Flow With the Go

Demoralized

2012-02-29T12:28:00.000-08:00

I won't lie; I'm definitely demoralized right now.

It's incredibly frustrating and infuriating to put a great deal of effort into something, as well as changing up your approach, only to find that neither seems to be yielding any results. It is especially frustrating to be running at a stand still in a particular field that you have little motivation in and fail to see the reason why you are in said field. Unfortunately, I'm quite stubborn and bull-headed, and hate feeling like I'm quitting (especially when I've invested a great deal of effort into this field...4 years and a boat load of money to be exact). However, with that, the constant feeling of failure and frustration is a constant kick in the proverbial ghoulies and demoralizes.

When we fail at something, it presents an opportunity (when a door closes, another door opens). This situation I'm currently in has presented an ample opportunity. I'm demoralized; however, I need to pause, breathe deeply, and regroup. This allows for a logical and methodical plan to be developed, as opposed to a hasty and impromptu approach born out of feeling alone. Right now I know that my approach is not working, and I need to change my mindset if I wish to succeed. However, this leads to a fork in the road, and the direction I choose to take will (like all opportunities in life) help dictate my career and success down the road.

I think that this is going to be a very, very, very interesting year.

It's Squat-urday!!!

2012-02-24T12:06:00.001-08:00

Squatting with IPF legal powerlifting gear. Yes, it was competition legal depth (doesn't look like it from the video), but I'm still not happy with my depth. The spotters are members of our powerlifting club (Spruce Grove Powerlifting), and made sure I didn't kill myself. Ignore the music playing on the gym radio too haha.

Injuries!

2012-02-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

Yikes! It seems that quite a few people are getting sidelined by injuries. So, I'll throw mine into the pile (even though it's minor).

I've noticed that I'm quite behind with my push-up requirement, as I allow my elbow to heal. I aggravated it during max effort squat day (a heavy barbell apparently puts lots of strain on your elbows...but it was definitely worth it), so now, I'm just playing the waiting game and allowing it to heal.

With injuries, I've noticed how humbling they are, and how they allow for numerous opportunities. With my elbow injury, thankfully, I'm only limited in horizontal pressing movements (i.e. the bench press). It's humbling to be unable to train at the level that you were at as you allow yourself time to heal. It also forces you to swallow your pride and develop patience, and allow yourself time to recuperate. As for the opportunities, waiting and watching is still training. It's a great opportunity to gently tinker with your technique (whether it is martial arts, powerlifting, etc.) and find a better and more biomechanically efficient technique (pain is a very very effective feedback mechanism).

With that in mind....injuries are still freakin' frustrating. I hope all my teammates at Silent River Kung Fu recover and heal up ASAP, and are back in full fighting order and are in good spirit soon.

Thoughts

2012-02-14T18:26:00.000-08:00

Comments and thoughts are funny.

A single comment, however brief it may be, can act like a seed. Once a comment has been said, it may become planted in the mind of another. This comment (or seed) may then begin to grow and flourish, or it may simply remain a dormant seed. Or, it may begin to grow, but the resulting impact within our minds may simply be a fledgling train of thought that eventually dies out.

My brother asked a simple question today; I responded with a simple answer. But the seed has already been planted, and it already has begun to grow.

We'll see where this goes.

Determination

2012-02-07T16:42:00.000-08:00

I think it was Saturday that my brother and I decided to get in a quick training session. We both decided that the training session would start off with some max effort Deadlifts (sometimes max effort roughly translates into "set a new 1 rep max or crap out your spine trying"). So, during my last powerlifting meet, I tried to pull 500lbs for my last deadlift attempt...but no dice. I hit a sticking point where the barbell was just above my knees.

For that training session, we kept on piling on the weight, and I decided I was going to pull 495lbs. Again, no dice...I was maybe an inch or two from locking out. For many people, they would constitute that as a full rep; however, to me that's a mediocre point of view and I hold myself to having the full range of motion for it to count. Even though I didn't get the lift, I was quite happy that I progressed since the last attempt (last time I tried a max effort deadlift day with the weight at 495lbs, the barbell didn't even budge off the ground). I was also left practically salivating and very motivated, since I'm incredibly close to smashing through the 500lbs mark.

This leads me to the moral of my story: determination is key to accomplishing your goals. If you don't achieve it the first time, never give up. Instead, back off, breathe, and re-evaluate your course of action. Perhaps you need to break up the journey into more micro-goals. Perhaps you need to change your approach and open your mind to new methodologies that will assist you in achieving your goal. And sometimes, you're just on the outskirts of your goal...in that case, patience and hard work are what's required for the final push.

And, in case you're wondering, no I did not crap out my spine (even though I was deadlifting with a minor lower back injury).

Optimism

2012-01-31T11:43:00.000-08:00

Maintaining a high degree of optimism and high morale is very important. When things get rough, I always tell myself, "This isn't bad. It could ALWAYS be worse. This ain't bad at all!" It helps keep me in the moment, and allows me to keep my head clear and engaged.

This leads me to one of my golden rules: Never, ever, ever, say, "Oh man, this cannot get any worse!" 'Cause it definitely will, and anyone accompanying you is going to be ticked off when things go a little further south.

We have things pretty good, and I think we always need to be thankful of our good circumstances. It definitely doesn't take much to have it all taken away, and things could always be worse.

What Drives You?

2012-01-24T10:05:00.001-08:00

Mediocrity is a stale, sullen word that lacks any significance or interest (it doesn’t even roll off your tongue, nor does it possess any spicy accents). As a result, it is a fitting word for a fitting state of mind. Mediocrity, after all, is a state of mind. Everyone can be great. Some people have natural, God given talent. Others lack that talent. But, as it has been said before and I’ll say again, greatness requires hard work. Not all the natural talent in the world can account for human laziness.

Those who are skilled in their chosen field typically are driven internally. They excel within their chosen and respective fields, mainly because it is their passions. It is difficult to display mastery within a particular field in which you lack passion. However, when one is passionate about that particular field, they are driven and highly motivated. This is immediately recognized by the personal excellence that is displayed, which is the result of hours of training, practice, sweat, blood, and tears (the result of a labour of love). To be passionate about something, to work hard at something and make brutal sacrifices, and to be optimistically enveloped by something becomes a display of love.

It has been said that love and hate are interchangeable emotions. Both are powerful emotions, and coincidentally, both are powerful motivators. To excel at a particular field, one must be driven by love. The love of the sport. The love for music. The love for lifting, fighting, training, writing, reading...the list goes on. To love your field, you never go through the motions. Each stroke of the pen, each word sung or spoken, each movement executed is a display of commitment and an expression of the passionate soul.

I have a high degree of respect for those who are willing to admit to themselves that they lack passion and love for a particular field, and are willing to find their passions and commit to change. To be great, one must love their field, and be willing to admit and concede to their self that they simply do not enjoy what they do. To be great, one must find their passions in life, and follow them. Only then will they be able to express their soul and possess that true inner drive that will eliminate mediocrity.

I urge everyone to follow and commit to his or her passions. Finding what one loves in life is essential, and the resulting journey, the resulting pursuit of happiness is often an amazing journey. My question is....What Drives You?

New Passion

2011-07-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

I've been bitten by the Iron Bug.

See, I've been weight lifting for the past 4 years, but it is only recently (i.e. the last year), that I've "woken up". By "woken up", I mean that I've pulled my head out of my arse, and started training not only hard, but smart.

Searching for ways to get stronger, I stumbled across Powerlifting, and that's where it began. In powerlifting, the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift are the three main lifts of importance. They are no longer merely tools for getting stronger, they have become the means to the end.

So, long story short, I've gained a new passion in life.

Early in July, I participated in my first powerlifting meet (2011 APU Provincials). I was amazed by the energy at the competition, as well at how friendly and helpful everyone was. My competition lifts were: 190 kg squat, a 102.5 kg bench press, and a 215 kg deadlift. I'm pleased with my results, and am training hard for the next powerlifting meet.

It's a lot of fun, and definitely worth while for anyone.

Time to Re-group

2011-03-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I definitely have neglected to journal for quite a lengthy amount of time. This is mainly due to my hectic schedule, and my own fault of not scheduling in time for weekly (or even bi-weekly) journaling. I take total accountability for this lax in my training.

I noticed that I have been working an awful lot, between my two jobs. Throw in full-time university studies, and little time is left for my actual martial art training. This means that I have a nice chunk of change in my bank account, but I feel like I’m stagnating in my martial art training. As for my weight-training/powerlifting goes, I am making decent progress. This is because weight-lifting fits very conveniently in my university schedule (sandwiched between lectures and labs...unfortunately the main downside to this is my peers don’t seem to appreciate a somewhat sweaty and exhausted person sitting next to them. Oh well, they choose to not sit next to me, and I get extra elbow room. Win-win, right?).

Thus, as my martial arts training is somewhat stagnant, at least my lifts improve (one must think positively). My PRs (personal records) for my lifts include: Squat, 396 lbs; Decline Bench Press, 295 lbs; and Deadlift, 429 lbs. Before the year is up, I wish to push these lifts to a 450 lbs squat, a 315 lbs bench, and a 550 lbs deadlift. These goals may seem lofty, but I figure it’s better to set big goals and train hard (and thus challenge oneself), instead of setting goals that are too easy to accomplish.

I don’t plan on entering any big amateur bouts for this year; I’ll be sticking to tournaments and maybe the odd smoker fight. The reason for this is three-fold: I want to focus more on my technical skill, I wish to focus more on strength and size, and I simply have not enough time to commit to training for an amateur bout (read: bouts which go on my record as an amateur fighter).

Right now, I am getting slightly frustrated, as I’m ill and slightly injured. This means I cannot train as hard as I want to, and must rest and recuperate. However, I must be patient, and give myself time to heal. If I don’t, then it will only prolong the time I need to spend recovering and recuperating. A little bit of patience however. At least I can use this down-time to cultivate my mind and spirit more.

To whoever reads this, I apologize for the non-linear path of this post; it’s more of a checkpoint/consolidation for me, from which I can set a path to navigate to my goals.

Flow with the go

2011-01-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

I think that things happen for a reason. Fate, for me, is more of an abstract reality than it is a definitive pattern to which we are set to dance to. I think people get too stressed out and bitter because life "doesn't go according to how they want it to". They aren't always dealt the best hand by life, and well, that's life. If you've been put in a tough situation, then there's usually always an important lesson to take from it, or there is an opportunity to take from it (thus, there is a reason behind it). Some may think life is a chaotic series of events, and thing's don't happen for a reason. That's cool, and I respect that viewpoint.

Back to my point, most people get stressed or ticked off, when life isn't giving them a particular experience/situation that they want (this could range anywhere from a job offer to a travel opportunity to a relationship).

When I feel incredibly impatient, or aggravated, I like to remind myself that if it’s meant to be, it will happen (whether by chance, or with a little persuasion by our own hand). If not, then it won’t happen. Instead of stressing out over things, we need to relax and make sure to see the beauty in life. Yet, at the same time, that is not an excuse to get lazy; pushing ourselves past our limits and driving forward in life is vital to grow and develop...and sometimes you have to fight for what you love. Adapting to what life gives you, and learning and developing from the experience is also vital.

Just relax. Flow with the go.

Rough Patch

2011-01-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

I guess the main thing I can do is maintain a positive attitude, and only think about the negative things which seem to be compounding in my life as of late. There's a vast difference between thinking about the negative things, and dwelling on them. Thinking about them gives you a logical and rational understanding about what is happening, and allows you to develop a plan of action to deal with them. Dwelling on them results in you spinning your wheels, and simply getting angrier and more negative. And even if I don't understand why somethings happen and the reason or rationale behind the motives of people, I can't dwell on it. I need to push through the adversity and forge a better life for myself, and continue to push and improve myself.

Notwithstanding, it would definitely be nice if all this crap ceased. Oh well, life isn't easy, and adversity just makes us wiser and stronger in the end.

Love and Hate

2011-01-02T00:55:00.000-08:00

Love and hate are two remarkable emotions; both are sharp and potent edges to a double edged sword. I like to think that both are remarkable sources of inspiration and fuel; both are seemingly interchangeable as well (easily evident in how intense love remarkably can devolve into intense hatred, and hatred can ease into love).

Both have purpose, and can be used constructively when focused. When not focused into a constructive manner, both can be terribly destructive, shifting and altering the very nature of one’s soul and self. Both cannot be controlled either...one can focus it however. Love and hate are of the same creature: Passion. I guess it helps explain the interchangeable manner of each.

Hatred is an incredible fuel. It is an incredible motivator. It’s an incredible feeling. We all know its effects when directed into something destructive. When focused into something constructive, it can be an incredible motivator. Trying to change something about yourself? You’ll have to hate it. You’ll have to hate yourself enough to push yourself outside your protective security bubble and force yourself to adapt and alter. With accomplishing a difficult feat, hatred of something can also serve as a great motivator as well. It helps grant you that edge, that focus, that’s required to push yourself over the brink of comfort and push yourself hard.

Yet, what happens when your source of hatred slowly ceases to exist? Find something else to hate? Heck, you might end up hating everything in the world.

Love. If you love something, do you need hatred? If you have intense love and an intense passion for something (be it a sport or activity, for me, its martial arts) then, do you truly need hatred to keep you motivated? For when you love something, you’re dedicated to it. You find solace and comfort in the activity. You strive to better yourself, your mind opens, your heart opens and you will step out of your protective security bubble. You’re willing to make a leap of fate in some cases to improve yourself or to further yourself. Strangely enough, hate also finds a place and a role to play in assisting in motivation. Love also is a strong fuel; as strong as hate, but seemingly more lasting. Love for another individual acts as an incredible motivator as well. It’s pretty self explanatory.....yeah.

Love and hate are akin to light and darkness. You need both. Both have an active role to play; both are integral to the human condition and the heart. And both are darn well confusing and elusive to understanding....which is why I compiled this ramble of thoughts.