Adversity has been an interesting teacher. It's been busy few weeks. I've been in the middle of a few projects and trying to keep up with these weekly challenges. The tough part for me is keeping up with my personal goals while trying to grow with these weekly assignments.
My big fear is not living up to my potential. Actually throwing out things this week reminded me so much of all the dreams and goals that I've had in my life. I found so many things that reminded me of my past. I threw out a lot of junk, but then there was stuff that I threw out that was just tough to get rid of. It's crazy how much junk we accumulate in our lives. But it was the stuff that I didn't throw out that just brought back so many memories. Pictures from my past. Some of the friends that I grew up with. Little mementos that reminded me of good times. I still want to throw out stuff. I guess I already got rid of 50 things, but I want to keep the momentum up and get rid of some more stuff.
Other than that, it's been a good but tiring week. I finished up week 4 of my running program. I also started doing my TRX and I think it rocks. I should put up a review of that product soon. I also am inspired. Some great fights coming up. GSP vs. Jake Shields and Manny Pacquiao vs Mosley. Watching a lot of the training documentaries on them is really inspiring and makes me want to workout LOL.
I realized adversity is what makes me hungry and makes me want to grow. Being comfortable is the worst curse of all. You think everything is alright. You think that there is nothing to do. Time passes and then you see that you are stuck. If you are lost and don't know what to do, you're in a good place. If you are comfortable, you ain't reaching high enough. Later..
So I know it's been a little bit. I didn't get to post last week due to some interesting occurrences in my life. I probably won't go into it in this blog until things are further revealed but it did affect circumstances in my life to a certain degree. That being said...
The Last of the Samurai:
Was dwelling on the plight of the Samurai. I remember watching the Last Samurai and thinking that it was sad to see the end of an era. In this day and age it would seem that everything is so transitory now. Life changes faster than ever. How does one adapt to such a quickly changing landscape?
What was interesting was that there was a lot to learn from the Samurai. They had been a force to reckon with until pretty much the advent of the gun. Not to say that everything about the Samurai was obsolete. There was much going on with the spiritual and mental dimensions but in the end, the once feared Samurai sword became obsolete. People still practice swordsmanship today but it is highly unlikely that we will be going into battle with swords anytime soon.
Giving up what we know so that we grow into the new is kinda tough. I have to admit, I am pretty stubborn about change. I keep thinking, why mess with what works. But after a while, even that doesn't work anymore.
I've been playing a lot of Starcraft 2 lately online. I'll probably be playing a lot more being that Online Poker has been banned in the US. Yeah, it kind of sucks, especially since I did that challenge a few weeks ago. Life changes so quickly. Anyhow, I have been allowing myself to just think differently about Starcraft. I kind of play knowing that I will lost and look to accomplishing some other objective as a sign of growth. It seems that if you are afraid to lose it ironically seems to make it more likely. I also realize that it's more than just in the gaming world. I have to admit, your ego has gotta kind of develop some tough skin because you have to get used to sucking. I'll play a game and do different strategies while playing. If I become too reliant on doing something a certain way I'll force myself to do it another way. Even in jiujitsu, after a while people will figure out what you are doing. Those who change the quickest seem to keep growing.
That being said, I realize that I am a failure in life. But embracing failure and learning to adapt quickly becomes the only way to survive.
Week 15 Challenge and Week 16 Challenge:
So I didn't post last weeks challenge. I tried learning Spanish. Tried is the key word. I don't consider last week a triumph but then again was I really expecting to learn Spanish in 7 days. Well...I guess I was. I used an app that I downloaded and it pretty much reminded me of high school again. It walked me through a whole bunch of non essential bits of pronunciation and conjugation that I really didn't get into the meat of learning Spanish and that left me a bit peeved. Oh well. No sense in beating myself up.
I guess failure is an option.
For my week 16 challenge I will be getting rid of 50 things. It was an idea from a book called "Throw Out 50 Things". Clever title huh? Anyhow, I figure I need this in my life right now. Life is not only about what you add to your life but also what you eliminate from it as well. You should check out my diet. Anyhow loving this song... I heard it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Later.
So it's been some time since I've blogged, this I know. My last challenges were to play poker, or more specifically play 100 games in 7 days. FAIL...oh well, I played 89 games and then was hit with a case of food poisoning. I actually will finish those 11 games to finish it. I gave it a go and did pretty well (meaning I actually made money).
My last weeks challenge was actually to start a running program. I actually am gonna continue this challenge for 12 weeks. I figured I would make it a "challenge" to get a good start on it. I am actually following the protocol set forth in the book "Run You Butt Off" by the editors of Runners World. It's driving me crazy that my shoulder is messed up because I would like to start lifting again. I actually wouldn't mind doing another round of p90x. But being that the adaptable survive I guess I will stay with what I'm working on now. Namely running, kettlebells yoga and jiu jitsu. And sticking with my diet.
A great resource for info on working out and eating right (well at least for me) is marksdailyapple.com. I am also considering adding TRX Training via trxtraining.com. I would say I was a solid weekend warrior. I have a ways to go to be a full blown athlete but I would definitely surprise you. One of my goals would be to run a 5k. But enough with that challenge...this weeks challenge is.
Week 14:
Quite some time ago, I practiced a lot of music. Namely piano and guitar. I was working a lot on different things and ended up hurting my hands. I would play in pain and it ended up not being a good thing. Flash forward to today. I still have issues with my hands. Playing pop piano or blues and such has never hurt my hands but ten minutes of classical piano...done. It has been a lot better now that I've been working with the grips I mentioned in an earlier post. Which brings me to...
Learning a Chopin Prelude. Ouch. If you don't know, Chopin is tough. I am picking a Prelude because it is only one page. It's been quite some time and I hope I still have the chops, and I also hope I don't open up a bad can of worms and jeopardize my hands even more.
Life Goes On:
Been in a weird head space the past few days. Preoccupied with various issues in my life. I keep getting these moments of insight at various times and it makes me reevaluate various situations in my life in a new light. I guess I allow myself to experience the full effects of the emotions attached and in some ways it can get overwhelming. After a while I am good to go. But resolving the issues attached is not so easy. I guess part of it is comparing yourself to others in life and wondering if how you are living is right. But in a lot of ways, that is a double edged sword. Maybe you are comparing yourself to the wrong people.
