Pushing the Limits

I've arrived safely and have spent the past 3 days experiencing Siem Reap and the temples of the Ankor area. Traveling on my own and navigating the airports was not as challenging as I thought they might be. Thankfully I didn't let fear prevent me from travelling and experiencing Cambodia and Vietnam.

One of the excursions we were able to choose from was an ariel view of Angkor Wat from a tethered hot air balloon which I thought sounded pretty amazing. I am quite afraid of heights and a hot air balloon is not something I would usually sign up for, but I also didn't want to miss out on the view from the ballon. So, today I climbed aboard the hot air ballon and I am happy to say that it was not as scary as I thought it would be and I was actually able to enjoy the view.

It can be very easy to pull back from things that make us uncomfortable. I know that I do this much too often and yet there are also times when I push myself to do something that is outside my bubble. And quite often the event is not as bad as what I thought it would be. The more I push myself the greater my life experiences and opportunities become.

I had an interesting thought while composing this blog because in our kungfu training we also have bubbles and fears which affect our training and ability to progress. By pushing our limits and expanding our bubbles we actually gain more control, calmness and our personal circle of power expands and works more efficiently.

Traveling solo is not ideal, but it does allow me opportunities to expand my bubble and gain confidence in myself and my abilities.

Namaste,

Michele Ward

Opportunity & Adventure

I’m off on another work adventure that is taking me to Cambodia and Vietnam. This is an opportunity that came up only a month ago and I was able to find another consultant to travel with me. However, my travel companion has had to cancel and it is now just me traveling on my own. Luckily I was still able to go as a single at no cost. I know that I will be fine once I get to my destination, but I am not crazy about the long flights and the connection/ long layover in Hong Kong. I am also not comfortable in new social situations and having no one that I know close by. That being said there was no way I was going to miss out on experiencing Cambodia and Vietnam which was on my list of places to travel to. Once I get to Siem Reap I will be with a group of 20-50 people for 13 days. Everything will be taken care of for us so there is nothing to worry about. I am nervous but super excited also!

Namaste,
Michele Ward

Whoa - Slow Down!

2 months ago I had initiated a hard restart. My goal was 300 push ups and sit ups every day. I did great the first week and after some health issues slowed down a bit, but averaged 200 of each for the first month which is still pretty decent. As a result, I can relate my increased effort to an increase in sales at work. This is a huge benefit, but comes with a much bigger work load. During month 2,  I struggled to find some balance with the increased work load, getting ready for the Tiger Challenge, working on requirements, my second job and just regular life in general. Push ups and sit ups started to slow down again. I would definitely think of them from time to time, but was reluctant to make the time or put in the effort for fear of benefiting even more. It seemed that as I slowed down on some of the requirements I found myself able to catch up on work projects and create a bit more balance.

This weekend I was reminded that we are never given more than we can handle. Anything thrown our way is an opportunity for learning and growth and can be managed with the correct tools and perspective. So, I'm doing a bit of mind reset and taking some deep breaths as I restart yet again.

Michele Ward,

Namaste

Forms

This year I chose 18 Temple Motions as my hand form and I have thoroughly enjoyed learning and discovering the details along the way. Once I was able to execute the form from start to finish I then started to work on smoothing things out and adding some flow. I'm not the best at asking for help, but It really is the best way to progress to the next level. I have enjoyed working with Sifu Hayes and some of the other black belts. Everyone has has been a great source of information and guidance and I couldn't have gotten to where I am with out their help.

I have been feeling pretty good about what I had accomplished with my form and where I was at. At the tiger challenge I was able to stay and watch some of the black belt events and got to see 18 Temple Motions performed at a much higher level. As I watched I thought about what I needed to work on in my own form. And I realized that I had questions that needed some answers. Asking questions to better understand the form would help determine intent within the form. And having a better understanding of the intent will hopefully help me improve my own performance of the form. I think that there can be a lot going on in a soft form that isn't obvious to others watching compared to a form like Kempo for example. I love the discoveries and details learned along the way. Regardless of the form you are working on 1000 reps involves much more than simply repeating the form over and over. Simply going through the motions won't get anyone the desired results they are after.

Namaste,

Michele Ward