Year of the Sheep

With one week to go until the year of the sheep closes, I'm reflecting on the year.  It was the toughest year yet for me even though it was the strongest start to a year that I have ever had.  I started out with choosing the double broadswords and developed my first ever form.  I was flying high, I was getting my reps in, blogging and even attending all of my regular classes.

Then things changed in my professional life.  I was offered a promotion to my career that I couldn't pass up.  I was only a year and half into my current role in a brand new industry yet I had proven myself and was been offered an incredible opportunity.  That's when my Kung Fu wheels literally fell off.  They didn't even really wobble they just flew off!  I was traveling every week learning about my new role, spending time with my new team across Western Canada.  Before I knew it it was Christmas and I hadn't spent more than a total of six classes from July until then at the Kwoon.  It's hard to describe the impact that has on ones mental state as well as physical state.  The kwoon and the family has such as strong pull and when your not there you feel guilty for not being there for them.

However I digress as I want to continue explaining how the year of the sheep has affected me for the better.  I learned that ENGAGEMENT is the #1 and only key to success in the I Ho Chuan and in life.  I struggled with staying engaged on the road.  I struggled with reasoning with my self why it was so important to keep doing the push ups and situps.  I can tell you that the blogging, the sit ups and the push ups are the best ways to stay engaged.  I found that when times are tough to share these struggles through my blog.  I found that it was easy to go into silence and not reach out for help, however this was the worst thing I could do.  I did reach out through my blog, through texts with friends of mine on the team just to try and stay engaged.

Finally I learnt this year that this is truly a life long process of mastery.  You can't decide one day to be "all in" and then not the next day.  I found that I needed to fully commit to the process in order to fully appreciate and understand the power that can be found within this journey.  I haven't fully embraced the process yet but I have realized that this is only way that the changes I make will stick for years to come.  

I want to thank all the members of the Sheep team for a great year!

Mr. Ian Repay
Student Of Silent River Kung Fu