A Common Theme

The last few blogs posted seem to have a common theme about them.  They speak honestly of where people are in their life and the difficulty and challenges people are facing to meet their requirements and commitments.  I don’t believe that for anyone, being a part of the I Ho Chuan  team, is a walk in the park and life is rosy all the time.  We all face setbacks and discouraging moments.   Being honest with ourselves as well as with fellow team mates is the only way to change discouragement to something positive.  I listen to everyone in the monthly meetings openly tell the struggles they face and I find I can relate to everyone on some level.   It is reassuring to know that I am not the only one feeling bogged down, falling behind or struggling with feelings of disappointment and discouragement.

We are our own worst critics.   We have high expectations for ourselves and are disappointed when we don’t meet them.   We have all chosen challenges that are just that, challenges; they aren’t supposed to be easily accomplished.  We forget that life has a way of throwing obstacles that make us go off course and maybe fall a little behind of where we think we should be.  However, like has been said, when a person looks back to the beginning of the year and looks at the numbers add up in their log or sees personal challenges met or positive changes taking place in their relationships, how can we ever say that we failed? 

At the beginning of the year, my first couple of months were brutal.  I admit I was guilty of neglecting some of my other commitments, thinking that I had to put everything I had into my kung fu alone.  I wasn’t sure how to juggle everything and thought I had to pick one thing over the other.    It was in spending time on my personal challenges that I woke up.  I realized that if I neglect other parts of my life and only focus on kung fu alone, in the end, what have I truly accomplished

 Right now, I feel immense relief that I’m not neglecting the things that are truly important in my life and feel an incredible peace.   I am enjoying where I am and what I’m doing.   I have missed the demo and a meeting or class here or there, and have felt guilt every time.   I have had to accept that sometimes there are other places I have needed to be.  I am still totally engaged and determined.  I have set my goals and am going to do all that I can to accomplish them.   I’m not sure where I’ll be come fall, but I do know that I will be closer to my goal than I was at the beginning of the year.  I still have struggles continually, but I have found that I have been handling them differently than a few months ago.   Taking things day by day, step by step, trying to move progressively forward in the process.

Thanks to everyone who has been so honest and open to where they are and how they are feeling.  Sticking together and encouraging each other is a whole lot easier when you know more about your fellow team mates.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca/