiness you mentioned?
High paying job I enjoy. Beach body year round.
How are you going to get that?
Get hired by Apple Elon Google somewhere I can be happy, work my way up and eventually rule the world own my own business. I need to become the top of my field, a “master” if you will, which will take hours of work and dedication, which means I need to be disciplined enough to put in the work and NOT quit, which means I need enough insight into myself to know what makes me tick, what drives me forward versus holds me back, enough gumption and confidence to make mistakes and keep going anyways, a system to keep myself on track, preferably someone to help me along (hold me accountable) and who can be a sounding board when I get stuck.
Alrighty. If only there were some program that can help you develop the tools you’d need for all of that.
Mastery
Dedication
Discipline
Insight
Confidence
Resilience
Perserverance
Accountability
If only…
Time
(As explained by Sifu Jeff Brinker, November 6, 2024)
There seems to be some frustrations surrounding time. The phrase “I don’t have enough time” is becoming more and more common. How can anyone else possibly make a judgement, they know nothing about what I’m going through!
We have to disagree.
You absolutely do have enough time. You have the same amount as anyone else. 24 hours in a day.
What you don’t have is the same priorities. This is a different conversation.
If Kung Fu is not a priority, that does not mean that you don’t have enough time. You are spending your time on your priorities.
Stop complaining about your lack of time. No one has the ability to give you anymore. You have to decide what is important. At the beginning of the year, you had told us you decided that the I Ho Chuan was important. So, you are being held accountable, as we promised you. You had decided this is what you wanted and that you would make it work.
You do have enough time for this, just as much as anyone else has.
So stop complaining.
Start talking about your priorities, because that is where you are spending your time. Start talking about your priorities so that we are not wasting our time trying to help you with something that isn’t a priority to you, at the expense of something that is.
This is why mindful living is so important; so you are aware of your true priorities. So you know how you are spending your time.
Kung Fu will not work for you if you do not invest in it. Nothing pays dividends until you invest in it. So take care of your requirements. Don’t say they’re not serving you if you are not fulfilling your promise to do them. Of course they won’t serve you if you don’t do them.
So do them. Do them properly, to the spirit, one hundred percent. Then, at the end of a year tell us if they work for you.
Honesty and Time
This is not a new concept. We live in a culture who does not seem to value time. But in fact, it feels more like a system where our time is assigned a value based on what we are filling it with.
Herein lies the problem. We all are guilty of using the excuse that we do not have the time. I don’t have the time to finish the blanket I started to crochet three years ago, and so it sits incomplete, waiting for the day that I “find the time”.
Interesting thought, isn’t it? That time is something that I may just happen across? Find, like a lost sock under the bed?
I have less time now than I have ever had in my life. Not because I’m busy, have more chores or more responsibilities, but simply because one day I will die and every day that I live I am closer to my death.
That is the only point at which I will not have the time.
But until then, I do have the time for anything I wish. I have the time to travel Europe. I have the time to finish my blanket or read a book or pet the cat. I have time to spend with my family, type this article to you, or put my body to use practicing the skills I want to master in my Kung Fu.
I have the time for anything, I just have to decide what I will do.
Of course, I will have to decide what I want to do right now, since right now is all I have to work with. If I’m too busy with the dishes or gaming or mending fences or running a business… that’s not too busy, that is what I have decided to fill my time with. And yes, I DECIDED. It was a decision that was made. A choice.
You may say I HAVE to do these things. But in reality, how many times have you thought, I’ll do the dishes tomorrow? Well, that was a choice as well.
Of course, we need to make choices that will support our goals in life. If I always decide to not do the dishes then my house will become a mess, my family will suffer from the clutter, fruit flies will become our constant companion.
But it is still a choice, healthy or otherwise.
And I do not want an unclean home.
That’s what it comes down to. What do you want?
Because that is what drives our decisions when it comes to how we spend our time. I do not want to do the dishes, but I want a clean home. So I do the dishes. Or rather, I must decide to do the dishes to support what I claim I want.
What do you want?
If you want mastery in your life, then you must make decisions that will support mastery in your life. If you want to earn your black belt then you must make decision that will help you earn your black belt.
If you decide to spend your time in front of a gaming console or in a night club, then you are choosing to stall your progress on what you claim you want.
If you want to play video games, then play video games. But be honest, you are choosing to use the time you have playing video games.
If you want horses, have horses. But be honest, your decisions on how to spend your time will revolve around your horses.
Which is fine. That is your choice.
BUT, understand that just because you want something doesn’t mean that speaking the words “this is something I want, this is important to me” will get you any closer to it.
You may want it, but if you are not putting the time into acquiring it then you simply don’t want it as much as something else, whatever is filling your time.
I want to go to Europe. But I want to be with my family and build my life here more. And so here, with my family, is where my time is spent.
Saying I want to go to Europe and then wondering why I’m not in Europe is foolish.
Saying I want Kung Fu in my life but not taking the time to have Kung Fu in my life and then wondering why isn’t Kung Fu in my life is foolish.
Or worse, resenting that I don’t have Kung Fu in my life, and resenting those who do. Those who spent the time to acquire it.
It is that simple.
Be honest about what you want, and about what you want more. Spend your time as you see fit, but do not say “I don’t have the time”.
What is the Purpose of the I Ho Chuan?
Mastery.
What does this mean? Mastery is a broad term. When we speak of it, we are speaking in terms of the individual. Mastery in Kung Fu starts internally with humility and understanding, and works its way out to the external in the form of skill and ability. Many of us stop at the understanding and fail to recognize this. So much knowledge that will fail to manifest.
True mastery in Kung Fu has many facets, skill and understanding being only two of them. What benefit is all of this skill if you are not also taking care of your body, your community, your home, your loved ones? What benefit is it to you if you’re standing with all your ability and might, alone, in the middle of a burning bridge?
Mastery in any sense of the term is not easy. Time, effort, energy and commitment are not always in abundance. Mastery is simple though. Do. Not. Quit.
Now, to define what “quit” means. There is the very literal meaning; quitting the team, quitting classes, quitting Kung Fu.
But many of you do not realize that this is not the only way to quit. You do not need to say the words “I quit” to make it true. You can still be a member of the team, enrolled at the school, still have your name in the list and have quit.
It comes down to what you are doing. Or not doing.
To be a member of the I Ho Chuan is to make a promise to your instructors, your teammates and yourself that you will invest a year into yourself and your Kung Fu. Not at the detriment of your family or career, but alongside, tailing closely to these things. These things should work harmoniously with each other. It should never be a sacrifice of one for another. Balance.
If you cannot, or do not, invest the energy into mastery, then you will not obtain mastery. And there is nothing wrong with that. We all have other commitments, events and trials in our lives that sap at our energy and time.
Whatever your reason to miss classes, ignore your numbers, not blog, they are legitimate. Recognize that something else took priority over these acts. Recognize Kung Fu was not the priority. And that is okay.
Remember though, you do not get to reap the benefit if you do not tend the seeds. As it is with anything. And that is okay, if you recognize it. Where the tricky part comes in is when you expect the benefits without the work and effort.
To consider yourself successful in the I Ho Chuan, you do not have to become a master in Kung Fu. But you need to have developed the tools, habits and discipline to get yourself there. You need to learn the lessons, which means you need to be at classes. You need to document the journey, as a tool for yourself to determine where on the road (or ditch) you are, which means you need to blog. To be considered a candidate for black belt in this school means you must earn the rank. To be considered a black belt means you must maintain the rank.
Not easy, but so simple. Do not quit. Not on yourself, not on your Kung Fu. Do the acts, reap the benefits.
2023 Tiger Challenge- A Chance at Mastery
The Tiger Challenge is coming up fast, which means soon you will either pass or fail another one of your requirements. Which are you going to choose?
Attendance is mandatory, same as your classes. And, same as your classes, if you cannot be there you need to let your instructors (me) know BEFORE THE EVENT. Why? So that you are forced to think it through, think through what you are going to say to me, and double check that you feel your reasons are valid and outweigh the importance of your engagement.
Work happens, injury happens, illness happens. Totally get it. But, if you are not in attendance and not competing in the Tiger Challenge, you have failed. Mastery doesn’t care why, just whether or not you do.
So what are you going to do about it? Are you going to throw your hands up in the air and say “Well, I failed. Bummer.”?
If so, then yep, you’re right.
It is imperative that you understand the statement “mastery doesn’t care”. The thing is, your instructors are not heartless and are not apathetic to your situation.
But, MASTERY DOES NOT CARE. You either do or do not. You keep your promises and meet your requirements, or you do not.
You are working your butt off and unfortunately get horribly sick a day before you grade for black. Do you really want the grading board to say “Aw that sucks, she tried, maybe we should just promote her anyways.”? Do you really want your efforts and your black belt tainted and degraded like that? You didn’t earn it, but you tried, good enough?
I hope not. I don’t want my efforts and my rank devalued like that.
So, what’s your plan? You may get sick, you may have to work, life happens. So what are you going to do to best ensure your success and your progression?
I’m not sure, but I do know shrugging your shoulders or leaving it to the fates is not going to move you forward on your journey.
Even Artificial Intelligence Knows Mastery
An experimental chat GPT bot has been given additional training in all five million words of Seth Godin’s blog. Here’s what it had to say when I asked it: “How do you stay motivated and creative when faced with writer's block?”:
”According to my training data from Seth's Blog, the best way to deal with writer's block is to write, and to realize that your bad writing isn't fatal. People with writer's block don't have a problem typing. They have a problem living with bad writing, imperfect writing, writing that might expose something that they fear. The act of doing it every day is more important than the output itself. When you commit to a practice, you will certainly have days when you don't feel like it, when you believe it's not your best work, when the muse deserts you. But, when you keep your commitment, the muse returns. When you keep your commitment, the work happens.”
Okay guys, it does not take a rocket scientist to see the wisdom here. Even artificial intelligence agrees with me. When you do not feel like training - train. If you have nothing to journal about - journal. What is the solution to all you problems? ENGAGEMENT! Take action and the results take care of themselves.
Jeff Brinker