What have I learned and accomplished?

So very much! This year has been a very eventful year for me. It has been filled with mountains and valleys. Dreams have been realized, revelations, both good and bad, have been revealed. I have made major changes in attitude, self-discipline, outlook, and even my lifestyle. I eat healthier, I have lowered my cholesterol, completed a degree in Business Management as well as a class in project management, and finally acquired a sailboat and even taken a vacation for the first time in many years. I no longer feel like a workaholic. I have learned new ways of dealing with adversity in both my personal and professional life.

Martial arts, and the Ten Tigers program in particular, underlies these accomplishments in a way I find difficult to put into words. While reviewing my blogs earlier I came across a statement I made that remains true for me even now. "The great thing is, we are all learning lessons in ways we didn't expect and from sources unimagined". Who would think that dealing with negativity could be learned by standing in a low horse stance until your leg muscles give out? Yet standing in horse stance for any length of time takes focus, determination, and patience. All of these attributes helps me to keep my temper, consider my words, and above all to stay calm and think. Learning Hung Gar has definitely improved my ability to defend myself in a crisis, but more importantly, it has, and still is, improving the fundamental ideals that make me who I am.