We all make multiple decisions and choices every day. But have you ever really thought about the decisions that we make on a daily basis (big and small) and how they determine the direction our life is taking. How often are we consciously aware of the choices or decisions we are making at any given moment in time?
When an important decision needs to be made, I usually put a lot of thought and effort into that decision. Sometimes too much and I over think things. When it comes to every day routine decisions the awareness isn't there and the decision isn't being made with any kind of goal in mind. Too much of the day is wasted and doesn't bring me closer to my goals.
I find that I am really starting to understand and I am able to connect the dots between awareness, being mindful and what it means to be fully present and live in the moment. If we consciously practise all of these things, they will become habit and we will be better equipped to make decisions that move us in the direction of our goals. How exciting is that?
Totals for the week
sit ups 1080
push ups 720
walking misfit not syncing, will update as soon as able to
Aok's 11
Kempo 8x
Nunchuks 23x
Bye for now, Michele
Sunday, 26 April 2015
Monday, 20 April 2015
Sound focus
We are all taught the theory of sound focus and are given lots of opportunity to practise during class time. Knowing the reasons and benefits to sound focus does not necessarily make it any easier for a lot of us to do. I have had more than a year of classes to practise this and I have not used this time to the best of my ability. Sifu Playter asked us on Wednesday night why we were not doing sound focus. My answer was that I am not comfortable doing it. Thank you to Sifu Csillag for reminding me of a recent post I had made about stepping outside your comfort zone and not having any regret. This got me to thinking if I could do push ups at the airport then why can't I do sound focus. I realised that the reason was a lack of desire or need. What makes sound focus different for me and why am I not motivated to do it?
The answer is; I don't want to because:
I don't like to draw attention to myself.
Yelling is usually done in anger or fear.
it feels like loosing control and letting go.
In addition to not being comfortable doing sound focus, I also find it can be challenging to remember techniques and combinations as well as adding in a sound focus. If my energy level is low sound focus for me can be also be difficult.
Sifu Langner took the time after class to talk with me about sound focus. He went over the reasoning behind sound focus and how the instructors get excited when students use it. He talked about technique and his own struggle with sound focus. Most of all what resonated for me was how he talked about it being a part of the curriculum. Sound focus will not be any easier to do, but at least the desire and motivation is now there.
Numbers for the week:
sit ups 1150
push ups 730
walking 38.7km
kempo 8x
nunchuks 9x
AOK's 6x
Bye for now, Michele
Monday, 13 April 2015
sharing
I've come to realise that much of my life has been spent in a state of avoidance. Avoiding conflict and confrontation, staying within my comfort zone, and avoiding anything that causes anxiety or fear have always played a huge part of my life. Acceptance and having a sense of belonging has always been important to me. I am also a very private person and sharing does not come easy. I wanted to change all that.
Being a part of the I Ho Chuan team is so much more than its requirements. I feel like we have only just begun and barely scratched the surface and yet I have already accomplished so much. My anxiety and fear of being part of the team is starting to be replaced by a little bit of excitement. Excitement for myself and everyone else on the team as we continue on this journey. Thank you to everyone for sharing at the meeting on Saturday. It really does mean a lot.
Numbers for the week
Sit ups 1080
Push ups 720
Walking 35.8
AOK's 10
Nunchuks 62
Bye for now, Michele
Being a part of the I Ho Chuan team is so much more than its requirements. I feel like we have only just begun and barely scratched the surface and yet I have already accomplished so much. My anxiety and fear of being part of the team is starting to be replaced by a little bit of excitement. Excitement for myself and everyone else on the team as we continue on this journey. Thank you to everyone for sharing at the meeting on Saturday. It really does mean a lot.
Numbers for the week
Sit ups 1080
Push ups 720
Walking 35.8
AOK's 10
Nunchuks 62
Bye for now, Michele
Monday, 6 April 2015
Awareness and AOK's
My son and I were in Mexico last week for some well deserved rest, relaxation and quality time together. While I was able to keep up with my push ups and sit ups, I really found the AOK's were just not getting done and wondered why that was and how I could change it. My surroundings and routine had changed drastically from being at home. While at home I had developed a routine and AOK's were mostly the same day after day.
As I became more aware of the people around me, opportunities presented themselves and the acts of kindness became easier and more natural. That awareness also helped me to see the kindness displayed in others around me.
My son joined a kids' soccer game on the beach one afternoon. Kids of all ages and skill level played together. As I watched I was impressed by the respect they showed each other and the great sportsmanship they all displayed. During the middle of the week my son injured himself. Luckily a doctor from Edmonton was there on vacation with her family and came over to assist us while waiting for the resort doctor. After examining him, she reached out and took my hand and assured me that he was going to be fine. It might not seem like much, but that small gesture meant so much. The resort doctor took over and after a couple of stitches to the back of his head and a day of rest he was almost as good as new.
Acts of kindness can be hard to measure or keep track of sometimes. They are not always tangible moments in time. This past week I became more aware of the people around me and realised that AOK's can be as simple as showing respect, dignity and kindness towards others. When we are aware of tangible and intangible acts of kindness displayed all around us, I believe that our own AOK's will come more often, be easier, and feel more natural.
Mar. 22-28 Mar. 29-April 4
sit ups 1080 1080
push ups 650 690
walking 41.6k 53.9k
kempo 7x 0
nunchuks 9x 0
AOK's 11 6
Just about forgot to mention, I did more push ups at the airport again when we left Mexico and this time Logan took a video of them. I also managed to convince him to also do some and I got a video of him.
Bye for now, Michele Ward
As I became more aware of the people around me, opportunities presented themselves and the acts of kindness became easier and more natural. That awareness also helped me to see the kindness displayed in others around me.
My son joined a kids' soccer game on the beach one afternoon. Kids of all ages and skill level played together. As I watched I was impressed by the respect they showed each other and the great sportsmanship they all displayed. During the middle of the week my son injured himself. Luckily a doctor from Edmonton was there on vacation with her family and came over to assist us while waiting for the resort doctor. After examining him, she reached out and took my hand and assured me that he was going to be fine. It might not seem like much, but that small gesture meant so much. The resort doctor took over and after a couple of stitches to the back of his head and a day of rest he was almost as good as new.
Acts of kindness can be hard to measure or keep track of sometimes. They are not always tangible moments in time. This past week I became more aware of the people around me and realised that AOK's can be as simple as showing respect, dignity and kindness towards others. When we are aware of tangible and intangible acts of kindness displayed all around us, I believe that our own AOK's will come more often, be easier, and feel more natural.
Mar. 22-28 Mar. 29-April 4
sit ups 1080 1080
push ups 650 690
walking 41.6k 53.9k
kempo 7x 0
nunchuks 9x 0
AOK's 11 6
Just about forgot to mention, I did more push ups at the airport again when we left Mexico and this time Logan took a video of them. I also managed to convince him to also do some and I got a video of him.
Bye for now, Michele Ward
Monday, 30 March 2015
Regret
Regret is a negative conscious and emotional reaction to personal past acts and behaviors and missed opportunities.
There are times when we are presented with an opportunity to take part in something. If we take too long to decide that opportunity can pass us by.
I have consciously choosen to always try and seize the moment to the best of my ability. To not let my lack of confidence or fear get in the way.
Last Saturday my son and I were at the airport waiting to board our flight to Mexico. As we waited, I thought about how Master Brinker talked about doing pushups in public places like the airport for example. I wanted to do some push ups. The little voice inside my head debated back and forth and I knew if I didn't, I would be wishing I had. As preboarding started and the seating area began to clear, I realized it was now or never. So I dropped to the floor and did 15 push ups. My son was amazed and so was I.
No regrets! What a great feeling!!
I will post numbers for this past week with next weeks journal entry.
Adiós Michele Ward
There are times when we are presented with an opportunity to take part in something. If we take too long to decide that opportunity can pass us by.
I have consciously choosen to always try and seize the moment to the best of my ability. To not let my lack of confidence or fear get in the way.
Last Saturday my son and I were at the airport waiting to board our flight to Mexico. As we waited, I thought about how Master Brinker talked about doing pushups in public places like the airport for example. I wanted to do some push ups. The little voice inside my head debated back and forth and I knew if I didn't, I would be wishing I had. As preboarding started and the seating area began to clear, I realized it was now or never. So I dropped to the floor and did 15 push ups. My son was amazed and so was I.
No regrets! What a great feeling!!
I will post numbers for this past week with next weeks journal entry.
Adiós Michele Ward
Monday, 23 March 2015
Take the challenge
A very good friend of mine organised a peace walk in Calgary recently and she was very pleased with the turn out for the event and the show of support. All the comments were positive and even one of the news stations did a story on the event. Every thing was more than she could hope for, but she was sad when she found out that some of the participants were walking to promote an anti war message and that was not the purpose of the walk. This left her with a negative feeling until her sister pointed out that everyone had there own reasons to do the peace walk, what matters is they walked, and believed in peace.
We are all subject to being dragged down by negative feelings and in some cases becoming incapacitated by those feelings. The challenge is to figure out how to think about those events and circumstances in a positive way. Acknowledge how we are feeling, and work at adjusting our mindset.
Think about the opportunity for growth that negativity gives us when we are able to overcome it and turn it into something positive, and how that can empower us.
I challenge everyone to document all perceived negative circumstances and events in your lives this week Acknowledge how you are feeling and redirect your negative thought process into a positive one. This is reality for most of us. Please post your results throughout the week so that we may all benefit and cheer each other on. I believe this will provide us with a positive focus, help us to become more productive, and build success in our lives.
Totals for the week
sit ups 1090
push ups 645
walking 20.8km
sparring 5min
kempo 18reps
nunchuks 17reps
AOK's 13
Have an awesome week!
Michele Ward
We are all subject to being dragged down by negative feelings and in some cases becoming incapacitated by those feelings. The challenge is to figure out how to think about those events and circumstances in a positive way. Acknowledge how we are feeling, and work at adjusting our mindset.
Think about the opportunity for growth that negativity gives us when we are able to overcome it and turn it into something positive, and how that can empower us.
I challenge everyone to document all perceived negative circumstances and events in your lives this week Acknowledge how you are feeling and redirect your negative thought process into a positive one. This is reality for most of us. Please post your results throughout the week so that we may all benefit and cheer each other on. I believe this will provide us with a positive focus, help us to become more productive, and build success in our lives.
Totals for the week
sit ups 1090
push ups 645
walking 20.8km
sparring 5min
kempo 18reps
nunchuks 17reps
AOK's 13
Have an awesome week!
Michele Ward
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Fear and Strength
Getting up in front of other people and doing anything is nerve racking. We almost all have some degree of anxiety and nervousness. I personally, would go out of my way most of the time to avoid such situations in the past. Friday night's class was the sheep teams' first opportunity to stand up and preform our weapon forms for the rest of the team.
I experience anxiety and fear on a regular basis, but this was a totally new high for me. The only thing that kept me going and able to get through it was focusing on my breathing. As I focused on breathing deeply, my anxiety, my panic, and my emotions all wanted to get the best of me. I was determined. That was not going to happen to me. So I focused on my breathing. In and out, in and out. As I was doing that something else happened. I realized I was only focused on myself and was only partially aware of what was going on around me. I remember thinking that my team mates deserved my full attention as they entered the circle and I needed to really watch each one of them as they went through their form. Being more in the moment also helped to redirect some of my anxiety in a positive way and I am happy to say I did not pass out. In a few short weeks we have accomplished a lot. Awesome job sheep team.
"Every time your fear is invited up, every time you recognize it and smile at it, your fear will loose some of its strength." by Thich Nhat Hanh
Sit ups 1080
Pushups 675
Walking 40.8km
Kempo 25reps
Nunchuks 54reps
Aok's 12
I experience anxiety and fear on a regular basis, but this was a totally new high for me. The only thing that kept me going and able to get through it was focusing on my breathing. As I focused on breathing deeply, my anxiety, my panic, and my emotions all wanted to get the best of me. I was determined. That was not going to happen to me. So I focused on my breathing. In and out, in and out. As I was doing that something else happened. I realized I was only focused on myself and was only partially aware of what was going on around me. I remember thinking that my team mates deserved my full attention as they entered the circle and I needed to really watch each one of them as they went through their form. Being more in the moment also helped to redirect some of my anxiety in a positive way and I am happy to say I did not pass out. In a few short weeks we have accomplished a lot. Awesome job sheep team.
"Every time your fear is invited up, every time you recognize it and smile at it, your fear will loose some of its strength." by Thich Nhat Hanh
Sit ups 1080
Pushups 675
Walking 40.8km
Kempo 25reps
Nunchuks 54reps
Aok's 12
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