Friday, January 6. My first blog of the new year. I'm not "formally" participating in the Ultimate Black Belt Test this year. That is, I'm not a member of the team who is actively training and seeking a new dan ranking as part of the testing process. However, because this test, this process, this way of life is so valuable to me (and because I've formed so many friendships here in the crucible of like-minded instructors), I feel that to stop testing, to stop exploring, to stop blogging — well, that would be a monumental personal failure.
I don't have any "2012 resolutions" per se, although I do have some areas that I intend to focus heavily on — this year, and every year moving forward.
The first area for me to focus on is FAMILY. I have come to realize that FAMILY should always have been my primary focus area, but I admit here that it has not always been the case. I'm going to fix that, immediately. To me, this means more than just more "quality time" with the wife and kids. It means more genuine attention and focus, more compassionate listening, more loving speech, more hugs and smiles, more sharing of thoughts, dreams, and ideas. If I only do one thing this year, I believe that focusing more strongly on my family is the best thing I can possibly do.
I also want to focus on getting back to NATURE. I want to reconnect with the outdoors, the seasons, and the rhythms of life. This means spending more time outside — in all kinds of weather. I'll need to learn to love the cold, of course. But this year I fully intend to do more stargazing, to watch more sunrises and sunsets, to hug more trees, and to dance in the rain. As a martial artist, I've been practicing "environmental self-defense" without actually really taking sufficient time to deeply and fully appreciate nature itself. It's high time I started to stop to smell the roses every once in a while.
Physical and training goals? I have them, of course. This morning I weighed in at 181 pounds (23.9 BMI). That's actually 6 pounds lighter than I was at this point last year, and a full point lower on the Body Mass Index. So my weight is good, and I have less body fat than I did a year ago. That's a good start. This year, I want to add 10 pounds of lean, functional muscle through tactical exercises and heavy use of my clubbells while improving my flexibility and mobility through yoga and compensatory movement training. I plan to eat more mindfully and more compassionately by appreciating and savoring my meals and reducing my intake of animal-based food products.
I don't have any "2012 resolutions" per se, although I do have some areas that I intend to focus heavily on — this year, and every year moving forward.
The first area for me to focus on is FAMILY. I have come to realize that FAMILY should always have been my primary focus area, but I admit here that it has not always been the case. I'm going to fix that, immediately. To me, this means more than just more "quality time" with the wife and kids. It means more genuine attention and focus, more compassionate listening, more loving speech, more hugs and smiles, more sharing of thoughts, dreams, and ideas. If I only do one thing this year, I believe that focusing more strongly on my family is the best thing I can possibly do.
I also want to focus on getting back to NATURE. I want to reconnect with the outdoors, the seasons, and the rhythms of life. This means spending more time outside — in all kinds of weather. I'll need to learn to love the cold, of course. But this year I fully intend to do more stargazing, to watch more sunrises and sunsets, to hug more trees, and to dance in the rain. As a martial artist, I've been practicing "environmental self-defense" without actually really taking sufficient time to deeply and fully appreciate nature itself. It's high time I started to stop to smell the roses every once in a while.
Physical and training goals? I have them, of course. This morning I weighed in at 181 pounds (23.9 BMI). That's actually 6 pounds lighter than I was at this point last year, and a full point lower on the Body Mass Index. So my weight is good, and I have less body fat than I did a year ago. That's a good start. This year, I want to add 10 pounds of lean, functional muscle through tactical exercises and heavy use of my clubbells while improving my flexibility and mobility through yoga and compensatory movement training. I plan to eat more mindfully and more compassionately by appreciating and savoring my meals and reducing my intake of animal-based food products.
January is a time for beginning anew. But isn't ANY time a time for such endeavors? I'm reading through Touching The Earth by Thich Nhat Hanh. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for practices that will help them to develop a deep and transforming determination to make significant and positive life changes.
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