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

Trees in a Forest

I came across a thought provoking message recently about trees in a forest…

When we stand in the middle of the forest, we are able to appreciate the beauty, and the diversity in nature that surrounds us. As we look around, we become aware of the individual uniqueness of each tree. Some grow tall and straight, and reach high above the forest floor. Others may be bent or spindly, but they persevere. Many different varieties may be mixed in together, not caring who they stand next to. All this, and more adds character and creates the natural beauty in the forest of trees. We don’t stand in judgement of those differences, we appreciate and love all that they are!

 What if we practiced thinking about people the same way we see trees.  Appreciate and love them just the way they are!

Michele Ward

Perseverance

I recently watched a couple of inspiring videos which helped to remind me that no matter what my circumstances are at any given moment, if I change my thought patterns, amazing things can be accomplished. Many individuals have overcome extreme obstacles with little more than the power of their mind. I know that I have determination and I know that I have perseverance. I just need a little reminder now and then.  

Support can come from many people and sometimes from places that you don't expect. If you don't have much in the way of support, accomplishments and success may require more effort, but success can still happen. That's where the determination and perseverance come in.

Michele Ward

No Going Back!

Working towards mastery and leaving mediocrity behind... that's the journey I started just over a year ago. My experiences and all I have learned, have been substantial over the course of this amazing journey.  Prior to embarking on this path I would say that for me, parenting and job performance are two areas that mastery were already part of my life and mediocrity filled in the rest. Reflection and awareness have played major roles in reducing the mediocrity and in getting me to where I'm at today.

Consciously or unconsciously, many of us strive for and achieve mastery in some area of our life while letting mediocrity take over most other aspects of our being and not understanding all that we are missing. I have a new appreciation and understanding of "awareness" and what it means for me personally.  With that awareness comes new challenges. As I move forward and implement what I have learned, I find that those closest to me are in a different place and don't relate to this journey that I am on. It is hard to keep up the momentum without the support and understanding of those close to  you. I have to remind myself that I am not alone in this journey and that each and everyone of us can make a difference.  Knowing where I was a year ago, and how far I've travelled, I wouldn't want to go back, but I am feeling a bit stuck right now.

Michele Ward

Reducing Invisibility

 I came across the word "invisible" recently while doing some research for school. It was used to describe a type of poverty. When I thought about what that meant, I realised how sad that was because unfortunately it is all too true. There is poverty throughout the world that is quite obvious and not invisible at all, but what about the poverty that remains hidden? There are individuals and families that struggle daily to put food on the table, pay the bills and provide the basic necessities of life.

I started to think about what else is invisible that we don't know about or see, and who is invisible to us? Some problems are obvious and yet we treat them as if they are invisible. Just as concerning are the numerous invisible problems that also exist. I fear that by not educating ourselves and being engaged in the people and the world around us, our level of engagement and our ability to make a difference will be lacking. I believe that awareness is more than just being present in the moment.

We can have a positive impact simply by caring and reaching out to someone. With eyes wide open, see the people around you, become involved, ask questions, smile,  give compliments, help someone and take time for conversation. There is a lot that we can do if we raise our level of awareness and become a positive force in the world. Let people know they are not invisible. Everyone matters!

Michele Ward

Self-talk

In order to increase our ability for success we need to program our brains to think positively. Stop the negative thoughts and replace them with positive self-talk! As positive self talk is increased, our perception changes and as a result motivation and our ability for success also increases.

Thinking positively and creating more positive self-talk can be applied to anything, at any time, but awareness is needed as well. Try to accomplish something that you have told yourself can't be done, or that you aren't good at, for example... Completion and success will be a long painful process, or it just won't happen.

I struggle with this from time to time and it is something I continue to work on. That's part of the journey, right?

Mastery happens on the inside, and radiates itself outwards!


Michele Ward