Long Week

This last week and a half has been a crazy busy one with limited internet access.   Other than Canada Day, I have been working long hours and haven’t been able to make it to classes.  I have to say I get a little grouchy when I have to miss classes and or meetings (my family would agree with me whole heartedly on this one).  Unfortunately, need to pay the bills.  I seem to be getting a little taste of what some of the guys working out of town feel like, you definitely have an extra challenge.

Missing church on Sundays and missing classes throughout the week can make a person feel pretty blah.  At times like these, I sure am glad for my log book.  It definitely helps keep me engaged and motivated when I least feel like it and just can’t be at the kwoon.

Off to bed, another busy day tomorrow.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

Happy Canada Day!

Ahhh… finally inside where it is a little cooler!    After spending the morning and early afternoon at the Canada celebrations and battling junipers all afternoon (it was close but I won in the end), it is time to get out of the sun.  Maybe next time I can pick a hotter day to burn the dead branches. 

I’d like to say a big congrats to everyone who participated in today’s demo.  Great job getting lots of oo’s and ah’s from the spectators.  This is the first July long weekend I have actually been anywhere near Stony Plain.  We usually sneak our kids out of school a few days early and take off for the first holiday of the summer.  It was really nice being here this go around.  I’ve had a tough time getting into this year.  I have been guilty of spending too much time missing last year instead of embracing this one.   The past week preparing and today are exactly what I needed to refocus and get excited about this year. 

As we were waiting for the demo today, I couldn’t help but notice the relationships that have and are developing among the I Ho Chuan team.  Being a part of this team has given us all a chance to get to know each other outside of regular classes and is one of the coolest benefits of the I Ho Chuan.  It only makes sense that likeminded people would get along and like hanging out with one another J

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Take The Time For People

For the last 3 years I have worked at a senior’s complex doing grounds maintenance for the summer months.  It’s a part time job that I enjoy.  Its outside (where I love to be) and doing work that even gives a little bit of a work out.  But the best part is the people.  What little it takes to give a smile or a wave or a moment of your time just to chat.  Friday alone, I stopped at least 6 times to visit with different people who live in the complex.  I admit it was hard not to keep looking up at the sky wondering if I was going to beat the next rain storm, but seeing the difference it makes in people’s faces made the possibility of even finishing in a monsoon worth it. 

The last year and a half I have very deliberately gone out of my way to make eye contact, smile and even strike up a conversation with complete strangers, no matter where I am.  My children are horrified some times and I can see them slowly move away with a look on their face of ‘I’m not with her.’ Yes, I have got a few odd looks but majority of the time it is a look of first surprise and then appreciation.  People like being talked to and acknowledged.  How many times I have seen people texting while going through a till at the grocery store and they don’t even have the courtesy to look up or acknowledge the person who is helping them! It truly is sad. I don’t believe that people take the time to notice anyone or anything around them anymore.  They seem so rushed to get to their next stop that they miss some cool opportunities to make someone’s day and to meet some great people.  I challenge everyone to take time for the people around you, the ones you know and even the ones you don’t know yet!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Guilt

It has caused me stress, sleepless nights and headaches.   I’m talking about guilt. The guilt of not being able to be in two places at once.  The guilt of having to make a choice between two things, both being equally important.  The guilt of disappointing someone or letting someone down.   The guilt of having to say ‘no’.  The guilt of doing something for myself.   I have been thinking an awful lot lately of the affect guilt has had in my life.  At times I have given it extreme power and allowed it to negatively impact what I do and how I do it.

 A few months ago I read an article that fit people into one of three categories depending on their personality traits.  I have to admit I don’t remember the whole article or even the other 2 categories, only the one in which I fit into; the ‘pleasers’.  I have to admit I don’t really care for the label but upon thinking about it, it fits.  I like helping people.  I like seeing others happy and content.  I am guilty of postponing or neglecting things for myself in order to please someone else.   Unfortunately this can get out of hand.  A person can be so immersed in trying to please others, trying to rid themselves of guilt and the feeling of falling short in their own eyes, that it can take over and leave a person exhausted and unhappy.

Is doing something out of a sense of guilt, done with the right heart?  Can it end up being more damaging than good in the end?  

I’m working on this one (adding it to my challenges).

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

I'm Still Here

 I’m feeling a little scrambled these days.  Last year seemed clear.  I knew what I wanted, what I had to do and was determined to get there.  After a very scheduled and full year, I had the great idea that it would be easy to just continue on with the momentum.  However, as the Year of the Dragon came to an end and the Year of the Snake began, my schedule and commitments changed.  With an entire family involved in a number of activities along with other family and community commitments and then the start of a new business,  I have had a hard time being able to make some classes and almost all of the demo practices.  With work being unpredictable and sometimes last minute, I haven’t been able to commit myself and don’t feel good signing up for things that I can’t guarantee I will be there for.  I am very much the type of girl who HATES signing up for something, only to have to say “sorry, but I can’t make it after all.”  Add in some physical aches and pains, and things seem a little chaotic at times. 

I still know what I want and where I want to be with my training and with life, it just seems that my path to reach my goals continually needs to be adjusted and altered.  I thrive in a scheduled and planned environment.  I like having a plan and love being able to cross things off my never ending list.  I am having to work really hard in adjusting my mindset and my willingness to roll with the punches. 

I just want to let the rest of the team know that I haven’t fallen off the radar.  Although I feel disconnected at times with not being able to be available for demos at this point, I’m still around and am still committed.  I do hope that things sometime soon offer some kind of scheduled life again, but until then I’ll do the best I can.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Future I Ho Chuan Members?

After much practicing, the big day arrived.  Our youngest son and his friend (also a student at Silent River Kung Fu) had signed up, practiced and were ready to perform their sword form for the school talent show.  I was surprised to see not only our own son and his friend, but also three other Silent River students demonstrating their skills to a gym full of classmates, teachers and parents.  Although they all may have had a few butterflies, they all did fantastic!   I truly admire their excitement and courage to get up and demonstrate their skills without letting fear of failure get in the way.  I can’t help but think what a great opportunity they had and am so proud of them for jumping at the chance to share just a little piece of their art.  I had to smile thinking; here might just be five future I Ho Chuan members.  Good job ladies and gentlemen!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

 

Ah...this old thing?

Why are there so many of us who have a hard time accepting a compliment?  Someone says “You sure look nice today”, and all we can say is “ah… this old thing?” Or someone compliments you on a job well done and the first thing out of your mouth is what you could have done to do it even better.  I am one of these people. 

 I was recently given a different perspective of a compliment.  A compliment can be seen as a gift.  It may not be wrapped in a box with a big red ribbon on it, but it is something given to someone that is meant to encourage and let a person know that what or how they  have done something is noticed, appreciated and makes a difference for someone.  We wouldn’t hand back a brightly wrapped gift why can’t we accept a ‘gift’ worth so much more?

I think it is important to compliment, whether to our children, spouse, co- workers etc.  Compliments have a power to push and encourage people to keep trying or to reach even further.  At the same time I think it is just as important to be a good receiver of compliments.  How we receive says a lot about us and has ability to show the difference a compliment can make. 

Looking at compliments now as ‘gifts’ has made me realize that how I respond to them is just as important as giving them.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca