Influencing Moods

My mind has been all over the place this week. Part of the issue is the renovation chaos I'm still dealing with, which adds stress and takes my mind to all sorts of places. I have also discovered that other peoples moods affect how I am feeling to some extent. My oldest son has a couple of big changes happening in his life and is experiencing some difficulties, which is causing him anxiety and stress. It's easy as a parent to take on your child's stress even when they are grown adults. I'm happy to add he has been able to get everything sorted out.

Then I had a client in the middle of the week that was super excited due to an upgrade her and her family were able to take advantage of for their upcoming cruise. They upgraded to a suite on board the ship at a much reduced cost, which comes with extra perks, like butler service and more living space. She was practically bouncing when she stopped by the office to pick up her documents and was very thankful for everything I had done for her. Her mood and excitement was contagious and affected everyone in the office a positive way. I still smile when I think of her and how excited she was.

Stress, anger and fear are issues we all deal with to some extent. There are times when we need to share with others and I think it is important to acknowledge how you are feeling (good or bad) and talk to someone when needed. We also need to realize when certain things are beyond our control and just need to play out. Quite often obstacles are put in our path for a reason and are opportunities to learn and grow.

 I have realized this week, that a positive attitude, happiness and joy, has not only more benefits, but also a much longer lasting effect on yourself and those around you than most stressful situations.


Michele Ward
                                                         
   

Cluttered Space Equals a Cluttered Mind

This past week has reconfirmed my need for an orderly and uncluttered house. Instead of orderly and uncluttered, my house has been turned upside down due to renovations for over a week now. My dog experienced an anxiety attack over a month ago and destroyed the carpet in my bedroom. Luckily the damage (carpet & paint) was covered by my house insurance, but in order to save money I removed all the trim, old carpet and the toilet from the en suite and painted all the walls myself prior to the new flooring being installed.

If you ever want to fully understand how much stuff you have accumulated then just move everything out of one room and you may be surprised. Unpleasantly, I may add! Construction debris, furniture, decor and personal belongings are now spread throughout my house. I know that I do not function well in this type of environment and I find myself loosing focus. There have been a couple of days this week where my numbers were not as good as they could have been and I also missed both my morning classes due to exhaustion. As much as I would have liked to attend, something had to give. My cane form is not yet complete and I'm not even sure where to find the time to fit in some practice. Just thinking about the clutter and everything that still needs to be put back together and cleaned up causes me stress.

I started working on purging and decluttering my house during the summer and obviously still have a long way to go. I plan to continue to work on one room at a time in between everything else going on. For me a clean and uncluttered living space equals calm and creates a positive energy flow.

Michele Ward
                

Measuring Sticks

Part 1:

The requirements that are a part of being on the I Ho Chuan team can be easily tracked and measured. By recording our efforts on a daily basis, we are able to quickly see the progress we have made and determine if we are on track and whether adjustments are needed. The requirements are tools to help us on our journey and the process of recording our numbers is a type of measuring stick that shows us where we are at and where we need to be.

At the end of my first year on the team, I was able to quickly see everything I had accomplished throughout the year, because I had logged all my numbers daily in a note book. I was happy with the results and yet disappointed for some reason.  I struggled with my own expectations of what I had hoped to gain from my year of the sheep. I did the push ups and sit ups etc... but the growth wasn't there. Or so I thought at the time!

Some things are much harder to measure than others, so I read over all my journal posts for the year and made some amazing discoveries. Not only was journaling also a tool to measure progress, it had also helped me to develop a habit and the ability for reflection and contemplation. This ability to reflect helped me to realize that my own expectations had created a blockage and once I let go of those expectations I was able to realize the unexpected growth and bonuses of the year.

Part 2:

Silent River Kung Fu utilizes an intelligent curriculum as part of it's training program and the Benevolent Foundation plays an important role in that curriculum. The Benevolent Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on raising public awareness and oversees all money raised for the various charities and initiatives that the Kwoon and its students are involved in. Commitments have been made to specific charities and they have come to rely on the money we are able to raise for them each year. Even though the money is important; awareness, empathy and compassion are the primary goals. The success of the intelligent curriculum is measured in part by the money raised and yet if people simply write a check then the purpose has been lost.

 So how do we accurately measure things like awareness, empathy and compassion? I think we need to keep a record of anything our students do that reflect an understanding of awareness, empathy and compassion. This record should be public for everyone to recognize and celebrate. A student that dyes their hair pink, or donates their hair for wigs, someone that asks for pet supplies to donate to Scars instead of birthday gifts, students taking the time to research one of the charities, a report done on bullying, wearing a pink shirt for anti-bullying day, etc. These are just some of the ways we can measure the qualities we are trying to teach the students of Silent River Kung Fu.

Yes, some things are definitely harder to measure than others. With a little extra effort and some creative thinking anything can be accomplished. I have come to realize that expectations sometime cloud our perspective. Maybe... just maybe, more has been accomplished than we realize. I think it is beneficial to make use of more than one type of measuring stick!

Michele Ward  

The 3 C's of Life

I always recognize when my stress level has increased beyond what is normal for me. I become  overwhelmed and more emotional. Definitely not a good time for making important decisions. This is a time when my thoughts do not always serve me in the best way possible. Allowing myself a day of rest is important to regenerate and reset for the following week. Not necessarily a day to lounge about doing nothing, but rather a day to catch up on house, family, and personal responsibilities as well as blog. When stress levels are high and motivation is starting to waiver we need something to remind us that we all have choices and the choices we make throughout the day determine our results.

"Mastery is a product of consistently going beyond our limits."

The 3 C's of Life:

• Choices
• Chances
• Changes

It is quite simple, make a choice to take a chance, or your life will never change!

I have decided to post this message in key areas of my house so that whenever I am feeling stressed, overwhelmed or lack motivation it will serve as a reminder and motivator.

Michele Ward