Free Time

Last week I received a bit of a bombshell, something I was somewhat expecting but didn't want to believe was going to happen. Thursday I was laid off from my job. These things of course happen in this line of work, I just didn't think it would happen to me. We have another project coming up and I was notified I was going to be sent there. Apparently not.. This did give me some self doubt in my ability to get the job done... Am I really good enough? Or am I just under the impression that I'm doing a good job, when in reality I'm not worth the wage I am paid... I understand that I cannot get hung up on these thoughts, they are only assumptions created by my mind in response to the situation. I do my best and that's what I need to remind myself.

I am taking this as an opportunity to be more compassionate and sympathetic to people in this situation. I now feel the pressure that so many have right now without a job, I am on a common ground with them and I can truly understand their plight. I have been without a job before, but not with a house to pay for. The stakes are a little bit higher now. Frankly, I'm still glad it was me kicked to the curb instead of some of the other guys in the crew who have young families to feed.

As well I have the opportunity for more training time now, that's a positive note! The time I would be spending bending conduit or pulling wire can now be used to practice forms and get more pushups done in a day. I can place a little more focus on my kung fu. For this week anyway, I don't intend on staying unemployed for too long. I have an obligation to bring the bread home, so to speak.

I am grateful for the supportive friends and family that are helping me with this plan. As well as the Kwoon for being a place I can go to to regain my confidence and composure.

Thank you everyone, take care.

Mixing It In

Getting your numbers in through the day and maintaining the other aspects of your life can be quite difficult. I for one sometimes can't seem to find the time to set aside to get training done at home.. This is at least until it finally clicked in last week and I figured it out. Let me explain.

Before, I had the thought process of needing to set a solid hour or so for training at home every day after work and doing nothing else. This was not a very good plan in retrospect. Things come up and that hour is all of a sudden turned into 15 minutes. Or I fall behind with other responsibilities and become unnecessarily stressed. Don't get me wrong it worked a lot of the time, it was just hard to sustain.

For instance, I've been making an effort to spend some time with my little brother throughout the week. Being that he is living with me and my relationship with him is the one I chose to mend this year, I figure this is  very important. This of course cuts down on training time.

My "revelation" is simply what we have been told several times before. That is to not try to schedule time, but sneak some kung fu in amongst other activities I do. When playing games with my bro, if we finish a level or something, I do a rep of pushups, situps or either of my forms. When working on my motorcycle, if I take a part off or put one back on I practice on some curriculum. When I cook... well you get the idea. I am happy I have come to this realization, mixing my martial art with everything else I do will help me greatly on my path to mastery.

Take care everyone.

Do It Right

Last night I heard a saying, "No one seems to have the time to do the job right the first time, but they always have time to do it over again.". This resonated with me. I found it very applicable to both my career and my personal life.

I find too many workers on the job site, of any trade, including my own, don't take the time or effort to complete a task correctly the first time. Frankly, I don't understand it. We're here to accomplish something, why not do the best you can? You're even getting paid to do it! Even if not, I find that time is too valuable not to give it 100%. You most certainly feel better about it as well. I know this fact as I was on the other side of the fence before. Lumping around, trying to make the day go by faster, not really caring about what I was doing, when all along it was a simple matter of staying engaged and taking pride in my job and my craftsmanship.

I'm also facing this problem at home. There are several deficiencies regarding the construction of my house and getting the homebuilder to get anyone out here to fix it has been like pulling teeth. If they simply did the job right the first time there would be no issue and I wouldn't have to keep harping at them.

I'm not saying that everyone needs to be perfect, we all make mistakes. I know I do! There are plenty of times when I suffer from huge brain farts when doing or saying something. We all have those moments. However, if you just take the extra time to think about what you're doing, the end result will be greater and you will feel exponentially better about what you accomplished. To not accept mediocrity, this is key. These are my thoughts about the subject anyway.

Take care everyone.

Today

This past weekend we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday. It's interesting, throughout our busy lives we generally don't notice ourselves and those around us aging and changing. I was thinking about this during our dinner, I looked around at my family and thought about how much we have changed over the past few years, I remember when we all used to live in the same house. Way back then, I would quite often be thinking of what it would be like to be an adult, how to drive, have a job, etc. Nowadays, my older siblings have their own families to raise and take care of and I even have a place of my own! Kinda scary how fast time flies, I can't help but hear "cat's in the cradle" playing in my head while I write this.

This made me realize not to dream too far into the future, it will become the present before you know it. Having dreams and ambitions is good, but if you concentrate on today those dreams have a better chance of coming true. For me, this means not looking too far into my kung fu career. Yes, I have a dream of becoming a black belt and beyond someday and to help better those around me. However, if I do nothing but dream about it and neglect what I need to learn and accomplish now, that someday may not come at all.

These years as a que belt are the most important. They are base of my pyramid, if I don't solidify the base, the whole structure will be wobbly and unstable. Dreams are valuable and they give you something to shoot for, but sometimes you need to wake up and enjoy where you are today.

Take care everyone

.