Pig Post 7

How to change the world

I recently watched a video where a U.S. Navy Admiral was giving a keynote address to a graduating class.  In his address, he outlined the ten things he learned in Navy Seal training that you need to do if you want to change the world. I have posted a link below so I’m not going to talk about all ten points, but one stood out to me.

Step 1…Make your bed in the morning.

He explained how in training, they had to have their beds made perfectly every morning and that it took him many years to understand why. If you want to change the world or accomplish something, you need to be able to complete tasks.  By making your bed in the morning, you have already completed your first task, this gives you a sense of accomplishment thereby motivating you to accomplish more tasks.

Some days, motivation is hard to come by, but by starting out of the gates by making your bed or let’s say knocking off some sit ups and/or push ups, you have already achieved your first set of tasks for the day.  The important part of this is, recognizing that you have already achieved something and use that to motivate you or even change your perspective for the day.

So if you find yourself struggling with completing tasks, whether they are personal, work related or event I Ho Chuan requirements, maybe start by making your bed.

Thanks for reading.

Mike

https://youtu.be/TBuIGBCF9jc

Pig Post 6

Weapon forms

Ever since I first saw Bruce Lee swinging chucks around and fighting an entire rival school, I have been a fan of hinged weapons. I have previously created a single chuck and a double chuck creative form. When I decided to once again study the chucks for my I Ho Chuan weapon, I wanted to do something different, something creative, something I hadn’t seen before.

My plan was to pay homage to Bruce Lee by incorporating parts of his most iconic fight scenes into one single form. Now in theory, awesome idea. However in reality, that didn’t really translate well into a form.  Once I started to analyze these scenes from a scholastic and technical perspective, not very much there. A whole bunch of strikes, a few kicks, the odd palm heel strike with the occasional iconic Bruce Lee sound (I’m not even sure what to call that) makes for some great entertainment, but not a great technical form.

So, I needed to scrap that idea…sort of.  I have been told, when you make a form, visualize your opponents and your form will start to take shape. So although, I am creating my form with my own techniques, my inspiration is Bruce Lee’s opponents from that school where he was surrounded by no less than a dozen rival students (I’m only using 8).  So far so good, I am about 2/3 done my beta form and I am happy with it.

In my previous forms, I was focused on some of the flashy techniques that look cool, but this year I am focusing on the intent of my techniques, good stances and practical application.  Once I have this established within my form, maybe then I will incorporate some razzle dazzle.

Thanks for reading.

Mike

Pig Post 5

Two Ice Cubes Please

Over the multitude of decades, we have transitioned into an age of instant gratification. The old adages of “good things come to those who wait” or “fine wine isn’t made in a day” and countless others have seemed to have been forgotten.  This I think, is a side effect of our enhanced connectivity to each other by way of our advancing technologies.

Children today will never experience the buildup of anticipation for Saturday morning cartoons like in the sixties and seventies as this has been replaced by the instant access of cartoons twenty four hours a day via a multitude of cartoon networks on TV or the internet.  Gone are the days you wrote a letter to a friend or a distant family member and waited patiently for weeks (sometimes months) for a reply. No longer do we need to wait for the appropriate season to get our favourite fruit or vegetables nor do we have to trek to the store with our film and wait a week or so to have it processed into pictures. With Amazon Prime, I can have almost anything I desire at my door within a day or two. I can only reference the past forty years or so, but if you had this conversation with someone in their seventies or eighties, they could give even more examples. This exciting time of globalization has definitely enhanced our lives but we as a society have, to a degree, lost that ability to invest in the long term.

Recently, as part of one of my personal requirements, I have been learning to run.  I have never been a runner, nor do I overly enjoy it, however I do understand its benefits and do appreciate the achievements associated with it.  I am working towards a 10K run and my training hasn’t been going too bad, however I found myself rushing it. I am lacking patience.  Although I started training only a few weeks ago, I found that I wasn’t sticking to my program, I kept pushing it to go further and faster.  Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing to a degree, but I have found this has actually slowed my progress down.  Too much, too soon creates injuries and takes away from the “enjoyment”.  Patience is a virtue, and although I can’t run 10K today or tomorrow, with slow and steady progress, I will, someday.

Like we have often heard, you can only climb a mountain one step at a time and I know I need to invest time and energy over the long term for long term goals.  I will run 10k, I will savour the wait and the anticipation, however in other areas, I will enjoy instant gratification, and I will continue to get two ice cubes in my coffee because I want to drink it now.

Thanks for reading.

Mike

Pig Post 4

Mending a Relationship

I have a relationship with someone that isn’t what it should be. When I first joined the I Ho Chuan several years ago and pondered this requirement, the relationship I needed to mend was obvious and is still the same relationship that I endeavour to build today. This is a relationship that is important to me and my family and I have invested a lot of time and effort in it.  Unfortunately, I am often left with the perception that this effort is not reciprocated.  

Several years ago, I would say that our relationship didn’t even exist.  Due to the lack of effort on the other side, I chose not to call or check in until that person did.  It got to the point where we only connected maybe once or twice a year at Christmas or a birthday.  I am not sure if this was pride, ego or just stubbornness, but my choice did not benefit anyone including myself or my family.

So, ever since that first year in the I Ho Chuan, I made the effort.  I called every week, I would set up plans to meet once a month and I would engage this person on a regular basis to ensure they were involved in my family’s life.

Recently, I reached out to this person asking them to attend something that was very important to my family.  They didn’t seem very interested, but I explained how important it was and they agreed to come, that is until a few days prior. This left me hurt, frustrated and honestly pissed off.  So, I chose not to call or to engage. We have not spoken in almost a month, that is, until today. 

Did this person call me? No.  I called them. With some other recent events, I was once again reminded life is short. Too short for pride or egos to get in the way of family. So I called and I will call again.  Part of this is I need to set an example for my children.

I have come to the conclusion, that this is not a relationship that necessarily needs mending, but it needs continual maintenance.  So I will continue to do my part.  I will call, and I will engage regardless of the reciprocity. Pride, ego and even judgement have no place here.

Thanks for reading.

Mike