I'm behind on my private lessons, but I hope to get those caught up soon. They are truly rewarding, and I enjoy them very much. Unfortunately, I have not been able to attend all of the group training sessions. I have enjoyed them very much when I have been able to make them though. I'm also behind on my push ups, but I am making up ground very fast. My brother in law gave me a wonderful tip that I am going to continue incorporating in my training. You take a deck of cards. You flip a card and do however many push ups the card numbers. So it says 7, you do 7, then wait 30 seconds. Then you take another card, and it's a jack, you do 10 push ups. You can do a lot of push ups going through the deck. Since I have a almost 1 year old running around the house, sometimes I take the whole day going through the deck, but the great thing is you get in a ton of push ups. I've also incorporated dumbbell workouts because I want to get more toned and exercises the smaller muscles as well.
I'm ahead on my sit ups. I found the 8 minute ab workout that used to haunt our late night TV in the days of VHS to actually work quite well. I found it on YouTube and it was actually highly recommended by a number of fitness and men'shealth magazines. I have a long way to go, but I've lost around 5 inches of my waist, and I feel my core strengthening slowly, but surely. I'm also ahead on my form reps. I do the Ng Family Tai Chi form every morning when I wake up. I alternate days with Hung Gar forms and Ja Kari Do forms. When the weather is nice, I work my weapons. I'm also ahead on my running miles. I coach running, and logged in a lot of miles with during the season and over the summer. I love running in the super hot weather. It was a good thing I got these in early. Unfortunately, I tore a hamstring in the fall and got a horrible case of pneumonia in the winter. Fortunately, I'm much better now, but unfortunately, I've lost some conditioning. I ran a 9 minute mile this past Friday, but jumped up to a 11 minute mile on Saturday over a three mile course, which is definitely not acceptable.
I'm on schedule for my stance training minutes and random acts of kindness. I chose fatherhood as my new undertaking, or I guess, it chose me. Either way, it has been a wonderful experience, and it's so hard for me to believe that my daughter will be 1 on January 6. She loves to be read to, and loves books. Also, she loves music, especially rockabilly and folk music. She loves playing as well with her toy pianos, etc. The list could go on and on, but I am thankful that she is part of our lives. Even though I was only required to choose one of three options in this category, I did a community action projects as well. Through an organization in Lebanon, TN, I collected requested items for U.S. Marines serving overseas that were sent over in care packages.
I read BIKRAM YOGA as the book for self improvement. I discussed this book in detail in a previous blog. I guess I had three days of empathy training that just sort of came to me. I had the lead role in the film YOU CAN'T STAY HERE, which won five awards at the Nashville 48 Hour Film Fest. In this competition, you film a movie in 48 hours. I played a man who lives in poverty and them becomes homeless. I had moments where we filmed at an abandoned school in Nashville that was used as a gang hangout and the cops showed up to keep an eye on us while filming. Also, I begged in Nashville for money for footage. Early in shooting they put make up on me to look sun burned. When I got the makeup off, you could not tell the difference. I actually got pretty bad sunburn during filming along with the rest of some of the crew. Also, I completely lost my voice for a couple of days. This has happened in the past, but this time, I looked at it through fresh eyes. It was very difficult because I had to teach those days. After I went to the doctor, I went to a restaurant to get dinner. Normally, I would go through the drive through, but I had to go in because I could not speak. It was interesting to see how frustrated people get at you because you cannot speak. The pharmacy was more compassionate of course. I remember when my Mom owned a clothing store. We had one customer who could not speak, and wrote everything on a notepad. My Mom was have long conversations with this man, and I was always fascinated how quickly he wrote.
Finally, with this entry, I'm on schedule with my monthly writing assignment. I wish everyone peace and love in 2011.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Progress Thus Far
It's taken me the better part of a morning to figure where I am in my Ten Tigers spreadsheet. Math skills aside, shifting from light to full after the first quarter was confusing, though entirely beneficial. As was having to figure out this posting!
Behind on 40.5 one hour private lessons
All attended/12 group lessons
Ahead on 28,781 pushups
Ahead on 28,781 situps
A little behind on 650 form repetitions
A little behind on 22.5 hours of sparring practice
A little behind on 650 two minute cardio rounds
Ahead on 300 miles of walking/running/swimming/biking
Only a very little behind on 3150 minutes of stance training
Done!/One martial arts tournament performance
Done!/365 Random Acts of Kindness
In Progress: harmonics on guitar/Try something new
In Progress: Women who run with Wolves/ Nicomachean Ethics/Read two books aimed at improving the self, one ancient (tao te ching, gospels, etc.) and one modern (Thich Naht Hahn, Tolle, Covey, etc.)
NOT DONE/Environmental Cleanup
NOT DONE, but is planned/Community Action project
NOT DONE/One day of empathy training
This posting catches me up/Monthly writing assignments
Behind on 40.5 one hour private lessons
All attended/12 group lessons
Ahead on 28,781 pushups
Ahead on 28,781 situps
A little behind on 650 form repetitions
A little behind on 22.5 hours of sparring practice
A little behind on 650 two minute cardio rounds
Ahead on 300 miles of walking/running/swimming/biking
Only a very little behind on 3150 minutes of stance training
Done!/One martial arts tournament performance
Done!/365 Random Acts of Kindness
In Progress: harmonics on guitar/Try something new
In Progress: Women who run with Wolves/ Nicomachean Ethics/Read two books aimed at improving the self, one ancient (tao te ching, gospels, etc.) and one modern (Thich Naht Hahn, Tolle, Covey, etc.)
NOT DONE/Environmental Cleanup
NOT DONE, but is planned/Community Action project
NOT DONE/One day of empathy training
This posting catches me up/Monthly writing assignments
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
#8
Yes yes I know that this was extremely late and it’s not going to be any good but at least it’s here.
Things that I can apply to non martial arts part of my life (wow that was really weird) is that sometimes you just can’t do everything at once you have to take small bites at first then after you get the hang of it then you can speed up (speeding up part optional). For instance the ten tigers program is very good at teaching me that you do have to take small bites (I mean trying to do 35000 pushups in one day dose not sound fun, I don’t know about you Steven but I’d rather just do 30 per day)
Another example is that it is a, shall we say, good idea to take good care of your body for instance for the instance, when I just stopped doing the ten tigers for eh…call it four months and then I tried to do ten pushups, I got really angry at myself because of how hard it was, but I couldn’t get enough motivation to do anything about it. Cause it just kept going through my head that it was too much trouble to actually do 30 pushups (and sit-ups but that’s implied) I actually tried to quit the ten tigers program, but when I got home that night I was so angry at myself for trying to do that. But now I think that it’s a piece of cake to do 30 and 30 and 5. In fact I already did 100 pushups and am about to do 100 sit-ups.
So there you go
Larkin
Things that I can apply to non martial arts part of my life (wow that was really weird) is that sometimes you just can’t do everything at once you have to take small bites at first then after you get the hang of it then you can speed up (speeding up part optional). For instance the ten tigers program is very good at teaching me that you do have to take small bites (I mean trying to do 35000 pushups in one day dose not sound fun, I don’t know about you Steven but I’d rather just do 30 per day)
Another example is that it is a, shall we say, good idea to take good care of your body for instance for the instance, when I just stopped doing the ten tigers for eh…call it four months and then I tried to do ten pushups, I got really angry at myself because of how hard it was, but I couldn’t get enough motivation to do anything about it. Cause it just kept going through my head that it was too much trouble to actually do 30 pushups (and sit-ups but that’s implied) I actually tried to quit the ten tigers program, but when I got home that night I was so angry at myself for trying to do that. But now I think that it’s a piece of cake to do 30 and 30 and 5. In fact I already did 100 pushups and am about to do 100 sit-ups.
So there you go
Larkin
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Learned From Failure
An important thing I have learned from failure is that sometimes, failure is needed.
If I am not on the path I need to be on, a failure can force me to reexamine my journey.
If I am not making progress on the path I need to be on, a failure can show me the changes I need to make.
Sometimes, barely succeeding allows me to keep following a very difficult path, whereas failing allows me to abandon that path to follow an easier one.
I've learned that even though it is a blow to my ego, and feels rotten, failure sometimes is exactly what I need.
The Struggle Continues!
TT Writing Assignment #9:
What is something important you have learned through falling short, falling behind, missing your goals, or outright failure?
To let go of guilt. Guilt gets in my way of getting back on track for improvements. It wakes me up in the night, just as surely as trying to sleep without completing my crucial tasks for the day. Unless I invent a time machine, guilt is useless except as an incentive to avoid it in the future.
To plan more realistically. It turns out that I cannot do everything, be everywhere, and fill gaps for everyone I love, even myself. And even if I actually can do everything, without a plan to achieve it, the deadlines just go zipping by without triggering any alarms. When I find myself failing, it's often because I haven't taken the effort to manage the details of the goals on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
To change. If I keep missing my targets, something is not right. The plan must not only be more realistic, it might have to change altogether. Change is probably the most complex and frightening component because who is to say that change is for the better? I so often feel that if I just keep getting up and charging at the target again, perhaps this time I'll hit it. Luckily I have a friend who points out, repeatedly, that that's the definition of insanity ... so now sometimes I can stop and think about what must change. Sometimes everything must change because the goal is false. Then I have to go back to step one again, and let go of guilt … But sometimes things must change because the goal has simply changed, as they do over time. Perhaps when I started the journey I only wanted to simple goals, and now they're more complex. Perhaps the path required for the achievement of goals is too lonely. Each day I change, and it's okay – and important – to inquire of myself if I'm still doing what I really want to be doing.
To ask for help. Even following simple steps can be too hard without friends and loved ones. I know that much of the thinking I have to do when I've fallen short or struggling must be my own, done on my own, acknowledged and worked through in my own head in my own intensely personal space. But it surely is good to have someone to whom I can turn for a bit of help with the questions rolling through my head. Sometimes I think I'm going crazy, or misinterpreting signals, or making decisions based unreliable reactions, or simply that I can't do it. I'm not capable. The voice of a friend can remind me to trust myself – simple, but not easy. Asking for help provides me with new or different information and can break the cycle of self-doubt that gets in the way of resetting my goals, or simply trying harder to reach them.
Case in point. I am behind in my Ten Tigers for legitimate reasons – or so I tell myself. But the motivation to catch up eluded me until the other day. With a little outside influence added to my own circular thinking, I was able to replace some negative thoughts with positive ones, create rewards where only failure weighed heavy. And now I'm within striking distance of not only pulling even, but pushing ahead. I've re-set my goals to allow for my need for off days, and raised the bar for performance.
And that's not the only struggle this writing applies to. Writing to these assignments makes me consider where I am right now, and follow my own steps to get in a better place. My muscles are sore, but my mind is okay. Thank goodness.
What is something important you have learned through falling short, falling behind, missing your goals, or outright failure?
To let go of guilt. Guilt gets in my way of getting back on track for improvements. It wakes me up in the night, just as surely as trying to sleep without completing my crucial tasks for the day. Unless I invent a time machine, guilt is useless except as an incentive to avoid it in the future.
To plan more realistically. It turns out that I cannot do everything, be everywhere, and fill gaps for everyone I love, even myself. And even if I actually can do everything, without a plan to achieve it, the deadlines just go zipping by without triggering any alarms. When I find myself failing, it's often because I haven't taken the effort to manage the details of the goals on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
To change. If I keep missing my targets, something is not right. The plan must not only be more realistic, it might have to change altogether. Change is probably the most complex and frightening component because who is to say that change is for the better? I so often feel that if I just keep getting up and charging at the target again, perhaps this time I'll hit it. Luckily I have a friend who points out, repeatedly, that that's the definition of insanity ... so now sometimes I can stop and think about what must change. Sometimes everything must change because the goal is false. Then I have to go back to step one again, and let go of guilt … But sometimes things must change because the goal has simply changed, as they do over time. Perhaps when I started the journey I only wanted to simple goals, and now they're more complex. Perhaps the path required for the achievement of goals is too lonely. Each day I change, and it's okay – and important – to inquire of myself if I'm still doing what I really want to be doing.
To ask for help. Even following simple steps can be too hard without friends and loved ones. I know that much of the thinking I have to do when I've fallen short or struggling must be my own, done on my own, acknowledged and worked through in my own head in my own intensely personal space. But it surely is good to have someone to whom I can turn for a bit of help with the questions rolling through my head. Sometimes I think I'm going crazy, or misinterpreting signals, or making decisions based unreliable reactions, or simply that I can't do it. I'm not capable. The voice of a friend can remind me to trust myself – simple, but not easy. Asking for help provides me with new or different information and can break the cycle of self-doubt that gets in the way of resetting my goals, or simply trying harder to reach them.
Case in point. I am behind in my Ten Tigers for legitimate reasons – or so I tell myself. But the motivation to catch up eluded me until the other day. With a little outside influence added to my own circular thinking, I was able to replace some negative thoughts with positive ones, create rewards where only failure weighed heavy. And now I'm within striking distance of not only pulling even, but pushing ahead. I've re-set my goals to allow for my need for off days, and raised the bar for performance.
And that's not the only struggle this writing applies to. Writing to these assignments makes me consider where I am right now, and follow my own steps to get in a better place. My muscles are sore, but my mind is okay. Thank goodness.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
I'm not perfect, entitled, or special.
The main thing that I have learned through failure is the importance of letting go of the ego. I recall the following statement, but I can't remember where I got it. It goes like this. A person says, "Why me?!, Why me?!, Why me?!" The answer is, "Why not you." I can relate failure to each my my careers; acting and teaching.
When I first got into acting around twenty years ago, I started off on a roll, no pun intended. I obtained a role in every play I auditioned for. It got to the point where I would just look at the list of the auditions, and simply pick and choose. One evening, I auditioned for the main role in an Agatha Christie play. I auditioned my butt off. I used a British accent, showed off every emotion one could possibly think of, and then shed a few tears for good measure. My friends who were also auditioning were blown away. They said that was the best work they had seen me do, and I was a shoo in for the part. Usually, I would get a phone call in a day or two offering me the role. The call never came. I was so conceited at the time, that I thought there must of been some type of error. Maybe the producer and director misread the contact number. I gave a ring, which was something I had never done, and was informed that the role went to another actor. I was shocked. It went to an actor who was a fellow student at the acting school I attended. I saw his audition and was bored to death. Yet, he correctly interpreted the character where I simply wanted to show off. It was an Agatha Christie character, and I treated it like a Stan Lee character. My ego was my true failure.
I began teaching in my early twenties. I was young and still full of ego. One day around fifteen years ago, I saw a student doing his math homework while I was teaching my English class. My attitude at the time was how could this person do this. Doesn't he know that he is missing out on me speaking, which is a wonderful opportunity. What in the world is this student doing?! I berated him, and he cried. After class, I apologized, and walked him to the counselor as he requested. The young man was devastated, and I was shocked and ashamed at what I had done. Later, the counselor informed me the student was having severe family issues, and not doing his homework was not helping those issues. I was the straw that broke the students back, or in this case, his spirit. I hurt someone's feelings because of my ego. All I had to do was simply ask him to place the math book away, and please focus on literature right now. Instead, I made a huge scene because of my ego. I'm ashamed of both of these moments of my life. I failed as an actor and a teacher. More importantly, I failed as a human being. On a more positive note, these failures are learning experiences.
I've learned that I'm not perfect, entitled, or special. I've learned this through failure and my martial arts training. Studying kung fu keeps me humble. It's great to see my fellow students and my teachers succeed and grow as better martial arts and human beings. Through hard work, I can become a better martial artist. It's a simple concept, but can be difficult to apply. Also, through hard work I can become a better actor, teacher, and more importantly, husband, father, and human being.
When I first got into acting around twenty years ago, I started off on a roll, no pun intended. I obtained a role in every play I auditioned for. It got to the point where I would just look at the list of the auditions, and simply pick and choose. One evening, I auditioned for the main role in an Agatha Christie play. I auditioned my butt off. I used a British accent, showed off every emotion one could possibly think of, and then shed a few tears for good measure. My friends who were also auditioning were blown away. They said that was the best work they had seen me do, and I was a shoo in for the part. Usually, I would get a phone call in a day or two offering me the role. The call never came. I was so conceited at the time, that I thought there must of been some type of error. Maybe the producer and director misread the contact number. I gave a ring, which was something I had never done, and was informed that the role went to another actor. I was shocked. It went to an actor who was a fellow student at the acting school I attended. I saw his audition and was bored to death. Yet, he correctly interpreted the character where I simply wanted to show off. It was an Agatha Christie character, and I treated it like a Stan Lee character. My ego was my true failure.
I began teaching in my early twenties. I was young and still full of ego. One day around fifteen years ago, I saw a student doing his math homework while I was teaching my English class. My attitude at the time was how could this person do this. Doesn't he know that he is missing out on me speaking, which is a wonderful opportunity. What in the world is this student doing?! I berated him, and he cried. After class, I apologized, and walked him to the counselor as he requested. The young man was devastated, and I was shocked and ashamed at what I had done. Later, the counselor informed me the student was having severe family issues, and not doing his homework was not helping those issues. I was the straw that broke the students back, or in this case, his spirit. I hurt someone's feelings because of my ego. All I had to do was simply ask him to place the math book away, and please focus on literature right now. Instead, I made a huge scene because of my ego. I'm ashamed of both of these moments of my life. I failed as an actor and a teacher. More importantly, I failed as a human being. On a more positive note, these failures are learning experiences.
I've learned that I'm not perfect, entitled, or special. I've learned this through failure and my martial arts training. Studying kung fu keeps me humble. It's great to see my fellow students and my teachers succeed and grow as better martial arts and human beings. Through hard work, I can become a better martial artist. It's a simple concept, but can be difficult to apply. Also, through hard work I can become a better actor, teacher, and more importantly, husband, father, and human being.
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