Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

In the final hours of 2009, many people all over the world will look back on their year and look to the coming year with hope for improvement. It's a beautiful act of reflection and reaffirmation towards our goals and dreams. Now is always the best time to begin something new - not the "now" of the New Year's occasion, but right Now.

And the next Now. And the Now after that.

We live in the Now, and Now presents us with our only time to influence both past and future: our past by giving us memories worth savoring, and our future by contributing to our next Now: our next chance to choose and act well.

How was your year? Unfortunately, some people can only look back on their year as if it were any other: the repetition of mundane routines day in and out. In my opinion, that's just living the same year over and over again. It's like pacing in place while we wait to die, and still, the circumstances of our lives give us powerful reasons to organize our lifestyles in this fashion.

Unless you take charge of it - right NOW.

The process is twofold: choose, and act. Taking charge, for most people, is only the choosing. Let's make this year one where we take massive action for change. Don't let your doubts stop you. Decide!

"The only limits to the possibilities of your life tomorrow are the buts you use today." ~Les Brown

In 2010, be less of a 'but-head'. It's time to kick your 'but'.

I want this to be a big year, and I'm shooting for some pretty ambitious targets. (Check out my list of goals.)

What will you accomplish in 2010? Set your sights now. Choose now, and then take consistent action throughout the year.

See you on the other side!

Time Well Spent

My brother is staying with me for the next few days, and I'm looking forward to spending some time with him.  It's been quite a while since the three Garcia boys shared a few rounds of gaming, fun, and laughter.  I've missed it because a lot of our connection is built upon these times.

Sometimes, relationships fade without some conscious energy put into them.  You may feel like everything is fine, and perhaps you've got one of those connections that can be 'picked up' as if no time had ever passed...and then weeks turn into months, and the months become years.  Before you know it, you may drift apart even though you've never intended for it to happen.

Sometimes the best way to reconnect and mend a relationship is to spend some quality time together.

Have a happy holiday everyone.

Live Like A Champion

In 14 days, the Live Like A Champion project begins.  I've had an eight-month head start, but I still have a long way to go!  Lately, my efforts have been focused on securing firm commitments from my student team.  I'd been drumming up a lot of interest over the past few months, leveraging the power of the "teenage social network" and I'm proud to say that it's paid off - both in my program and at the high school that hosts us.

As of today, I have 42 members on my team, all from the high school:  2 parents, 7 faculty, 2 alumni, and 31 students.  According to Coach Tom, there hasn't been a team of this size before, so this is definitely going to be a learning experience! 

I'm excited about our success and have been doing a lot of planning and thinking around ways to keep everyone involved.  I've been rereading posts and videos, read Jeff Brinker's manual (thank you Jeff!) and loved it, but I'd also love to hear more from other UBBT participants about strategies that you've been using to keep your student team engaged and involved.  We're starting off the year with a New Year's workout and following up right away with a Free Hug Day (props John Mariotti!) at our host high school as a fun way to welcome everyone back from their holiday break.

You'll be hearing more from us in January.  Between now and then, some of my students may be saying hello to the world as we begin to gather our team on Ning.  Stay tuned!

My Live Like A Champion Goals

In 2010, I will be participating in BJ Penn's Live Like A Champion project, along with a large number of students, teachers, and parents from the LPS community. For me, this is also my Ultimate Black Belt Test (UBBT): a major component of my 6th degree black belt test.

People don't earn 6th Dans every day. Truth be told, I'm probably too young to be taking the test, and I'm realistic about the possibility that I may be asked to wait until I'm more experienced before I earn the rank; however, that's not going to stop me from setting my sights high and working relentlessly to achieve them. I chose the UBBT as my vehicle for testing because it is HARD.

As a Live project member, my teammates and I must achieve 10 personal victories during the course of the next year, in addition to completing all of the curriculum elements of the program. As a UBBT tester, I also need to complete additional requirements beyond those of my team. All of these have become a part of my goals for the coming year.

My goals for both projects have shifted since I first began the project. In fact, I think that it's important for me to do so! Knowing where you are and where you're headed is an important part of the goal-setting process: you MUST review your actions, assess your progress (or lack of), and then renew your goals.

If you're doing this with me, know that your goals may also shift over time as well, but don't quit, EVER. When I say that my goals have shifted, it's because I've accomplished them already and it's not even January yet, so I obviously haven't really challenged myself enough. I didn't change my mind. I'm setting better goals. I'm listing mine here not to freak anyone out: these are the things that I expect of myself for my test, but feel free to adapt any of my goals if you want to make some of them yours!

10 Personal Goals for the Live Project

1. I will drop my weight below 200 pounds and keep it that way.
I haven't been there since high school, and I want it back. I was up to 249 when I began the program, and now it's dropping. When I hit the magic 199, I will revise this goal and continue pushing. If I'm going to stand for health and fitness, I'd better look the part.

2. I will abandon the sleep-deprived lifestyle which has dominated much of my life.
If I'm going to train like I've never trained before, I am going to need to rest my body and learn all about better sleeping habits. Right now a full night's sleep is a treat for me. I'm going to change that and get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, on average.

3. I will outperform the pushups and crunches requirement of the UBBT (52,000 of each in 1 year) and complete 109,500 of each, plus 109,500 kicks to get my leg work in.
This is triple the amount that I am expecting from my student team members (36,500). I already have a significant headstart on these (as of today, I have completed 51,200 of each), so I anticipate the need to revise this goal during the coming year.

4. I will personally outperform the individual Acts of Kindness requirement of the Live program by a factor of 25 or more.
I will personally perform at least 25,000 acts of kindness before December 31, 2010. This is a big leap forward in my ongoing progress towards a commitment that I made to myself on my 21st birthday - to personally perform 1 million AOKs in my lifetime, big or small, as part of the way that I wanted to impact the world before I leave it. That's 10k per year for 100 years, or roughly 30 per day.

5. I will pay off 2 out of my 3 credit cards in full.
The real objective is to set aside my cards for various purposes: one card to handle day-to-day mundane expenses (groceries, gas, etc), one for gifts & major expenses, and one for emergencies. The cards that I want to pay off completely are my 'emergencies' card and my 'day-to-day' card. In fact, the 'day-to-day' card is going to be paid in full every month.

6. I will live in a clean home.
I'm pretty good about my public living & work space, but my private living space is cluttered beyond belief. Some spots are no longer actually living spaces, they're just piles of stuff. This goal involves more than just a housecleaning; it also means that I need to treat my home with the same kind of care that I give to my classroom. It also extends to the point of me needing to organize and sort all of the files in the hard drives of my computers.

7. I will learn how to cook.
Part of my problem with my weight stems from the fact that I am capable of ruining cereal in the kitchen and choose to eat out instead. By the end of the program, I will be able to prepare a variety of meals using mostly fruits, veggies, nuts, chicken, and/or fish (I'm lightening up on the grains and sugars) to support my dietary needs and UBBT goals.

8. I will develop a series of at least 10 leadership project planning guides and donate them to teachers.
I want to help transform LPS into the kind of school where leadership is taught, expected, and performed. This can only happen if positive work spreads and inspires others to do similar things, so I will offer my materials to other teachers. In addition to LPS faculty, I will gladly coach teachers outside of the LPS umbrella, especially charter school educators and other martial arts instructors.

9. I will learn the fundamentals of film & music editing, and then produce a series of at least 10 short videos for my martial arts program and my English classes.
Although I have my brother's help for my video editing needs, there are many simpler videos that I can (and should) be constructing myself. I will learn how to do this and delegate the larger projects to him.

10. I will assemble the largest UBBT/Live student team in the history of the program, with a student program completion rate that places us in the top 10% of Live project teams, and an unprecedented level of interaction with other UBBT teams.
Attracting, inspiring, and coaching a successful student team is a demonstration of leadership ability, and in my opinion, a high-level master teacher should be able to do this.


Goals & Requirements for my Ultimate Black Belt Test
(plus updates on my progress)
Note: Some goals overlap with the my Live Project Goals because it's all the same for me.

1. Weekly Journaling: This week will mark the 100th post that I've made on my UBBT blog since April of this year. That's far more than once per week because there was a point when I had made a commitment to my honors English class to write one essay per day. I'm still at it, and that's just my blog.

2. Become a certified Anger Management Educator: I will be taking a course through Dr. Tony Fiore, one of the foremost experts in the world on anger management.

3. Host three Community Action Projects: 2 down, one to go. I still have more in the works, and I'm working on inspiring others to take charge and lead some of their own! I'd like to make a significant contribution to the UBBT's overall team goal of 1000 community action projects next year.

4. No Quitting: I'm not going anywhere except forwards, and neither are you.

5. 1000 repetitions of a single form: I have completed this requirement twice already with Chung-Mo 3 and Chung-Mo 4. I am continuing this into the coming year with the ITF black belt poomse, Gaebaek. Upon completion, I will have accomplished triple the required number.

6. 52,000 pushups and crunches: OWNED, as of tomorrow. I plan to continue onward, racking up a grand total of 109,500 (triple the 36,500 that I expect of my team) during the year, plus the same number in kicks.

7. 1000 rounds of sparring: I am halfway there at the moment, but plan to exceed this requirement in the coming year.

8. 1000 miles of walking, running, biking, hiking, and/or swimming: OWNED. I'm going to continue into the coming year with additional cycling and plan to hit at least the 2500-mile mark by December. Much of this will be accomplished by replacing most local commuting with bike work.

9. Take a Diabetes Education Course: I plan to complete this course in the coming year and share what I learn with my team.

10. Attend at least 3 UBBT events: I will be attending the UBBT 6 Graduation event, I will be in Alabama, and am planning a trip to Hawaii. If opportunity allows for additional events, I will adjust my plans as much as possible in order to attend.

11. 100 hours of groundwork: I'm at 40 hours currently and am hungry for more!

12. 20 hours of boxing/kickboxing coaching: OWNED. More coming!

13. 5 public performances: one down (winter showcase), four to go!

14. Complete the Body-for-Life program or an equivalent: This was completed during the summer; however, I will repeat the program and reinforce what I've discovered during my first time through.

15. Daily meditation: OWNED. I am a meditating BEAST, usually getting at least 30-45 minutes daily between 2 sessions. (dissonant metaphor intended)

16. Custom testing requirements: This objective is in the works. I want to construct a test that will highlight my skills while pushing myself to expand my knowledge.

17. Make and post a film: With my brother's help, we've constructed 5 (2 DVDs, 3 videos). I need to learn how to do this on my own. Once I do, I'll be a short film-making machine!

18. 10 personal victories: See Live Project goals above.

19. Contact teammates regularly to keep posted on progress/challenges: Will do!

20. Two anonymous acts of kindness to teammates: On hold until the official start date. I'd tell you all of the details, but then they wouldn't be anonymous anymore. This one's going to be between myself and Master Callos - I'll tell him what I did and when it occurred.

21. 1,000 acts of kindness: Through my work, I amass roughly 100+ AOKs per day. I plan to blow this goal out of the water in the coming year.

22. Inspire 50,000 acts of kindness through school & community: We're going to do this together!

23. Right 3 wrongs in my life: In progress.

24. Mend 3 relationships that have gone bad: I believe that I have accomplished 2 of them, or at least I've made significant progress! This means a lot to me because I felt that they would be the hardest 2.

25. Profile 10 living heroes: Will complete this during the 2010 year.

26. Host an environmental cleanup project: OWNED, with more in the works!

27. Memorize a lengthy quote of 100+ words: In progress. Lots of juicy ones to choose from!

28. Seek out a Master: In progress. I plan to interview and profile them.

29. Empathy Training (1 day blind, 1 day mute, 1 day in a wheelchair): Today, I spent the day at work mute. I will complete the other two during the coming year.

30. Read 12 books: OWNED. More coming!

31. Reduce use of plastics & consumables by 40-90%: I will purchase Brita water filtering pitchers and use them instead of bottled water at work and at home. Additionally, I will bring in any cups, plates, bowls, or utensils that I may need for munching at work. I also plan to brown bag my lunch more often instead of eating out.

32. Buy nothing new for a year: I live a life of abundance and I recognize this. Aside from food, cleaning supplies, and other needs/services which are means to meet my other goals, I will not purchase any new products during 2010. Those purchases, if necessary, will be made second-hand through garage sales, Craigslist, and other sources. (Thank you to Lisa Teichner, whose commitment to this goal inspired me to adopt it as well)

Sharpening the Saw

In Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the seventh habit is "sharpening the saw", a metaphor for constant improvement and refinement of your greatest asset: yourself.

The UBBT process gives its participants the opportunity to construct a path towards balanced self-renewal and to ensure that small steps are being taken on a daily basis, not only to achieve goals, but to refine your consciousness towards the point where your lifestyle includes sharpening your saw.

I haven't even formally begun my UBBT, but inside my head, I'm living it.  I followed some good advice from a lot of wise people like Master Callos, my first teacher, Master Ed Fong, plus many others (you know who you all are - thank you!) and began training immediately in every aspect of the test that I could wrap my head around and kickstart myself into doing...plus some.

Some proud moments:

• I'm on track to completing 52,000 pushups and crunches by Christmas, although I'm going to pick up the pace a little and try to hit the mark in front of my students next week.
• I have performed over 1,000 repetitions each of two different forms.
• I have engaged in 500 rounds of sparring and bag work.
• I have traversed over 1,000 miles in a combination of biking, hiking, walking, and trail running.
  
• I've lost 25 pounds and my body is gradually becoming more defined.
• I have personally completed over 10,000 acts of kindness, most of them little things (which really add up), with some powerful ones to punctuate my list.  I'm going to shift my focus to the Charter for Compassion website and inspiring my student team to begin recording there, although I'm going to continue doing my own.
• I have meditated for over 100 hours, mainly with twice daily 20-minute meditations: one when I wake up, the other during my break at work, with some additional moments as needed.  I haven't counted the mini-meditations that I do at the beginning and end of my classes.
• So far, I believe that I have successfully mended two relationships in my life which have gone bad, and these mean a lot of me because I had feared that they would be the most difficult to repair.
• I have coordinated two community events so far: an environmental cleanup and another event to support a local charity.  I have plenty more in the works, and have been training my students team to initiate some of their own.
• I have averaged at least one journal entry per week, with only minor variations in my posting frequency.
• I feel like I've made some digital connections with other UBBT members already, and am looking forward to meeting them in person!
• With some technical assistance from my brother (much love and thanks!), I've aided in the creation of 5 films (2 DVDs and 3 videos) that we're really proud to share, and my students love!

These accomplishments, plus much more, are the result of adopting daily habits and sticking to them.  If you're just beginning your UBBT journey, as I am technically about to, begin boldly and stay strong!

As far as I've come, I still have a long way to go.  I'm still dissatisfied with my physique and I need to step up my game if I'm going to get results in this area.  I need to overcome my own camera shyness and produce some simple videos on my own so that my brother can concentrate on high-quality large projects instead of my basic editing needs.  I want to fire up my student team and get them 100% behind this process so that we begin strong and end stronger.  There are still many requirements left for me to complete, including some of my personal goals, and even though I've hit most of my initial marks, I'm not going to stop.

I've only just begun to sharpen my saw.

Internal Dialogue

Earlier tonight, I performed with my students at the LPS Winter Showcase, a celebration of the talent that exists within our small high school community.  At the end of our martial arts routine, I came on stage and broke six bricks at the culmination of a dramatic piece of epic orchestral work.

I received a lot of great feedback from people, both for the break and for the overall performance, and I'm glad they enjoyed the show.  Many people wanted to check out my arm to see if I had hurt myself, and more than a few of them were flabbergasted at what seemed to them to be an extraordinary human feat. 

Inside my head, however, I was all too human. 

My conflict was not with the bricks.  It never is.  My battle is always within myself, at the crossroads in my mind where focus, skill, confidence, and preparation face off against distraction, doubt, fear, and misfortune.  Should I win, my bricks become twins.  I don't want to find out what happens if I lose.

The last time I tried this break, I made mistakes.  I misaligned the bricks and the break went poorly.  I paid no small price for that error.  Tonight would rectify that error, even as the memory of the last break attempt played over and over again, like a splinter in my mind.

There were plenty of other things which could have messed me up tonight.  That afternoon, I had modified the brief form routine that I use as a lead-in to the brick break, about 30 minutes before the performance.  We had also misplaced a wooden plank that we were going to use to provide stability to the slightly-springy portable stage, and I needed to compensate my hit to account for the give in the flooring.  The lighting from the stage crew switched to an alternating black/red pattern while I was setting up my break, creating a red strobe light effect that reduced my visibility to near-zero.  As I had initiated and committed my forearm to the strike, the lights switched off completely and I finished the break in the dark. 

None of this was part of the practice.  All of it had to be done on the spot.  My victory had to be won inside my head before it played out on the bricks.  I replayed my own pep talk to my students in my mind, which went something to the effect of: "The future hasn't happened yet, and we can't change the past.  The only moment we have control over is right now - the time when we can choose, and act.  Therefore, go out and choose well, so you have no worries and no regrets."


In the heat of the moment, with all eyes on me and my mind in conflict, I chose.

I chose to win.

Now I have 12 smaller bricks. :)

Word of the Week: Poiesis

Another goal of our life's work in the martial arts is poiesis.  This word is the Greek root of our word 'poetry', but initially was a verb meaning "to make".  Poietic work synthesizes thought with matter and time, and man with the world.  When performed, it has a transformational effect, bringing forth beauty and hope into the world.

In Plato's Symposium, Socrates repeats a story told to him by Diotima of Mantinea, which details a type of poiesis that extends beyond the cycle of birth and decay, a form of genesis through which men strive for immortality.  He details three types: (1) through our children, (2) through heroism and service, and (3) through the cultivation of virtue in oneself.

This is the work that we do with people.  I feel fortunate to have touched so many thousands of people throughout my career, and I hope that you all recognize the lives that you touch as well.  Even those whose paths have diverged from my own still carry on with their lives and take on so many noble and inspiring endeavors.  I feel honored to have shared a valuable time in their lives which has contributed to where they are today.

The arts that we practice and share are our gift to the world.  As we continue to refine ourselves, we also enhance our capacity to contribute.  Keep on training!

Make-A-Blanket Event

Last year, I began coordinating a blanket drive to support Project Linus, an organization whose mission is "to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer 'blanketeers'."

I had purchased some bulk cloth online from Pico Textiles, and hit up the local craft stores for some sturdy fabric scissors. That's it for material supplies. We went with the "No-Sew Fleece Blanket" pattern, an easy-to-make project.

Word-of-mouth secured a bunch of volunteers, and we were set!

I'm doing it again this year on December 12th. It was a really fun service project for my students, and perhaps yours may enjoy it too!

Here's a video of last year's effort, with a much-heavier me in it:

Word of the Week: Eupraxsophy

All of our peace education, environmental action, healthy living guidelines, emotional balancing, and other similar efforts are all directed towards the development of a eupraxsophy, using the ways of the martial arts as a lens through which to focus and view our teachings.

The term eupraxsophy was coined by Paul Kurtz, a professor at the University of New York at Buffalo and a contributor to the writing of Humanist Manifesto II (a worthwhile read, in itself!).  It draws its meaning from the ancient Greek words eupraxis (right action) and sophia (wisdom).  A eupraxsophy, then, is a worldview or lifestyle which advocates living an ethical and exuberant life through rational and naturalistic means.

Through living a eupraxsophic life, perhaps we may reach a state of eudaimonia: the greatest good for an individual human being; a state of excellence characterized by objective flourishing across a lifetime, and brought about through the exercise of moral virtue, practical wisdom, and rationality. (props to wordinfo.info for the definition)

Oops, well now you have two words.  Enjoy!

Raising the Bar

Normal is overrated.

When someone makes a commitment to make the martial arts a part of their lifestyle, I believe that part of that commitment entails the adoption of two sub-beliefs: (1) we hold ourselves to a higher standard in our daily lives, and (2) we help redefine the general concept of 'normal' through our work with others. Leading by example, then, naturally entails the perpetual quest to live as an exceptional human being.

Right now, I'm doing so-so in those areas. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm at a 6, but rising. I used to rate myself much higher; however, in the past few months, I've become acquainted with a fantastic group of people in the UBBT who are holding themselves to a much higher standard than I'd originally envisioned (thanks again team for redefining my standards!). I'm 'hungrier' for improvement these days. I have new goals and I want to reach them!

Since my days are spent on a high school campus, I am often in the presence of many who do not fully understand the benefits of what I've been engaged in, outside of my membership. Most just give curious stares while I teach and when they see me training during my breaks, but a few react with preprogrammed toxicity (borrowing from John Mariotti's post). I'm unsure where and how young people can become so jaded and cynical, but when it begins to affect me, I remember the advice of the Greek philosopher Epictetus: "If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." I appear strange and unusual to them because they've probably never met anyone who's trying to do what we're doing.

Every day, I look forward to showing them what we're about.

Unplug!

I'm walking a tightrope these days.

On one side, I'm reaching out and integrating technology in order to enhance aspects of my martial arts educational program.

On the other side, I'm trying to unplug and involve myself in more authentic face-to-face interactions with human beings.

Right now, the tech side is winning, so I've been pulling the other way. Although all of these resources are giving me the opportunity to connect with my students, friends, and family, I've been trying to consciously ensure that this work is a supplement to (and not a substitute for) the relationship-building that I engage in on a daily basis.

Sometimes, the cell phone needs to be off.

Sometimes, e-mail can wait.

Connecting with people is a big part of what we're all about.

Learning From Children

We don't bring children into the world to teach them; they come into the world to teach us.

I met a pair of 2-year-old teachers the other night while waiting for a seat at the Olive Garden. They may have been young and oblivious to their class of amused students, but I heard their lesson loud and clear.

When I first entered the restaurant, there were several families gathered in the lobby ahead of me, all waiting their turn to be seated. With very little to do except wait, a number of adults and teens had their cell phones at the ready, thumbs dancing across numeric keypads, mini-keyboards, and touchscreens.

In the midst of this, a 2-year-old boy waddled away from his parents and towards another family, who had a 2-year-old girl with them. He took her by the hands, babbled something incoherent, and then the two of them began giggling and dancing together! (Undescribably adorable.)

His mom quickly noticed and moved swiftly to pick up her son and take him back to the opposite end of the lobby, apologizing to the other family. Things were back to normal.

Except the little girl followed them both, took him by the hands, and then they resumed their dancing in the lobby, much to the amusement of everyone.

The hostesses, waitresses, and all of the families in the lobby couldn't help but smile, laugh, and talk about how cute those two looked together! The conversations lasted well beyond the lobby, because the families decided to request adjacent tables so their children could be close by, and everyone in the lobby continued to chat about what a beautiful moment they had just witnessed.

Leave it to a pair of toddlers to teach a roomful of adults to reach out and have a friendly conversation with one another. I will do my best to honor their teachings.

Hitting the Trails

Today, I went for a jog, scouting some new trails for my next group of black belt candidates. I also did some thinking about my progress and my next plans for action.

On a good note, today I hit a lot of short-term milestones! My 7-mile loop brought me over the 1,000-mile marker of combined on-foot mileage (hiking & running), I hit my 1,000-form goal as well, and I'm sitting pretty at 30,000 push-ups and 36,000 crunches since I committed to the UBBT 7 process in late April. I'm not stopping though! (But I am taking an extra breather day this week to focus on projects at my day job. hehe)

I feel really jazzed about the upcoming year. There are areas where I know I will perform well and others which will be a struggle. I still have a lot of work to do physically, and while my diet has improved greatly, I must continue to be mindful. My clothes are fitting differently, but my weight's been fairly constant. Intellectually, I know why this happens and I know I need to stay the course, but emotionally I want to kick myself on some days.

Next steps: I plan on getting my student team up and blogging in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I'm planning to host some parent sessions in order to keep them informed about our process and how they can best support us in our quest! I'm also working on scheduling some presentations with Brian Williams at the high schools in my area - very excited about this!

Only 73 more days until we begin! So much to do! More to come.

Dating Again

"There's something different about you. I don't quite know what it is, but I like it. You live with new purpose and although you've always been thoughtful, there is a depth to your eyes which I haven't seen before. In a way, it's almost like I'm getting to know and fall in love with you all over again."

That's what she told me as I drove her home.

I feel AWESOME.

I spent Saturday with my girlfriend, and like the martial artists that we both are, the first 2/3 of the day was shared with friends at a black belt test, and the other part was our "date night". I always look forward to these evenings, sometimes in a selfish way. After twenty years, she has become the guardian of my innermost self and I know that when we have our heart-to-heart conversations, no matter the topic, I always wind up feeling revitalized and inspired.

This time, we talked about the "Live" program and how much work I've been doing to prepare. It's inspired her to train harder and get the kind of results that I've found in the past six months (and am still reaching for!). I feel like I've grown so much from being exposed to so many wonderful ideas, people, and missions....and she sees it too. It's not that I hadn't already recognized it in myself, but to hear it come from her only inspires me further.

My training has been revitalized, my relationship is renewed, my teaching has been inspired, and I'm seeing others transform as I take positive steps along my own journey. This ROCKS.

Thank you everyone for being so awesome! :)

Helping Abroad

My students and I are organizing a collection of food, clothing, shoes, and blankets to contribute towards the relief efforts in the Philippines. They're being hit with a second storm this weekend (a Category 4 typhoon), and while thousands have been evacuated, they will still need help.

Perhaps we can all get involved!

Monetary donations can be sent to the Red Cross here.

A quick Google search can help you locate the nearest donation center in your area. In the Philippines, they are referring to the storm as Typhoons Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma). Some collection centers may be using the Filipino designations for the storms in their press releases, so using them in your searches may also be helpful.

Philippine Airlines will ship all relief supplies for free.

We have every opportunity to help and groups of motivated students willing to act with us. Let's do it. :)

Thanks in advance for your kindness and thoughts.

A Disturbance in the Force

As of this writing, over 240 people have perished in the Philippines, after terrible floods swept the capital city of Manila and surrounding neighborhoods this past weekend, leaving over 80 percent of the capital underwater. 

If you are able to, please support one or more of the relief efforts.

On another note, I received an e-mail update from my uncle with the status of my family (all is well) and a description of the event, but what caught my eye was this part of the e-mail:

The truth is that we got almost one year's equivalent of rainwater in two hours. That coupled with the plastic garbage in our canals was what cause the massive flooding which up to now has not completely subsided.

This is a wake-up call. We have to start thinking green. No more plastic bags! No more non-biodegradable stuff. No more deliberate dumping of garbage into esteros and drainage canals. Most of the floods were caused by plastic garbage blocking drainage canals.

Then we must reduce our carbon emissions. Nature is starting to turn on us. Let us not wait for a larger catastrophe before we start doing something.

In those short words, I learned my lesson of the moment...one which I'd already heard, but this was definitely a poignant reminder.

Update: ICCD Video

This is a short video that we produced after the Coastal Cleanup Day event on Saturday.

Cleanup Day in San Jose

Brief report from the San Jose cleanup event that we participated in:

• We had a total of 32 volunteers for this year's event, a blend of students, teachers, parents, and family members. Given that I started promoting this a little on the late side, I'm really happy with the turnout.
• Our group primarily helped to support the Penetencia Creek area cleanup. The creek is adjacent to a local park and runs along the side of a residential street with moderate traffic. Part of our group split off to support the nearby Alum Rock cleanup efforts.
• We were able to contribute significantly to the efforts and collected close to a dozen filled bags of trash, along with numerous other items which couldn't fit in our bags, but definitely didn't belong in the creek. Top 'weird' finds included a freestanding basketball hoop, a broken weight bench, 2 rusty 20-foot pipes, and a fence post.
• Most popular comment overheard from students: "When is the next one? I want to help."

I'm working on a slideshow/video also. Should have that up soon.

All Frosting, No Cupcake

Guilty confession: as a child, I used to sneak spoonfuls of frosting right out of the container and eat it. Doing this gave me a sugar rush like no other, and it was always soooooo much sweeter than just eating the cake. In fact, I used to just lick the frosting off of my cupcakes and then leave them there, much to my family's disgust....since I'd usually wipe out the tray and leave them with a bunch of freshly-licked cupcakes.

In the 21st century, we live in a specialized world where we can have whatever we want, exactly how we want it. In fact, if you really like the frosting that much, you can walk down to the store, buy your own can, and have at it until your pants don't fit right and your head hurts. You're entitled to it, if that's what you really want.

We often attract students who want something specific about our program and aren't necessarily interested in the whole thing. I'm finding this as I'm working with some members of my student team. Some just liked the workout, but aren't fired up about the community service. I'm searching for the right combination of words and actions that can show them the benefits of eating the whole cupcake - not just licking off the frosting.

I think that it's easy for people to cherry-pick the things that they like most about the UBBT process, or any of their other endeavors, and set aside the rest. This even applies to us. It's easy to handle the part that appeals to us first - to lick off the frosting, if you will. In my case, exercising the discipline to eat well is a part of my challenge. Look at the metaphors I'm using...can you tell what's on my mind? (ha!)

If I'm going to be successful, I need to focus on the total package and eat the whole metaphorical cupcake.

(No actual frosting or cupcakes were ingested during the brainstorming, drafting, or publishing of this post.)

Reaching Out

Today, I clicked a couple of links and I was instantly connected to KJN Tom Callos on Twitter and on his new Ning site. This adds to the numerous other ways that we're linked on the digital plane: Facebook, this site, LinkedIn, YouTube, online forums, and the usual e-mails. Add the video conferencing (I'm overdue to reach out) and phone chats and I've noticed that I have so many ways to stay in touch with what he's doing. After looking at his example, I wonder if my students consider me to be just as accessible, or if they feel that I reach out to them in their lives.

Am I using my own social media and other communication tools to the best of my ability? I don't feel like I am yet, but I'm beginning to learn. I've begun using e-mail to reach out to my students with valuable lessons and heartwarming content. I have a presence on Facebook and Twitter, but I could stand to grow in these areas. I definitely could stand to become more media savvy and learn how to edit videos and photo slideshows.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm overcomplicating things by being online in so many places, but I know that's not the point. The main lesson for me to take away is to reach out to the places where my students (and my future students) are, and build those relationships outside of the walls of my school.

I suppose I can call it a marketing strategy, part of the evolution of my professional life. I think of it as connecting with people, but in our line of work, aren't these two things the same?

3,017 Pushup Tribute Completed

Today is the 8th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. I still go through the mental exercise because I'm a schoolteacher, so while many in the world might be content to put the memory aside and move on, I always make sure to remember and pass it along.

I try to do it in a way that's productive, though. Fostering anger and hatred in the next generation isn't exactly helpful for anyone.

This event is one of many in our recent history that has pointed out the need for world change. Going the way that we're going has produced some progress, but there's still a lot of unresolved tensions out there. We cannot simply sweep them under the rug and say, "Well, that's the past. This is now. Let's start over." There's too much there to ignore.

Instead, it's time to reach out to others. It's time that kindness became action and not merely attitude. It's time to push others up instead of down.

Therefore, in the spirit of this, I did 1 pushup for all 3,017 people whose lives ended in the attacks. I suppose it could be seen as a selfish act - it doesn't directly help them or their families, and it didn't bridge the divides between people.

All I did was to recognize an injustice of the past, pay my respects to the fallen, reaffirm my commitment to do something positive, and then found my own way to symbolize that commitment in the form of some kind of personal action.

So yeah, perhaps today's act was for me. Tomorrow's is for everyone else.

Tales of a Chronic Insomniac

I don't sleep much. I stay up extremely late and wake up very early. Sometimes this is a function of my lower back waking me up, but more often, I just wake up before my alarm clock and snap into action. When my back wakes me, I suffer some of the symptoms of mild sleep deprivation; however, when I wake on my own, I'm as chipper as can be.

I consider this an advantage.

I've always been a night owl, but it used to come at a heavy price. Now things are different.

I end up having an additional 2-4 hours of productive time each day, and I use this to my benefit, mainly by handling business at work, but also by taking extra time to relax at home, or allowing myself to hit the gym for 1.5-2 hours instead of 30-60 minutes.

This 'gift' is not an innate ability, nor did it come to me suddenly. It's one of the more curious metabolic perks that I've picked up through my studies in the healing arts. After my first few months of training, I began to notice how much more easily I could wake up and fall asleep. It became a focus of my meditation and practice. After years of practice, it's almost second nature for me to control my sleep cycles.

Weird, huh? I'll take it though. :)

Improving Mindfulness

One key component to effective time management is the awareness of time. I've generally been reasonably well-organized with putting events in my calendar and reviewing them regularly; however, the biggest flaws in my own time management system lie not within my organizational systems, but within my own sense of time as it passes.

This manifests in numerous ways, all unintentional, but still leaving me grasping for time. Sometimes a phone conversation may go longer than intended, leaving me behind. Other times, the old adage "time flies when you're having fun" often leaves me with less time than I've originally planned because too much of it has flown by. I don't want to feel so strictly bound to my watch, but I do see a need to improve here. Lately, I've devoted an inordinate amonut of time to responding to student e-mails, and I've slipped slightly with my journaling. I catch myself before I fall too far behind, but were I my own student, I'd probably have pounced already.

On a continuum of proficiency starting with (1) unconscious incompetence, (2) conscious incompetence, (3) conscious competence, and (4) unconscious competence, I'm at a level 3 when it comes to my sense of time management. When I place a conscious effort to do it, and do it well, it gets handled.

I need to work towards mastery. I want to be at that fourth level. Time to practice, practice, practice!

Workout Summary, Day 126

Owwww. The soreness returns. Getting back on the saddle burns, even after a few days! It's a reminder to me to keep consistent.

School is back in session. Definitely feeling constraints on my available time. I'll need to reevaluate my workout regimen in order to get better results in shorter sessions.

Here's my tally for the week:

* Cycling: 40 miles (10m, MTWTh)
* Hiking: 14 miles (7m, Sat/Sun)
* Running: 12 miles (3m, MTWTh)
* Forms: 20 (10x, Sat/Sun)
* Push-ups: 900 (150x, Sat/Sun/MTWTh)
* Crunches: 1200 (200x, Sat/Sun/MTWTh)
* Bag Work: 5m (Fri)
* Current Weight: 228

Total since Day 1:

* Cycling (total): 688 miles
* Hiking: 167 miles
* Running (total): 111 miles
* Basics: 195m
* Form repetitions: 488
* Kicks: 22600
* Pushups: 11915
* Crunches: 18015
* Squats: 5670
* Lunges: 2270
* Punching w/weights: 30m
* Bag work: 149 rounds (149m total)
* Sparring: 10 rounds
* Boxing: TBA
* Grappling: 1 hour
* Net Weight Loss: -21

Tales of a Stress Eater

A confession: when I experience stress, I eat.

During the past week, as I've begun to prepare myself for the upcoming school year, I've been working much later hours than usual...and I already work late as it is. Some of that is in organization, some is spent in meetings with colleagues, but much of it is reflecting and revising my curriculum in order to navigate the post-NCLB world of education while retaining some academic freedom.

In this past week, I've caved on multiple occasions, mostly through calls to the local pizza place. I take breaks during the day to walk around the track, crank out some pushups and crunches. or go a few rounds with the heavy bag, but I definitely ended up with a surplus of junk this week. Ew.

I need to become better at planning my meals during this time of year. I always work extra hours. You'd think that I'd have figured out how to pre-make an extra meal and then bring it to work....or maybe better time/project management so that I go home earlier...or both!

Anyone have any low-prep favorite recipes? I'm a little burnt on the sandwich/salad/fruit smoothie stuff because they're my breakfasts and lunches. Thanks in advance.

Workout Summary, Day 119

Gah! Dropped the ball this week.

Work left me feeling drained and I caved in more often than not in order to rest. :(

Still managed to fit in three brief workouts this week though. That's still a lot more than most people get in, but I'm not satisfied with this. I'm feeling pretty disappointed in myself.

Need more ooomph!

Here's my tally for the week:

* Cycling: 20 miles (10 Fri, 10 Mon)
* Running: 6 miles (3 Fri, 3 Mon)
* Push-ups: 450 (150 FMW)
* Crunches: 600 (200 FMW)
* Squats: 100 (100 Wed)
* Bag Work: 2m (Fri)
* Current Weight: 228.8 (Dangit!)

Total since Day 1:

* Cycling (total): 648 miles
* Hiking: 153 miles
* Running (total): 99 miles
* Basics: 195m
* Form repetitions: 468
* Kicks: 22600
* Pushups: 11015
* Crunches: 16815
* Squats: 5670
* Lunges: 2270
* Punching w/weights: 30m
* Bag work: 144 rounds (144m total)
* Sparring: 10 rounds
* Boxing: TBA
* Grappling: 1 hour
* Net Weight Loss: -20.2

Shocking Stats!

In this TED video, Chris Jordan presents a series of supersized images which give us an impression of the scope of human consumption.

In case you didn't click the link earlier, here it is again.

Thoughts: WOW. Mind-blowing. This needs to be so much bigger than myself. If environmentalists and their causes are to be successful, we must inspire a large-scale movement for positive change.

Workout Summary, Day 112

Shifting my workouts again.

With school returning to session soon, I won't have the luxury of being able to work out as often as I did during the summer. If I maintain my current intensity levels and reduce the amount of time that I train, I'll begin to lose ground. Perhaps my slight weight gain (roughly half a pound) is evidence of this.

I need to reverse things and add intensity to my workouts in order to match my calorie burn. This may take a few weeks to figure out, but I've started by creating a fairly fixed routine for training: run on the elliptical, ride on the exercise bike, knock out some push-ups and crunches, light lifting, then hit the sauna and/or hot tub before heading out.

Let's hope it pays off.

Here's my tally for the week:

* Cycling: 50 miles (10 Sat, 10 Mon, 10 Tues, 10 Wed, 10 Th)
* Hiking: 7 miles (Sun)
* Running: 5 miles (1 Sat, 1 Mon, 1 Tues, 1 Wed, 1 Th)
* Forms: 12 (Sun)
* Push-ups: 1000 (200 Sat, 200 Mon, 200 Tues, 200 Wed, 200 Th)
* Crunches: 1500 (300 Sat, 300 Mon, 300 Tues, 300 Wed, 300 Th)
* Current Weight: 228.6


Total since Day 1:

* Cycling (total): 628 miles
* Hiking: 153 miles
* Running (total): 93 miles
* Basics: 195m
* Form repetitions: 468
* Kicks: 22600
* Pushups: 10565
* Crunches: 16215
* Squats: 5570
* Lunges: 2270
* Punching w/weights: 30m
* Bag work: 142 rounds (142m total)
* Sparring: 10 rounds
* Boxing: TBA
* Grappling: 1 hour
* Net Weight Loss: -20.5

The Cycle

It's back-to-school season, and schoolteachers (like myself) are getting themselves prepared for the upcoming school year. I just finished a weeklong series of meetings and planning sessions, which have been useful, but also time-consuming.

Operating on an academic calendar has been a blessing in disguise because it affords me the opportunity to reflect, refresh, and revitalize my practice for a few days each year before beginning a new cycle with a new class. I've refined my organizational systems and I look forward to trying them! I found it to be a really healthy exercise. Given time and thought, I almost always find a way to streamline, improve, or enhance an existing system.

When I was running my school, I operated in cycles, mostly centered around testing dates and special events. When I was first learning the ropes, there was little time to deviate from the cycle, and it was the driving force behind my schedule. It took a while before I learned to handle things.

I hope that each of you, in your own way, give yourselves the opportunity to recharge and take a close look at whatever you're doing (that's part of the goal setting cycle - review & renew!). That kind of refinement is time-consuming, but it pays back generously in the form of extra time!

Identity and Violence

I recently picked up Identity and Violence, written by Nobel Peace Prize winner Amartya Sen, a professor at Harvard. Fascinating read. Many of his ideas are accessible, despite their complexity.

Early in the text, he discusses how an excessive sense of identity can backfire and create a system of justifications for unhealthy categorical attitudes, oppressive thoughts and behaviors, and eventually inhumane actions. Many of us easily fall prey to the fallacy that people can easily be classified into a narrow series of groups, which we can then make broad statements about.

It seems possible that similar behaviors exist in the martial arts world. Style, association, school, team, etc...we are certainly entitled to have a sense of pride in our roots; however, it's when that pride turns us against each other that we betray our own values.

"Those guys", in "that school", who practice "that style" with "that teacher"...what a sad way to completely rule out several dozen potential allies, friends, and brothers/sisters in the arts.

I tried to talk with some friends about the recent BJ Penn fight (which I didn't get to see) and I was stunned to hear things like, "I don't care for that stuff at all" and "I'd really rather not discuss it." How unfortunate, because while it's certainly a different subculture within the martial arts world, there's a lot to be gained within our own practice from studying those bouts! Sure, there are certain aspects of the subculture which conflict with my personal preferences and tastes (especially given their target demographic), but that doesn't change the basic premise of the competition and it's not going to keep me from trying to learn from the MMA field.

That conversation helped me see more clearly about how we draw our own ideological borders. When we choose an identity or distinguish ourselves from another, whether it's a martial art, social group, religion, business, club, family, culture, nationality, or what have you...that choice potentially carries the possibility of dividing us from others.

Something to be mindful of.

Workout Summary, Day 105

Maintenance week. Calm before the storm.

I'm back in meetings next week to begin preparing for school. I'm going to need to shift the focus of my workouts to become more intense within a shorter period of time. This may affect my reps initially, since I won't have the luxury of setting aside long hours for working out, but I plan to adapt quickly.

Going to a seminar this weekend, very excited!

Here's my tally for the week:

* Cycling: 32 miles (10 M, 10 W, 12 Th)
* Hiking: 7 miles (7 Sa)
* Running: 6 miles (1.5 M, 1.5 W, 3 Th)
* Forms: 24 (12 M, 12 W)
* Push-ups: 1150 (150 Su, 150+100 M 250 T, 150+100 W, 250 Th)
* Crunches: 1950 (250 Su, 250+100 M, 500 T, 250+100 W, 500 Th)
* Current Weight: 228


Total since Day 1:

* Cycling (total): 578 miles
* Hiking: 146 miles
* Running (total): 86 miles
* Basics: 195m
* Form repetitions: 456
* Kicks: 22600
* Pushups: 9565
* Crunches: 14715
* Squats: 5570
* Lunges: 2270
* Punching w/weights: 30m
* Bag work: 142 rounds (142m total)
* Sparring: 10 rounds
* Boxing: TBA
* Grappling: 1 hour
* Net Weight Loss: -21

Self-Cleansing

During the past few days, I've been reorganizing my work space, as well as my home. Furniture is everywhere, along with stacks of bags and boxes full of my worldly belongings, and it's all starting to come together into a new look. The process has been rather therapeutic for me, in that as I organize the elements of my living space and working area, I feel cleansed.

Financially, I also finished paying off the balance of one of my three credit cards. It's also been a relief to have this done - one step closer to freedom from those plastic rectangles! I was bolder than usual when I made out the final payment, giving more than usual, but even though things will be tighter for me this month, it will give me a good opportunity to exercise better self-control.

I've been reaching out and making contact with family and old friends online. It was a gentle reminder and great advice from one of my students' own journal entries about the power of the Internet and maintaining good relations (if you're reading this, thanks John!). In a short amount of time, I've renewed some old friendships, caught up on some family news, and in general, while I've been tired at the end of my day, I feel more connected than I have been in a long time.

I'm sleeping better at night, leaving me with more time in the mornings to meditate and begin my day feeling focused and alive. I feel like so much has been lifted off of my shoulders...just in time for me to find new things to carry! Onward I go, towards further progress!

Moments of Honor and Shame

(This is an earlier version of my post entitled, "We Are Not Prepared". I've posted it here because it's a clear example of the revision process that I go through between my initial ideas and the final post. They carry similar messages, but the finished product is substantially different from this. Anyways, I liked this version enough to keep it, and I thought that you might enjoy reading this early version, so enjoy.)

I recently attended an event hosted by Project Soul, a collaborative effort between Loopkicks, AMAPA, and numerous martial arts, dance, spoken word, and hip-hop groups. It's the first time that I've seen or attended an event of this type within our industry, where multiple forms of modern arts are given the opportunity to showcase themselves and celebrate their current and up-and-coming talent. I find the concept to be innovative and the motivations behind organizing a diverse group in this fashion are commendable!

Because of this, I invited several of my students to come with me in order to see the show and draw some inspiration, hoping that they would be inspired by what is awesome, educated through exposure to new things, and trained through observing and evaluating others' successes and challenges. I certainly was. I learned a lot of things tonight - many are reminders, but I learned them again nonetheless.

I learned that most of the martial arts world is not ready for unity.

Forgive me here. I'll eventually be wandering into some negativity and/or soapboxing, but as a master teacher who is responsible for my students and committed to the growth of the arts, I must say what must be said here, and this doesn't apply to everyone. I applaud my students for being respectful, having fun, showing appreciation and gratitude, and looking for positives. I also am giving bonus props to the grand championship competitors who waited all day for a three-minute evening performance and mostly did so with class and sportsmanship. Props go out to the performers as well for being flexible and doing their best out there. There's also those who helped contribute in other ways towards the evening, and I definitely want to recognize that. Such efforts bring us honor, and when I see stuff like that, I feel honored to be counted among you when people consider the martial arts world.

Other actions bring me shame, not directly, but because such conduct dishonors our industry and reduces it to the level of a junior high school field trip to Death Valley - without air conditioning. I saw, heard, and felt things throughout the evening that make me ashamed to call myself a martial artist....because if that's what people see when they think of martial arts, then no wonder we get random posers making asses of themselves in our storefront windows. Behavior like that is inexcusable and intolerable.

Workout Summary, Day 98

I don't know how this happened, but I'll take it!

I cut back a lot this week, mostly because of aches and pains in my back which I'm beginning to believe are a result of an imbalance between my abdominal strength and back strength (thanks for the reminder article Matt!). I've suffered from a lot of back trouble, even in my youth, and this sort of stuff has consistently plagued my workouts whenever I'm not balancing things correctly and/or not paying attention to my form. That'll get fixed in the coming weeks. For now, I've prescribed myself some rest.

Despite the fact that I've worked out a lot less, I've somehow burst through my plateau and have started another round of quick weight loss! I did adjust my eating habits for the week in order to reflect the fact that I wasn't working out as often, but I didn't think that would account for this much so soon. I hope that it's all been for the best, but for now, it's made me much more pleased with my scale.

It's worth mentioning that I've been remodeling my classroom and my kitchen at home, so I haven't been completely resting...just having to be extra careful since I've been moving furniture and temporarily relocating heavy stacks of things.

Anyways, here's my tally for the week:

• Hiking: 7 miles (7 Sat)
  
• Forms: 12 (12 Sat)
  
• Push-ups: 1200 (500+150 Mon, 250+150 Wed, 150 Thurs)
  
• Crunches: 1500 (500+250 Mon, 250+250 Wed, 250 Thurs)
  
• Squats: 1000 (1000 Mon)
• Sparring: 10 rounds (Wed)
  
• Current Weight: 228.5
  

Total since Day 1:

• Cycling (total): 546 miles
• Hiking: 139 miles
• Running (total): 80 miles
• Basics: 195m
  
• Form repetitions: 432
• Kicks: 22600
• Pushups: 8415
• Crunches: 12765
• Squats: 5570
• Lunges: 2270
• Punching w/weights: 30m
  
• Bag work: 142 rounds (142m total)
• Sparring: 10 rounds
  
• Boxing: Will begin next week (again).
  
• Grappling: 1 hour
• Net Weight Loss: -20.5

The Homeless Millionaire

This morning, I read about Richard Leroy Walters, a homeless man in Phoenix who had died two years ago and surprised many when he left behind an estate worth over $4 millon.

According to the article, 76-year-old Walters was a retired engineer, graduated with honors from Purdue with a MA, and a Marine....never married, no children, no family to contact, although he did have friends. When he retired, he also left the world of material needs: no home, no car, just a backpack with essentials and a radio. He spent his days hanging out at the local senior center.

Here is a man who had mastered simplicity in his life. He let go of so many material things which many of us would be reluctant to give up because we've intertwined such things into our lifestyles, and although he did not have family, he still connected with people. That's far more important than clinging to possessions anyway.

I'm not ready to give up my home just yet, but I've noticed that my life is different now that I use my car less. Most of the shops that I need to visit are within half a mile of my home, so I walk. Now that I'm trying to use my car less frequently, I take a different perspective of time when it comes to going where I want to go. I partake in less frivolous side trips and plan my routes much more effectively. And when I get into my car, I find that some of those habits are lingering. I like that. Next goal is to see if I can apply the same lessons to my credit cards.

Strange how letting go of things can sometimes give you a firmer grip on them.

What a cool lesson. Thanks, Mr. Walters.

We Are Not Prepared

Last night, I attended an event featuring Project Soul: a collaborative effort between sport karate competitors, martial arts tricking crews, bboy dancers, hip-hop dance teams and performance artists, and spoken word performers. The event was held in conjunction with the AMAPA Finals, a local martial arts circuit.

Despite a few logistical challenges (typical for a first-time event from a first-time promoter, featuring local talent) I thought it was fascinating and has a lot of potential for future shows. My students really enjoyed themselves too. I am very proud of their open-mindedness and willingness to have fun and be exposed to different forms of talent in the world.

Unfortunately, I think that the artistry of the evening was lost on much of the martial arts crowd, whose appreciation seemed limited to whichever tribe they belonged to. Very sad.

When will we, as a group, open our eyes and see beyond the ends of our noses?

Could you not hear yourself, Ms. Tournament Rulebook In One Hand and Promoter's Cell Phone on Speed Dial in the Other Hand, or were you too busy badmouthing the event organizers and missed videotaping your son's first grand championship performance entirely?

Did you not hear yourself, Mr. Holier-Than-Thou Traditionalists, espousing the death of the martial arts from your self-imposed exile, despite the fact that you came and paid money to see this so-called mockery of the arts fully aware of what you came to see?

Perhaps not.

Perhaps in your dogmatism, you failed to see the amazing talent on the floor that night. You, who preaches 'positive mental attitude', 'discipline', and 'respect', yet searches for the first justifiable reason to toss those virtues aside in favor of your ego...or worse yet, your sheeple mind-as-extension-of-your-master's-narrow-views. You, who swear to 'love and support your son more than your own interests', yet were too obsessed with how the performers were inconveniencing you to pay attention to your son's triumph and decided to complain nearly nonstop for almost four hours straight.

That's right. I heard you. And I am ashamed for you, because you don't feel it yourselves.

In fairness, there were some issues with some of the audience members whose interests were outside of the martial arts, mostly regarding etiquette related to 'not blocking the view of everyone in the first 12 rows of the bleachers'; however, given that martial artists tend to consider themselves to be spiritually evolved, I am hardest on ourselves for failing to meet our own standards.

We know how to be better and we failed to act in accordance with our practice.

Perhaps this post is an apology, on behalf of those who cannot see past their own noses, to the visionaries who tried to unite people through adding our art to theirs...and sharing their art with ours.

It is our fault that we were not prepared.

Please don't be frustrated with us.

Someday we will be ready.

Workout Summary, Day 91

This week wasn't supposed to be like this. Plateaus are tough enough to break through, and even harder when a minor back injury sidelines you. Sadly, I didn't do it while working out. I just happened to move the wrong way while moving furniture and I felt something tweak.

Owie. Silly me.

I've been taking it easy and doing the things that I can still do, in order to keep semi-active but allow time for my back to heal. The biggest frustration is that I've missed another week of training at Shamrock MMA. It's not just money wasted for me - it's opportunity. I was really looking forward to going back this week, but I need to play smart and not injure myself further by playing 'tough guy'. I've done that enough times in my life and I don't need to make a small injury into a bigger one.

I know I've accomplished a lot this week despite my injury, but I still feel like a slacker. I'm seeing some changes in my muscle definition, and I've gained half a pound - hopefully more from the strength training than from reduced activity.

Skipping my gym workout tonight too. *sigh*

Anyways, here's my tally for the week:

• Cycling (stationary): 25 miles (10 Sun, 10 Mon, 5 Wed)
  
• Hiking: 17 miles (7 Sat, 4 Sun, 6 Mon)
  
• Running (elliptical): 3 miles (3 Wed)
  
• Forms: 36 (12 Sat, 12 Sun, 12 Wed)
  
• Kicks: 1400 (700 Sun, 700 Wed)
  
• Push-ups: 885 (150+150 Mon, 260+150 Wed, 150+25 Thurs)
  
• Crunches: 1430 (250+250 Mon, 430+250 Wed, 250 Thurs)
  
• Squats: 500 (150 Mon, 250 Wed, 100 Thurs)
  
• Current Weight: 233.5
  

Total since Day 1:

• Cycling (total): 546 miles
• Hiking: 132 miles
• Running (total): 80 miles
• Basics: 195m
  
• Form repetitions: 420
• Kicks: 22600
• Pushups: 7215
• Crunches: 11265
• Squats: 4570
• Lunges: 2270
• Punching w/weights: 30m
  
• Bag work: 142 rounds (142m total)
• Boxing: Will begin next week (again).
  
• Grappling: 1 hour
• Net Weight Loss: -15.5

Geraldo Garcia (1947-2009)

My uncle passed away earlier this week, at the tender age of 62. I am filled with thoughts of family, especially because I don't see them as often as I should. Tito Gerry lived in Manila (in the Philippines), so it wasn't exactly an easy visit to coordinate, but I could've made a better effort to connect.

He was my father's brother, and the family resemblance extended beyond appearance. They both enjoyed a good drink and an even better joke. Laughing was a must around them.

Most importantly, both were incredibly generous. My uncle was the type who would walk out of a bar with a pocket full of 500-peso bills, turn to the nearest beggar, and hand him one. This would attract the beggar's friends...and Tito Gerry would give one to each of them too. Eventually, he'd reach the end of his cash roll, sometimes before he'd finished giving one to everyone. When this occurred, he'd look down, mutter "$#!+", walk to the nearest ATM machine, and get more money to hand out.

My mind also drifts to selfish thoughts. Garcia men are not known for their longevity. Of the five boys on my father's side, three have already passed. They didn't take very good care of themselves though...and this is where I am reminded of the importance of staying active and taking good care of my body. I'm a walking clone of my father, so chances are that the Garcia blood runs strong in my veins. It seems that part of the 'fight of my life' is going to have to be against my own genes.

Workout Summary, Day 84

Here comes the plateau!

It's a common occurrence in every long-term fitness plan to have plateaus: points when your progress appears to level off. Whether you're used to seeing them or not, they can be frustrating and can cause even the most well-intentioned of us to stray from our plan or quit!

In my case, I've been using my weight as one of my indicators of my own progress. I know I've dropped a significant amount, but I'm reaching a point where I'm building muscle and reshaping my body as a product of the work I've been doing. Since muscle weighs more than fat, my weight will tend to stabilize or even increase during this time; however, I may see some performance gains during this time which I'm going to need to focus on in order to stay motivated.

Another factor (an expensive one) comes from the classes I've missed this week at Shamrock MMA. I was a bit ambitious and went on a hike in the afternoon before my Tuesday night class, got a bit overheated, and lay down after I got home...woke up too late to go, and feeling dehydrated. I spent the rest of the evening chilling out, having some watermelon, a healthy amount of water, and cooled off by lounging in the pool at my gym. I had intended to return tonight for my class; however, I forgot that class was cancelled because of tonight's fights. I'll have to make up for them next week.

I can still celebrate other progress though. My numbers for pushups and crunches have increased significantly, in terms of the numbers that I can complete before stopping! I'm enjoying the activities that I've been doing, so I can't complain there. I've especially enjoyed being able to share many of my workouts with my students, who are growing tremendously from the process! Also, I've found that I've really come to enjoy my "free day food" a lot more when I use it as a treat and not a staple. Lastly, my shorts are still falling off. I'm going to have to do something about that before it gets embarassing. (lol)


Anyways, here's my tally for the week:

• Cycling (stationary): 35 miles (5 Sat, 10 Sun, 5 Mon, 10 Wed, 5 Thurs)
  
• Hiking: 21 miles (7 Sat, 3.5 Sun, 3.5 Mon, 3.5 Tues, 3.5 Thurs)
• Running (elliptical): 9 miles (3 Sun, 3 Mon, 3 Wed)
  
• Basics: 60m (15m Mon, 15m Tues, 15m Wed, 15m Thurs)
  
• Forms: 36 (12 Sun, 12 Tues, 12 Thurs)
• Kicks: 2300 (700 Sun, 700 Tues, 200 Wed, 700 Thurs)
• Push-ups: 800 (200+100 Mon, 100 Tues, 300 Wed, 100 Thurs)
  
• Crunches: 1300 (300+200 Mon, 150 Tues, 300+200 Wed, 150 Thurs)
  
• Squats: 150 (150 Mon)
  
• Lunges: 150 (150 Wed)
• Bag Work: 18m (10m Tues, 4m Wed, 4m Thurs)
• Boxing: None (overheated and missed class, darn)
  
• Grappling: None (class cancelled this week, aww)
• Current Weight: 233
  

Total since Day 1:

• Cycling (total): 521 miles
• Hiking: 115 miles
• Running (total): 77 miles
• Basics: 195m
  
• Form repetitions: 384
• Kicks: 21200
• Pushups: 6330
• Crunches: 9835
• Squats: 4070
• Lunges: 2270
• Punching w/weights: 30m
  
• Bag work: 142 rounds (142m total)
• Boxing: Will begin next week.
  
• Grappling: 1 hour
• Net Weight Loss: -16
  

A New Paradigm

I'm always really pumped about my work after having a phone chat with Master Callos. As much as I know I've progressed personally and professionally, it's awesome to have it validated by another. Thank you, sir!

One thing that excites me about this process is the opportunity to synergize my efforts with a larger community, not solely within the realm of exercise, but in expanding the dialogue of self-defense within our industry. The kinds of battles that most of us fight on a daily basis are not of the punch-kick-throw-choke variety. There are other things which cause us far more harm, and if we're not aware of these things, they will defeat us more decisively than any opponent ever will.

Self-defense, in this new paradigm, is not solely about fighting. It's still about protecting ourselves from harm - that hasn't changed. However, we need to expand our mindset and connect our practice to begin to address a wider awareness of the things which cause us harm in our lives.

More on this later.

Greg Garcia and the Broken Lifecycle

This isn't a clever post with a biology class twist. I was riding for 15 minutes on a broken exercise bike and didn't notice. (Oops on awareness, lol.)

Everything seemed normal. I sat down, began pedaling, entered the usual stats on the computer, and then glued myself onto the overhead television monitors, one of which was playing Sport Science - I was hooked.

Towards the end of the program, I glanced down to check my progress. The bike's display told me that, in 15 minutes, I had gone over 8 miles! Even if I had switched it to metric, and the display was showing kilometers instead of miles, that's way beyond what I can do.

What to do? Stand up, move over to the next working Lifecycle, and start over, of course. :)

Checked again after 15 minutes: 2.75 miles. Whew. Now that's more like it.

Workout Summary, Day 77

This week marks the beginning of a new "white belt experience" for me, in the sense that I'm trying something outside of my comfort zone for the first time.

I'm training at Shamrock MMA 2 nights a week now, beginning today. Had my first grappling class with them earlier this evening. It's a different environment, one which is foreign to me, and in a way, it's nice to begin with a clean slate and on relatively even terms with others of similar MMA experience. Overall, it was a pretty fun class!

Anyways, here's my tally for the week:

• Hiking: 17 miles (2 Sat, 5 Mon, 5 Wed, 5 Th)
• Cycling (stationary): 30 miles (5 Sat, 10 Sun, 5 Mon, 5 Wed, 5 Th)
• Running (elliptical): 6 miles (3 Sun, 3 Wed)
• Basics: 45m (15m Mon, 15m Tues, 15m Thurs)
• Forms: 40 (12 Sun, 16 Tues, 12 Thurs)
• Bag Work: 16m (4m Sat, 4m Mon, 4m Tues, 4m Thurs)
• Kicks: 2600 (600 Sat, 600 Mon, 700 Tues, 700 Thurs)
• Push-ups: 680 (125 Sat, 175+25 Mon, 180+25 Wed, 150 Th)
• Crunches: 1160 (200 Sat, 330+100 Mon, 330+100 Wed, 100 Th)
• Squats: 450 (100 Sat, 250 Mon, 100 Th)
• Lunges: 170 (170 Wed)
• Grappling: 1h (Th)
  

Total since Day 1:

• Running (total): 68 miles
• Cycling (total): 486 miles
• Hiking: 94 miles
  
• Pushups: 5530
• Crunches: 8535
• Squats: 3920
• Lunges: 2120
• Punching w/weights: 30m
  
• Basics: 135m
  
• Form repetitions: 348
• Kicks: 18900
• Bag work: 124 rounds (124m total)
• Grappling: 1 hour
  

Rebuilding Connections

The other day, my students and I went to visit an old friend of mine, Master Mark Preader. He operates a West Coast World Martial Arts school in Hollister, and he was kind enough to open his school to us in order to share a sweaty workout with both old and new friends. (Thanks KJN Mark!)

I've been making a concerted effort to reconnect with people who have been a part of my martial arts journey. In this case, I would have never met Mark were it not for visits like this, because we trained at different schools under different instructors. It warms my heart to be able to share experiences like this with my students, especially because mine were so valuable to me.

For a while, I had lost sight of this. When I was operating my school, I became mired in the day-to-day work (my lack of business mastery at the time) and I began to withdraw from the larger martial arts community, including all of the friends that I had made along the way. As I became more proficient with the business, I had formed a habit of keeping to myself.

In the past few years, I've come to realize just how much I've needed to reconnect. It inspires me to push for excellence because I see the different ways that my friends and peers have created excellence in their lives, and it broadens my perspective. It also inspires me to become more compassionate and understanding, since everyone's journey has been unique and full of their own challenges and victories.

Most importantly, it's reminded me of the value of my connections because they've all been a part of making me who I am today, and also because building bridges to link people is far more useful than building walls to separate them.

Alone in a Crowded Room

All of the usual 4th of July events that I attend are happening tomorrow, so I'm taking a day for myself today. After a bit of hiking, I stopped for a cup of coffee and some websurfing at the local spot.

While floating around on the web, I came across this tribute to our soldiers, and I felt a sense of loneliness come over me - not for myself, but for every soldier who might want to be hanging out at someone's BBQ.

I thought I'd share the video with you. Enjoy your holiday.

Workout Summary, Day 70

Moving right along!

I've dropped another 4 pounds since June 19, bringing my total weight loss to 16 pounds. Started at 249 (ouch), currently 233 (still ouch, but better than 249).

The weight's been coming off, but I'm concerned about hitting another plateau again soon. Whenever you work out like this, there's eventually a balance point where I'm losing fat, but gaining muscle mass, so the numbers will begin to even out. This is where some people get frustrated with their workouts, even the ones who know this is going to happen! When that begins to occur, I'll need to shake up my workouts a little bit more.

Next week, I'll be integrating more of my workouts with my student team. We'll be holding two workouts each day, Monday through Thursday, each with a different focus and intended intensity level to avoid burnout and overtraining injuries. Here's the layout of my schedule with my student team:

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I'll be integrating my kicking workouts in with my team during morning sessions, and then doing strength & conditioning in the afternoon sessions. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'll be doing bag work and target practice in the morning, and self-defense techniques in the afternoon sessions. Fridays will remain my 'free day', and my student team will rest that day also. I'll be hiking on Saturdays with my student team, and on Sundays, my student team will have another day of rest.

In addition to that, I've been hiking almost every afternoon for roughly 3 miles, while my summer schedule permits me to. I've been lagging on getting my bike fixed, but I've come to enjoy the peace and quiet of the trails, plus there's far less crazy drivers on the trails. :)

In the evenings, I head to the gym for a 45-60 minute cardio workout which involves some time on the exercise bike (occasionally switched with the elliptical), followed by a 1 mile cooldown walk on the treadmill which I haven't really been keeping track of. Then I can sit in the sauna and hot tub to relax my aching body, shower, and then head home.

It's a lot right now. It consumes a lot of time because right now, I have a lot of time and I want to stay active as much as possible. Once the end of August arrives, I'll be back on my regular teaching schedule and I will have to accomplish more within less time. I plan to increase my intensity levels at that time. That shift ought to shake up my workouts, and I hope that it'll help me to blast through any plateau that I encounter between now and then.

Tally for the week:

• Hiking: 22 miles (7.5 Sat, 3.5 Mon, 3.5 Tues, 3.5 Wed, 4 Thurs)
  
• Cycling (stationary): 30 miles (5 per day: Sat-Thurs)
• Running (elliptical): 3 miles (Sun)
  
• Basics: 45m (15m Sun, Tues, Thurs)
  
• Forms: 36 (12 Sun, Tues, Thurs)
  
• Bag Work: 12m (4x60s: Sun, Tues, Thurs)
  
• Kicks: 2400 (600 Sun, Mon, Tues, Thurs)
  
• Push-ups: 425 (125 Sat, 150 Mon, 150 Wed)
  
• Crunches: 600 (200 Sat, 200 Mon, 200 Wed)
  
• Squats: 400 (100 Sat, 150 Mon, 150 Wed)
• Lunges: 150 (Wed)
  

Total since Day 1:

• Running (total): 62 miles
• Cycling (total): 456 miles
• Hiking: 77 miles
  
• Pushups: 4850
• Crunches: 7375
• Squats: 3120
• Lunges: 1950
• Punching w/weights: 30m
  
• Basics: 90m
  
• Form repetitions: 308
• Kicks: 16300
• Bag work: 108 rounds (108m total)