Know Your Why and Make it Huge!!

Motivation can start with a single thought or feeling. The what! We then need to pause and take the time to contemplate that thought or feeling. Do we want to take action, is there a desire to pursue a goal? In order to then set a goal and accomplish anything, big or small, we require a why!!

 Why?... Why is this goal important to you?  One word or one sentence may seem to be the answer initially, but more thought is required. The process of motivation continues. Dig deep, because a superficial why creates superficial motivation and will only get you so far. Expand your why beyond just yourself, to include possibly family, friends, community and the world. Personal self gain is often not enough to sustain us.

That one initial why and resulting answer can ripple outward, creating a HUGE why!! If your why is big enough, action becomes almost instant and the how becomes much easier and more attainable.

Know your limitations. Know when help is needed and obtain the right help to get the job done. When you write down the steps to achieving your goal also write out all your why’s leading up to the big one. Successful motivation requires knowing all the why’s and the how’s. I believe that is how you stay motivated and reach your goal. Maybe that is why goal setting has always been difficult for me. I didn’t truly understand the why of it.

Know your why and make it huge!!

Michele Ward  

Proud to Call Alberta Home

I'm inspired and overwhelmed at the same time by the generosity of everyone that has helped and offered help to the people of Fort McMurray. The desire to help those in need and the level of engagement that has been displayed is truly amazing and heartwarming.

 Information is everywhere. Radio, television and social media all provide information and therefore create awareness. We have all seen the power of that awareness as Albertans stepped up and helped in numerous ways. Imagine if we could take that same level of engagement and desire to help and apply those qualities to our lives everyday.

Rather than waiting, what if we took action before something happened or is brought to our attention? What if we took action all the time, and made awareness and engagement a habit?

There are many well deserving organizations and charities that require help and donations to continue doing the work that is so important and necessary. At Silent River Kung Fu we support and raise awareness, and money for 5 charities throughout the year. Each one is important for specific reasons and has been carefully chosen. I invite you to research at least one of them, so that you can see for yourself why they are important and need our help. Awareness, empathy and compassion are key components to our Kung Fu training.

Second Chance Animal Rescue    http://scarscare.ca
Northern Lights Wolf Centre        http://www.northernlightswildlife.com/
Children's Ability Fund                http://www.childrensabilityfund.ca/
Atsikana Pa Ulendo                      http://malawigirlsonthemove.com/
Healing Hands of Katmandu

Pandamonium is coming up this Saturday and is an opportunity for us to start a conversation before, during and after about our charities. Building awareness for our 5 charities and their related issues, as well as raising money, fun and coming together as a community is what Pandamonium is all about. Our goal is to raise $15 for every minute of Kung Fu during this 24 hour event, for a total of $21,600. Charities like Scars and Children's Ability Fund have been impacted by the fires in Fort McMurray and will need our support. The need for each of these charities is ongoing throughout the year.

Please... start a conversation and help increase awareness. Awareness is powerful!

Michele Ward

When Wrong is Actually Right

I've spent quite a bit of time working on my forms. In the beginning it was all about remembering the proper order and the different components of the form. Once that is cemented in my brain, I then start to break it down and work on the technique of each strike, block, stance and kick. And just when the form is starting to feel good and I think I've got this, we break it down some more and then it doesn't feel so good . Not quite back to the beginning, but almost... or so it seems sometimes.

For those of us that like to things to be set and follow a logical order it really can mess with your mind, but at the same time can be super cool as you work on the form repetitively and make your own discoveries. Those ah ha moments can be quite amazing and not something that can be taught.

 I remember working on using both hands in my forms, it just about did me in. I struggled at home as I practiced adding in that second hand. There was a lot of negative self talk going on and just as I thought to myself, I can't do this (meaning Kung Fu) I stopped... took a deep breath and told myself I am going to figure this out! I continued to practice and figured it out that very same day. It is still a work in progress, but that's ok.

When I'm practicing a form and trying to perfect it (ha ha! funny), technique is what I grasp and hold on tight to. I try to be mindful of flow, but with the ever evolving form there always seems to be something else to work on. I was doing some reps of Da Mu Hsing on Saturday at the kwoon, when Sifu Hayes shared some valuable insight and instruction with me. One of the suggestions was that I work on flow and speed things up. I was concerned about technique and loosing some of the ground that I had gained, but sometimes we need to go backward in order to move forward, so for now flow is a priority.

It can be difficult to work on speed and flow without stopping to fix things as I go through the form. It just feels wrong! That is where trust comes in. Trust in your instructors, trust in the process and trust in yourself. And definitely some patience.

Sometimes, doing something that feels wrong at first is actually the right thing to do!

Michele Ward