Fast Food

We live in a fast food society. We thrive on instant gratification.

Have you ever gone over to the microwave, frustrated that the baked potatoes aren't done yet? Do you have any idea how long they take in a conventional oven?

We put a meal in the microwave, then anxiously tap our feet for the grueling two minutes we have to wait.

We growl and curse as we sit at the fast food window for three minutes and thirty seconds. "What is TAKING so long!?!?"

Take a moment today to slow down. Stop and smell the roses, literally if you want. Today I saw something I had never seen before. I had never stopped long enough to notice that the Eastern Red Cedar bursts forth in little blue berries. So I stopped. I looked.

So today,

stop.

Look.

Another Challenge

One of the things I would like to teach at East West is the joy of rising to new challenges.  It is hard to meet new challenges without new experiences, so my challenge today is to find an appreciation for something new.  

I'm learning how to grow bonsai trees now.  While learning about it, I'm also developing a whole new appreciation for the art form.  When I took my trip to China in 2002, one of the places we visited had several bonsai on display.  At the time I did not have an appreciation for the art.  I walked past them without a second glance.  If I had the appreciation then that I do now, I'd have studied them and taken dozens of pictures.  

So the challenge is to find something that you don't understand why some people love it, be it a sport, an art form, a restaurant, and try to find out what all the buzz is about.  You don't have to start liking whatever it is, just try to find an appreciation for what it is.

Limitations

We all have limitations, an upper limit on what we can do and accomplish. We are human and therefore have limited potential.

Did that sound negative? Keep reading.

Sometimes we have a very clear picture of our limitations. I have flat feet, and if I train barefoot my plantar fasciitis flares up.

Sometimes the picture is much hazier. I was never very good at pushups (I despised pushups, so I didn't train them, so I stayed not very good at them). I always just said, "I'm lousy at pushups."

Then, I started this Ten Tigers Program, and now I'm averaging over 100 pushups per day. Now I'm pretty good at them. I can do 46 in 30 seconds, and 63 in one minute. My limitation has changed.

We all have upper limits, but we often don't really know what that upper limit is because we never test them.

I don't really know the top speed on my Toyota Camry because I've never tested it (and never will).

I have decided that I will keep gradually pushing myself to bigger and better things, to test my upper limits.

I will become stronger and fitter, I will become smarter and more emotionally healthy, I will become a better teacher of martial arts and a better leader of people.

And, I will drag as many of you as are willing along for the ride.

Thank You

To all those who have been helping with our move.  To all who have supported us through this move.  To all who have been willing, but unable to help.  

Thank you.

We are in a smaller school now, but it's big enough.

I happen to believe that bigger is not necessarily better.  I believe that too many of us have been fixated on bigger/richer/faster is better.  I believe there is a time to downsize, a time to give away wealth, and a time to slow down.  Money for money's sake is a waste of time.  Having a bigger truck/house/yard for the sake of status is a waste of resources.  Getting everything the moment we want it is detrimental to our ability to work towards a goal.

Can you make do with less?  Can you be wait for the things you want?  It's harder than it sounds.

Again, to all who have given so much in moving and remodeling and preparing for this change I cannot thank you enough.  I cannot pay all the favors back.  My plan, instead, is to pay it forward.

Self-Defense Training for The Master of the Martial Arts

Self-Defense Training for The Master of the Martial Arts

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Something New

So I have been working on close range sparring lately.  Specifically staying off the ground, while successfully sparring in extreme close range.  It's something new for me.  It is still uncomfortable for me, and I get hit more often when I do it, than when I stay in my comfort zone.

That is what happens when you step outside your comfort zone.  Things are uncomfortable, challenging, exciting, and difficult.  If they weren't, we wouldn't call it a comfort zone.

Also, when you step outside your comfort zone, you learns.

There is only so much that can be accomplished by doing the same thing today that was done yesterday, and doing the same thing tomorrow that was done today.

So my challenge for today is for you to do something outside your comfort zone, try something a little different, break your routine.  It can be a simple little thing or a whole new project, as long as it is something new and different.

What is Self Defense?

I tell the kids in my classes that self defense is "how you keep you safe".  When most people think of self defense they think of either martial arts, or a concealed carry license, or pepper spray, or some other technique or device designed to disable an attacker.  The words "self defense" conjure up thoughts of the best way to release oneself from a headlock, or a bearhug, or a choke hold.  Yes, these things are self defense.  

These things are self defense in the same sense that open heart surgery is self defense in case of a heart attack.

If I were to have a heart attack, I am glad that there is a such thing as open heart surgery, just as if I am attacked I am glad that I've spent most of my life involved with martial arts.

However,

When it comes to heart attacks, I hope to never have to resort to open heart surgery.  To that end, I am practicing self defense.  I have cut down on red meat, nearly completely replaced the grains in my diet with 100% whole grains, increased the vegetable and fruit intake in my diet, I exercise daily.  All these things are intelligent self defense against a heart attack.

So why don't more martial arts schools consider the same approach to self defense against physical assault?  Sure there are some (very rare) unavoidable situations in which one must defend oneself, but true self defense training should encompass much much more than punches and kicks.

How do you keep you safe from physical attack?  Hopefully not by waiting until the attack happens.  Be kind to people, more kindness in the world will help.  Practice anger management.  Don't react without thinking first.  Avoid situations that are likely to put you in a physical confrontation.  Defend yourself with your mind first, (don't get in a fight and I guarantee you won't get hurt in a fight), your legs second (run, run, run), and your fists absolutely last.