My life's journey through my Kung Fu

Journey Back

2012-02-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

What a journey it has been this past 6 weeks. Things have been tumultuous, stressful, and sobering all at the same time.

Recently I was witness to a moving presentation given by a passionate member of my business team. He talked at length about how we are all on a river, moving at times very quickly and at times slowly. There are rapids that move very fast and can change elevation with little notice. He talked about how we are very small little “twigs” on this large river. This meant to me that no matter how we try we really can’t change how it flows and where it flows but rather we have to get as close to the middle of that river and do our best to ride it.

When I reflect on these past six weeks in my life I see how I was on this river. However I wasn’t in the middle riding it as best as I could, rather I was trying to change it’s flow. I have realized that things are not in my control as I thought they were. I realized that I was trying to change things and due to my inability at the time to realize that this was not a sound plan, I found my self getting very overwhelmed. Stress was starting to take hold in my life and I wasn’t able to cope. I started to pull back from my Kung Fu as I felt I didn’t have the time to devote to it. What I didn’t realize that it was my Kung Fu that was going to help me get through this. The discipline and structure that I have learnt through the UBBT was what I needed to lean on to get me through. However I didn’t come to realize this until recently.

What I have learnt and have grown from is the realization is that I was and am still in need of more discipline and structure in my life. This journey that I am on has become such an integral part of who I have become and who I still want to grow into.

Walking into the Kwoon this past Saturday was such an emotional experience. To see everyone that I have not seem for a little while and to see them welcome me back with open arms was such as amazing feeling that is hard to explain. The positive energy in the Kwoon is addictive in many ways that I wish more people would have the ability to experience. Once I reconnected on Saturday I can honestly say that what I was missing spiritually was found in the Kwoon . I was missing my connection with the Kwoon these past six weeks. I was not feeding myself spiritualy and was "starved" inside. There is a lot to be said about how important to feed ourselves spiritually just as much as it is need physically.

This may seem “corny”, but we are all in this river and we have to get in the middle and ride it as best we can. Take time to feed yourself spiritually as this is such an important aspect of our lives that too may of us overlook.

To Master Brinker – Thank you.

Mr. Repay

Student Of Silent River Kung Fu

What a feeling.

2011-12-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those amazing days of lows and highs. All that matters is how the day has ended and it has on an incredible HIGH.

A little insight to what happened today. We pay our sales reps bonuses for selling different items. Recently we have found ourselves in a situation where we have a significant amount of aged or slightly expired inventory. We paid out on sales for these items as it was a better situation to get something rather than disposing of it and getting nothing. I personally don’t sell directly to customer as I am the sales manager for my company. On this one occasion, I had a situation where I could sell a significant amount of product to a customer I know quite well personally. This customer is one of my reps direct accounts. However he didn’t make the sale even though he was there a couple of hour before I made the call. I ended up selling a bunch of product and my company wants to pay this “bonus” out.

Here is what I was torn about and what I did about this that made me feel so amazing. I felt initially that we would pay the rep the commission. I felt this way because it was his customer and I wanted to build some good will with him. After reflecting upon this for some time (my boss thought I was mad for wanting to pay it to him and wanted me to have it) I decided that perhaps I should keep it as I did make the sale after all… On the way home today I am talking with my wife about this and she suggested that I donate it to charity. I was struggling with this all day and I didn’t feel that the he deserved nor did I deserve it. We continued to talk and all of a sudden I had an epiphany. We had a request for donations for a women’s shelter and why not donate it to them? Who could better use this money than a woman’s shelter? I called up my boss and told him what I wanted to do and he was extremely happy to be able to deliver this message and gift to them.

What an amazing feeling came over me right at that moment! It would have been really easy to keep a nice chunk of money but I realized that many more people could benefit from it in a lot better ways than I could have. One of the reasons that I thought of this was the work we do at the Kwoon with the benevolent society. It was a way that we can give back to the community that needs our support more than ever.

Ian Repay

UBBT 8 Student Member

Silent River Kung Fu

Discipline…what’s that?

2011-12-04T16:45:00.001-08:00

Reflecting back on UBBT 8 as we wind down this year I am thinking about discipline. When I started on this journey I felt that I had a lot of it. I started off with an abundance of discipline and I felt like this would not be that difficult. Wow was I wrong! I have come to discover that one of my greatest weaknesses is discipline. I realized that upon reflection that I don’t yet have it. I have failed myself in this area and I am not happy with my self. I have also realized that not only do I not have discipline when it comes to my UBBT 8 requirements; I don’t have a level of discipline that is at level in my personal/business life that I am happy with. I now realize what I need to do. Right now to get that level of discipline the first step is to admit that this is an area of weakness. Now that I have done this, I have become mindful of it and it is at forefront of my thinking. To me this is so important that to not only acknowledge the weakness but to always be mindful of it.

I am going to use this learning to be more proactive and will be the start of my development. I am going to be mindful of my mental state and work toward changing my thinking and my actions. I know this will not be easy as this is who I have always been. However, it is never too late to start or want to start to change.

Today is the first step on my new (bumpy) path. Today I am mindful of my weakness and today I going to start to change my life.

Ian Repay

Student Member of UBBT 8

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

UBBT - Celebration of life

2011-11-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

These past couples of weeks have been very trying at best. My grandmother has taken a turn for worst these past couple of weeks. We are now planning what most families don’t want to do that often and that is plan a funeral. However we all take solace in the fact that she was almost 90 years old and lived a very full life. There has never been a woman in my life that was so positive at all times. She was content in all aspect of her life and that is a tough thing to do these days. We seem to be living a life that is superficial at best. We are looking for that next promotion and that new car as we try and justify our place in the world. My grandmother was not that person. She was spiritual and her belief in the Lord was what gave her such peace in her life. She was not interested in the shiny new things rather she was interested only living her life with the Lord day by day.

I have been having a difficult time recently with my UBBT requirements as my personal life, my business life and my Kung Fu are not in balance. I am struggling to even find the energy to do my push ups and sit ups as well as my journaling. I have no excuse for this and I have to push through and use this UBBT process as way to bring my life back into focus. I have been traveling a lot these past week s and I have not been able to attend classes which are not helping me keep that “connection” with my teammates at the kwoon. I know that I should be reaching out to my teammates for support but I feel that in doing that would send the message that I am not strong enough on my own. I know that I should not feel this way but I do and I am not sure how to stop feeling this way? I have decided that I am going to finish hard regardless if I am going to reach my goals or not. I know that I going to fail in areas and in some areas I may reach my goals. I realize now that this is not all about reaching the goals but rather the journey to get to the goals is what matters.

What matters most is celebrating the life of one of the most amazing grandmother's a grandson could ever have been blessed to have in his life.

Ian Repay
Student Member UBBT8
Silent River Kung Fu

Kwoon Renovations

2011-09-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

This past week we shut down the Kwoon for renovations. This happens every year at the same time and this is the second year that I have taken part in them. What is amazing is that when we start this project it looks so daunting (and it is!) but somehow we find a way to make it all come together in the end. A couple of weeks before the reno’s are slated to start there is always is a call for volunteers. I have found that we could always use more people to help out than actually do show up. There are over 300 students at SRKF ad yet only a very small fraction of those students show up? We seem to have the same people come and help year after year. This is such a great opportunity to out a little of yourself into the kwoon and take some pride and ownership in it. We may not own this Kwoon but it our training hall and in such should take some ownership in it!

What do I get out of it? I get a sense of ownership and a strong sense of pride every time I walk into the kwoon. I look at that boot rack and the wall behind it. It reminds me of the night that we had to scrub like crazy to get that fast drying grout off the wall. It reminds me of the Saturday that Sihing Gamble and I drilled the wrong holes for the boot rack supports yet we got it up and it looks great. I am reminded of the great camaraderie that was shared by all that took part and put some sweat into the renos. Those that were there I feel share a stronger bond with each other than those who did not come and help out.

I must acknowledge Sihing Lindstrom on organizing the reno’s and by far putting in the most work of anyone. Also Sihing Wiebe spent a large amount of time there as well. Without the leadership and hard work shown by these two Sihings, the beautiful Kwoon that we training in would not look as good as it does right now.

I urge all of my fellow students to not let these kinds of opportunities pass you by. Come out and lend a hand and in doing so you will find a greater sense of accomplishment and purpose.

Ian Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

Student member of UBBT 8

Silent River Kung Fu,

Perspective change

2011-08-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

I have come to realize recently that my perspective has changed regarding what I wanted to get out of my Kung Fu. When I first walked into Silent River Kung Fu it was all about getting back into shape and learning how to properly fight. This was my perspective one year ago.

During this time and especially through the UBBT test I have come to realize that I am getting more out of my Kung Fu than just getting into shape and learning to fight. Don’t get me wrong, both of these things are greatly welcomed and appreciated! However I have come to realize that the spiritual side of the martial arts has had a profoundly positive effect on my life and those around me. I am a changed person because of my Kung Fu. The biggest change that I have seen in myself is humility. Before Kung Fu I had an over inflated view of myself that was far from justified. Kung Fu has taught me to treat everyone with respect and empathy. This is something that I personally was lacking for many different reasons.

This UBBT test has clearly changed me. I have fallen and failed through this test but through this test I have learn much about myself and that of my UBBT teammates. I have taken what I have learned in the kwoon and have started to adapt it to my personal life with amazing results. Things like incremental progression as a way of reaching a goal (50,000 sit ups and pushups etc) that seems so large has been something that will stay with me for the rest of my life! Martial Arts and in particular my Kung Fu is not just learning how to punch and kick but it is truly a way to live my life, for the rest of my life.

Mr. Ian Repay

UBBT 8 student member

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

Back in the saddle

2011-08-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

When I first signed up for the UBBT 8 Team I honestly didn’t know what I was getting into. I had some idea that this was not a sprint but more of a marathon. Wow this a marathon…

As for most my UBBT started off with a bang and I was cruzing along full of emotion and motivation. However somewhere about SUMMER the wheels started to come off. I can actually almost peg the day which was my first day of holidays. Once you allow yourself to take a day off it gets very hard to get back into the swing of things. Now if you allow yourself to take a couple of days off in a row…..well forget it! It is so hard to get back “into the saddle”. Sifu Brinker said to me the other day “we all fail and fall off the horse. What matters is how quickly you get back on”. That bit of wisdom is soooooo true.

Well today was the day that I kicked myself in the butt and got back on the horse! I ran through all of my forms, did a bunch of push up and sit ups and I have posted my journal. Today is the first step in getting back into a routine that is my UBBT 8 test.

Mr. Repay

Student Member of UBBT 8

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

Always Training

2011-08-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

This past July I have been on holidays with my family near Falkland, British Columbia. During this time I am obviously away from the kwoon and my training mates. There is comfort and support within the kwoon that makes training easier to look forward to. However when I am away from the kwoon training is much more difficult. It is not that the actual physical training is harder but it is harder to discipline one’s self to actually find the time to train. There are many distractions during holidays that need to be overcome including different surroundings, different time zones and spending time with the family doing things they want to do.

I find that the discipline that I have gained through my training is helping me find the time to train. I see the value in my training and I have come to find that making the time to train is becoming easier and easier. I have been getting up early to get my hour of training in and once it is behind me I feel so much better mentally and physically.

The other part of “always training” is the training that we don’t necessarily count as training. On Tuesday my family and I hiked to the top of a mountain that had a wildfire burn through the previous year. The hike up was extremely tough as the incline was steep and the air was getting thinner than I was used to. I took the opportunity to run up parts of the mountain to get some extra training in and also to test my cardio. I was very pleased that I was not overly winded and I recovered quite quickly.

There is more to training that just our hour or two that we spend in the kwoon. If we look around our selves and are disciplined we can always be training.

Ian Repay

Student Member UBBT8

Silent River Kung Fu

Choices

2011-07-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

The greatest thing about being human is the ability to choose and more importantly the ability to reason and then choose. What an incredible gift we have been given that most of us take for granted every day. Recently my wife I were at a cross roads with a very difficult decision. We pondered on what we should do for some considerable length of time before making our decision. We thought about all the different things and people that could be affected by the decision that we make. When you stop and think about the ripple effect that we have in the world when we make decisions, it is amazing how far the ripples go…

During my time at Silent River Kung Fu and through this UBBT 8, I have been faced with so many decisions. Should I go to class today, should I take part in the upcoming demo, should I help with the Kwoon renovations? All of these decisions will have an impact not only on my training but also on the lives of everybody that I touched during these times. What an amazing thing when you stop and reflect on this. Wow, I had a positive effective on a training partner because I showed up at class today. I am sure most of us will never know the impacts of our decisions, but we have to do our best to make the very best decisions we can. That what’s makes us so special, we have the ability to choose… Now we have to go out every day, trying our best to make the right decisions so that we can positively affect those people around us.

Ian Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

UBBT 8 student member.

Father

2011-06-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

Fathers

This past week was father’s day and I took some time to reflect on how my father has influenced my life.

My dad is a great man who worked hard all of his life to provide for our family a better life than he had. He grew up in the trades and due to a physical injury could no longer practice his trade. I remember that I was only about 3 or 4 years old at the time so my memories are a little fuzzy. I do remember my dad in a full body cast and that was something quite scary for someone as young as I was back then. My dad recovered and perceived as he has always done and finished his career in the same job these past 25 years (how many of us can stay in the same job that long?). What I have learnt from my father is hard work and honesty is some of the very most important virtues you can carry with yourself through life. I really don’t know how you can go wrong in life living by these virtues?

I played a lot of sports growing up with hockey in the winter and baseball in the summer. Most of these years my dad was the team coach which was tough on me because he never wanted to show favoritism. I usually ended up working harder than most of the other kids just because I wanted to prove that I made it based on my own skills Vs having my dad as the team’s coach. One thing that I was always respected my dad for is that he pushed me hard but never made me do it. I am not sure if I am explaining this right but he knew how to push me and how far to go. I remember that I didn’t have the same appreciation of this back then as I do now!

During this past year in the UBBT 8 program I reflected on this journey and how my father has indirectly influenced it. The UBBT is so not a sprint but a marathon that takes a huge amount of commitment an dedication. The lesson's learned from my father have helped me along this journey. I have fallen an stumbled and I have also flown so high at times during UBBT 8 and it is only half done. I know that I would not have bee able to get where I am with out the lessons learnt from my father.

Dad, you were tough at times and I am sure that I deserved that kick in the pants to keep me on the right track. You were a role model that I looked up to and you never let me down. You are a big part of who I am right now.

Thanks Dad and happy Father’s day!

Ian Repay

Student member of UBBT 8

Silent River Kung Fu

Stony Plain, Alberta

What level are you performing at?

2011-06-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

What level are you performing at?

I have set goals for myself like very one of my team mates have done. These goals have limits like 50 000 pushups and 50 000 sit ups etc. However there is no limit to how hard I push myself to reach these goals. To me it is not about reaching these goals but how I reach them is so much more important to me. I would not be disappointed with myself if I didn’t reach say 50 000 pushups as long as I had performed at a level 10 trying to reach that goal. We all know that we can’t perform at a level 10 every minute of every day as that would be impossible. However I do know that most of us are not performing at a level 10 and we don’t do much to change it. It is much easier to perform at a 5 or a 6 and we think we are performing enough…..but are we? I don’t think so! This road (UBBT 8) has me reflecting not only on my Kung Fu training but also on how I am living my life. Do I perform at a level 10 when I am at the Kwoon? I try very hard to but there are times that I may be at a 7 or 8. Now do I perform at a level 10 in life outside of the Kwoon? However, now that I have grasped this concept I am starting the ramp up my level in life just by being mindful of where I am and what I am doing.

So I leave you with this question, “What level are you performing at right now”?

Mr. Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

Student Member of UBBT 8

Martial Arts

2011-06-06T07:50:00.001-07:00

Martial Arts

Over this past year I have been very involved in my Kung Fu. I joined martial arts because I wanted to know more about the spiritual side of the art. I first tried TKD and I found that it was a good art but it was not the style I wanted to learn no was the school what I was looking for. Don’t get me wrong here, TKD is a great MA just the school didn’t teach the “spiritual” side of the MA that I was so looking for.

Yesterday I had a conversation with a new business owner that was trying to understand his customers and to a smaller extent his business. He has a new equestrian business that he and his family started 2 years ago. They were very successful dairy farmers for over 30 years and decided to take their business in a new direction. After about 15 minutes of conversation we both came to realize the same thing. You need a complete package if you are going to have a successful business. Without the right facilities, the right trainer and owners that truly care their business is not going to flourish. If you have one or two of these pieces your business may run and you may pay the bills but you are not going to reach your businesses full potential.

This brings me back to my Kung Fu training. I believe the school where I train has all three pieces. We have a great Kwoon, with great Sifu’s that are very skilled and more importantly they are very approachable. Finally we have an owner (Sifu Brinker) that really does care about not only the health of his business but the overall health of his students. I have found what I was looking for in a MA school not only in the style of the MA but in the family that is there helping me grow.

Ian Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

Student member of UBBT 8

"Do not criticize any of the other martial arts. Speak ill of others and it surely comes back to you.
The mountain does not laugh at the river because it is lowly, nor does the river speak ill of the mountain because it cannot move about."

-Master Morihei Uyeshiba

FUNK...

2011-04-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

FUNK…

What else can I say to describe how I have felt these past 6 to 8 weeks other than I have been in a “funk”? Over these past 6 to 8 weeks there has been a tremendous amount of change in my life.

I had one of my Baba’s (Ukrainian for grandmother) and our family’s matriarch pass away. This was a great loss as my Baba was a wonderful lady and a person who has shaped a large part of who I am today. My Baba was a very religious person who lived a simple but very rewarding life. She was a person who always had faith in the lord and that never wavered but only got stronger with the more adversity she faced. She would always pray for us and she made sure that we always understood the importance of prayer. I am going to miss her so very much as I know she loved us with so much of who she was.

During this sad time we were blessed with the purchase of a new home for our family. We had been renting our acreage since we moved to Alberta 9 years ago. We had owned our own home back in Saskatchewan and we dearly wanted to get back to that in Alberta. However, the prices here are significantly more that back in Sask so it took a little longer to realize our dream. We are so very happy and blessed that we have been able to realize this dream and if it weren’t for the help of Kristy’s parents and my parents we could not have made this happen.

Now here is where the “funk” happens. I guess for the past many years there was little major upheaval in my life. I got into a routine and things seemed to flow from day to day releativly easily. However the start of or 2011 had a few major changes that we could not have envisioned. People have said the two most stressful things that one can go through in life are the following.

1. The death of a close family member

2. Moving from one house to another.

I totally agree with this and I had to deal with both in less than a three week span. My routine was completely thrown out of the window and I found it very difficult to cope. I did my best to continue with my Kung Fu training as it was something that I found to be a stress reliever. However this routine of training was also impacted and I could not keep up with everything that was happening in my life. During these past weeks I have not been a very nice person to live with. I have been very short fused and irritable with family. I have not smiled much and finding things to make me laugh were few and far between. I spent too much time “sweating the little things” and lost focus on the bigger picture that was in front of me. I am have apologized to my family and I am working on improving this area of my life. What I have come to realize is that I realized what my problem was. I think that realization is the first step in dealing with the issue. The second thing was to apologize for my actions and take steps to improve upon this so that the next time this happens I will have put processes in place to deal with this.

I have missed a lot of classes lately and this has really not helped with my training both physically or mentally. However it was the mental side that I really missed. I missed my friends and I really missed the positive energy at the Kwoon. I really didn’t realize how this positive energy could affect me…. I can say that I left the kwoon today with a totally new outlook on life and I am re energized and ready to go again. My UBBT goals numbers have suffered but I am going to get back on track and get things going again.

To my family – I am very sorry for my poor attitude these past weeks. I promise that I will be much easier to live with!

To my UBBT team members – Sorry for not pulling my weight these past weeks. I am back on track and I EXPECT you all to come and kick my but the next time you see me =)

Ian Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

UBBT 8 student team member

Food Journaling....

2011-03-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

Food Journaling……

First off this is a month long effort by the UBBT 8 students of Silent River Kung Fu of which I am one of.

I just had to write about this as this is something I have never done before and I am not sure if I am looking forward to it… What concerns me the most is putting myself (and what I eat) out there for everyone to look at. I don’t have anything to hide and for the most part I think I eat fairly healthy. I love to cook for my family and because I am a baker by trade I obviously bake many sweet treats (homemade devils food cupcakes with a Swiss style choc butter cream on top) for my family. I am strong believer in eating a balanced meal at often as possible in the hectic society that we live in today. I don’t think you need to really cut out anything (DON’T TAKE MY BACON!!) you just have to eat everything in moderation is our family’s motto.

The other thing about this challenge is that I think you are very mindful as a result. Once you start writing things down you start to realize exactly what you have eaten or perhaps what you haven’t eaten which could almost be worse… I am going to embrace this challenge and put myself and what I eat out there for everyone to read!

Mr. Repay

P.s We are going to try and make this a family effort and have everyone do some food journaling for the month of March.

Chinese New Year’s Banquet

2011-02-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

Our school just celebrated Chinese New Year as we do every year. However this is the first time I attended the function as I joined after Chinese New Year last year. It was an amazing banquet! I really like helping out with everything and seeing the family and friends of my training partners. It was nice to meet the “better halves” of some of my training partners as they are critical in the support of use and our martial arts lifestyle.

There were some amazing demonstrations and I enjoyed watching all the students who worked so hard all year put on a great demonstration for all of the guests. The black belt demonstration team was amazing and truly inspiring. They showed that hard work and commitment truly pays off. I was blown away by Sifu Playter’s nunchuck demo! They are the leaders in our Kwoon and we all look up to them and they set a very good example for all of us.

During the banquet Sifu Brinker was promoted to 7^th degree! Wow what an honor and it could not go to a more deserving Sifu. Sifu Brinker is the main reason why I have stayed with Silent River Kung Fu and did not go to a different style. Sifu Brinker lives what he teaches; he leads by example and to me that is so important. He brings a spiritual side of the martial arts into the Kwoon rather than just teaches us to punch, kick and fight. To me this is what I was missing and I have found at SRKF. All the black belts that are under him life their life the same way and as a result I find that they are outstanding teachers and this is a result of how Sifu Brinker carries himself.

Congratulations Sifu Brinker on your promotion to 7^th degree. It is truly an honor to be your student.

Mr. Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu.

www.silentriverkungfu.com

Adaptability

2011-01-31T06:56:00.000-08:00

This past week I was faced with an opportunity to progress with my training in the area of adaptability. We learn in the martial arts how to perform a combination of techniques and then “adapt” them to our own style and let them flow as we feel would work best. The combinations in our curriculum are there as the foundation of the style. We are then expected to learn them (obviously) then more importantly adapt them to suit our own particular way we move or fight.

Well this past Monday was the most horrible Monday that I think I can remember. Reflecting upon this Monday after a week had passed has allowed me to see what it has taught me. What happened was that our family’s horses broke the gate to the pasture where they are spending the winter. This gate was made of very weathered old wood that should have been replaced this past summer when the weather was nice but it wasn’t. So long story short, I had to immediately drop everything, react and adapt to the situation at hand. Here is where the adaptability comes into play. I had a very busy Monday at work which required all of my attention before this gate was broken. So not only did I have to fix a gate (I am not a carpenter and anyone that knows me knows that I HATE building anything) I had to address and resolve the issues at work all at the same time. I would not recommend using a skill saw and a Blackberry at the same time!! I managed to run out and gather a bunch of lumber very quickly and somehow rebuild the entire gate from scratch in the middle of a cold Alberta’s winter day. At the same time I managed to stay on top of work and get both things done before the day ended. I know for a fact that before my Kung Fu training I would not have been able to get both things done without a lot of stress and something would not have been completed.

After I was finished building the gate I stepped back and marveled at how well it had come out. I must thank my father for teaching me the basics of carpentry as he always said someday it would come in handy. I am extremely happy that I listened enough to learn the basics! You just never know when you will be tested and it happens more in life than in the Kwoon.

Mr. Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

www.silentriverkungfu.com

Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Ultimate Black Belt Test

UBBT 8

UBBT 8 Kick off

2011-01-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

UBBT 8 Kick off

These past few weeks have been the start of the biggest and longest test I have ever been involved in.

I kicked off the test like every other UBBT 8 team member with 1000 push ups and 1000 sit ups. When I looked at the number as a whole it looked HUGE and I honestly didn’t know if I could get them all done in one day as per the challenge.

However, Sifu Brinker teaches this concept in class called “incremental progression”. When I first heard it, it didn’t sink in and I couldn’t really relate to it. With out really connecting the dots between this concept and what I was about to undertake I decided to break up the 1000 repetitions by 10 (my goal was to complete the challenge in 10 hours). By my calculation, that is 100 of each every hour. When you look at that smaller number it doesn’t look that daunting… I started the day at almost exactly midnight on January 1^st and did 50 push ups and 50 sit ups and then I went and got some well needed rest (a few to many New Years evening libations).

I sort of slept in and slept off a bit of hang over and really didn’t get started in earnest until about 2:30 in the afternoon. The first 500 of each went fairly smooth and I was feeling pretty good. I realized that I needed to break down my 100 reps per hour into even smaller goals. I ended up doing 50 pushups and 50 sit ups every 30 minutes. To even break it down further, I would do 25 push ups, switch and do 50 sit ups and then back down for the remaining 25 push ups. This “incremental progression” soon added up and I started to see my numbers grow. I also decided that I would record the time of day I did each set and how many I did. I found by doing this I could really see the “incremental progression” and it gave me something to look back and reflect upon.

The hardest thing about this challenge was the last 100 sit ups and push ups. My arms where burning my chest was aching and my abs where screeming at me to stop. About this time I was thinking “900 of each is enough, that was good enough right?” and then I heard my wife tell me to keep going and “you can do it, just 100 more!”. I realized then and there that with out the support of your family this challenge would be more than impossible to accomplish. You need to have people around you that believe in you when you don’t and that person is my loving wife Kristy and my two children Scott and Haleigh.

One other thing that really helped me accomplish this goal was my Kung Fu family and the support that we all gave each other during this challenge. We all posted our progress on line for everyone to read. We encouraged each other when we faltering and congratulated each other when we accomplished our goal. The one thing I looked forward to all day was the post that I wrote when I met my goal. It was amazing and I was on such a high. I am sure that every other person who undertook this challenge felt exactly like I did when they pressed send on that email.

I now understand what Sifu Brinker was trying to teach us when he talked about “incremental progression”. I now understand what it means to break something that is so huge into smaller pieces that are achievable over a period of time. I have taken this learning over the past two weeks and have applied it to my personal life. There have been things in my past that have plagued me to this day. I knew that they needed to be addressed but I thought I could never take care of them as they seemed so large. Well this past week I addressed two of them and have about four more to go. I am applying my Kung Fu into my life and it feels great. I have found that through my Kung Fu, life is not easier than it was in the past just easier to manage. I don’t know if this makes sense but this is what it feels like to me.

“Out of the Kwoon and into the world”, this has never rang truer to me until now.

Mr. Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

Stony Plain, Alberta

Canada

Puppies

2010-12-12T20:13:00.000-08:00

This fall my family has been blessed with a litter of border collie puppies. In fact this is the very first set of puppies the lord has blessed our family with. I remember the day they were born like it was yesterday. That day my wife was working evenings and our female dog was busy trying to find a place to "nest". We finally realized what was happening and made her as comfortable as possible in our horse trailer. Later that evening (I think about 1:00 am the next morning actually) my wife came home and woke me up with "Mia is having her puppies!!!". Naturally I jumped out of bed and went outside to witness the birth of seven beautiful little puppies. It was amazing to see them grow from what my wife like to call "little sausages" to these magnificent 12 week old puppies! It was just amazing to watch these puppies grow and it reminded me of watching my children grow.

Well today my wife and I drove to Red Deer to meet with one of the last puppies owners. It was a sad time for us but as soon as you saw the faces of the new owners you couldn't help but feel happy as you just knew some ones day was just a little bit brighter.

When I look at my training in Kung Fu it reminds me of the the experiences above. We all start out as white belts (new born puppies) and then step by step, moment by moment we grow in our Kung Fu just like these puppies have grown in life. I look at my Kung Fu differently now than when I started. I look at my training as a process. One step at a time just like these puppies taking their first step on the path of their life.

Ian Repay

Adaptability....Real life Kung Fu

2010-10-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

This week at the 9 am class, Sifu Brinker talked about adaptability and style Vs function. What never ceases to amaze me is what we learn in the Kwoon is so useful in real life. I think so many people look at martial arts as either just self defence training, kicks or punches. I also think for some people that is just fine if that's what they want to get out of their training. However if you really embrace Kung Fu and what our school really teaches then you are going to not only improve your kicks and punches but you are going to improve your life skills as well. What I love the most about our school is this aspect of training. The aspect of taking what we learn out of the kwoon and into the world. However this is not for everyone and I have spoken with people that don't like to have to do this and only want to come for the work out. I guess that is fine but you are not really going to get the most out of your training in my opinion.

I rambled on a bit there and never really talked about what motivated me to write this blog.

In my work life, I am the regional sales manager for most of western Canada. We have a major distribution center that we just built in Calgary and I have a small sales office in Edmonton. Here is where the adaptability comes in. The GM in Calgary has instructed me to shut the sales office and move to work out of our house. I have two reps including my self that share the office in Edmonton. I find that by having a common space it allows us time to meet as a group in a private and comfortable setting. This allows us to share experiences and ideas and grow as a team. With the shut down of the office I am fearing that we are going to lose that connection.

I have just realized that my fears could be justified if I don't adapt. I could work from my home and become bitter and disconnected from my team in Edmonton or I could embrace this change and adapt. Before Kung Fu I am pretty sure that I would have gotten bitter with my company and resisted the change. Now I see things more clearly. Why put so much negative energy into something I can't change? Why not take the negative energy and circle it around (Kung Fu again) and put a positive spin on it by adapting and embracing this change? That is what I am going to do. I am going to find creative ways to connect with my team such as weekly breakfast meetings, perhaps do some hands on baking training with a customer with my team present which is a win win for the customer and my team.

There are so many ways to adapt to this change and this can only happen if we are in the right state of mind.

Thank you Sifu for continually training our minds and showing us how to take our skills "out of the Kwoon and into the world".

Ian Repay

Attitude

2010-10-17T21:56:00.000-07:00

I would like to share with you a bit about attitude. My 90 year old grandmother fell and broke her hip about two months ago. This is pretty tough on anybody and at that age most people could throw in the towel and say why bother any more. However, my grandmother has about the most positive attitude that I have ever seen. Not only did she not give in she stayed positive and kept smiling. She is now up and walking and pretty much looking after her self just two months after a complete hip replacement! Come to think of it I have never seen her angry anyone (other than my grandpa)! She is always smiling, helping her neighbours and and her family. It is amazing to see and she sets a great example for people with out even trying!

I believe that she is the way she is because she is so positive. She has and continues to live her life the way she wants to and does it all while smiling. I think we all need to do our best to look at life with a positive outlook and stop getting down on ourselves. I know that I tend to "sweat the little things" a bit to much.

Now when we look at our lives and think we have it hard and life looks so daunting, keep in mind the following thing about my grandmother that I haven't told you yet.

She has lived all 90 years of her life with out the ability to hear, she is deaf. What an amazing mother and grandmother and I am so thankful to the Lord above to have her in my life.

Ian Repay

I HATE MONDAYS!!!

2010-10-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

What a day this Monday was!!! When people say "I HATE MONDAYS" I can relate!!! From the time I left the house for an early meeting with a customer, I realized that I had my keys and my wife's keys in my car. I had to turn around go back home and then rush back to the city for my meeting. Not a great way to start the week.

The meeting did not go well. The relationship I thought I had (both personal & business) was not as solid and meaningful as I once thought it was. Because of what happened it will never be the same.....which had first upset me and now saddens me...... The rest of the day spiraled down from there. It seemed that I could not get my feet underneath me at all today. A lot of reps needed my time across the region, insane amount of email and just a huge demand for my time. I really think I got a glimpse of what Sifu Brinker must feel like at the Kwoon.

I did take the time to check Kwoon talk (where did that time come from???) and saw the post by Sifu Brinker on "Effortless Effort". That five minute clip was great and it seemed like he posted that just for me and was talking just to me even though I know that it was meant for all of us. Sifu is exactly right in the fact that we need to take the time to train (even a little everyday) and apply our Kung Fu in all aspects of our life.

How could I have used my Kung Fu today other than put my customer in an ARM BAR???? The meditation and breathing would have helped me catch my breath and regain my composure. The breathing techniques we learn in class can be used in real life situations to help control anxiety and help calm our selves so that we don't let emotions dictate our responses.At the end of the day we need to keep our wits about ouselves when other are losing theirs......this is where my Kung Fu and my training steps in.

Ian

Family

2010-09-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here in front of my laptop reflecting on something as simple and sometimes as complicated as family. We all have families and they all come in different shapes and sizes. Some like my wife's are HUGE and some like mine are small. There is something to be said about a close loving family that I hope we all have the opportunity to feel part off. What I l like most about families is that you can just be you, no pretending, hopefully no show boating and especially no COMPETING with each other! Just you and your family.

I have over the past four to five months become part of another family, my new Kung Fu family. When I joined Kung Fu I didn't join it hopes of becoming part of a new family but it just kind of happened. I don't really know how to explain it. I have read many blogs from various Sifu's, Sihings and students and they all talk about this thing called their "Kung Fu Family". Until recently, I couldn't relate........
However there is such a positive energy with in the Kwoon that it is hard not to become enveloped in it. This positive energy is a large part because of this family. Families look out for one another, help each other in times of need, laugh, cry and are there for each other. I recently took part with the Kwoon renovations. I helped paint the ceiling and I can tell you (and my wife) that there was more paint on me that on the ceiling. Sifu Brinker was right about the fact that by helping, you would feel like the Kwoon was now a part of you. I feel that way every time that I walk in now and glance at the ceiling!!

I feel extremely happy that I now have a new family, my Kung Fu family.

Ian

Eating right

2010-09-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

When I was a bit younger, I could eat anything I wanted and I seemed to LOSE weight and had energy to burn. Now let's get one thing straight right off the bat, I don't think I am fat nor do I think I have a weight problem. I do think eating right is so much more important that losing weight. There is a common saying that goes like this "garbage in, garbage out". It is so true when you think about what you are putting in your body. If you eat a bunch of junk food you are going to feel very sluggish and your body won't perform that way it should.

Now consider a formula one race car. Do you think it would perform at it's peak with regular 89 octane fuel from any corner gas station? I don't think so. These cars are highly tuned machines much like our body. They require premium gas to perform at their optimum peak efficiency. So do we need quality fuels like fresh veggies and fruit, whole grains and complete proteins.

It is not easy eating the right foods as we are all so busy with our lives. It requires care full planning to insure that we eat the right food but also to eat them at the right times of the day and in the right amounts. It makes no sense to skip breakfast and lunch only to eat a huge meal at supper. I believe our bodies are meant to eat a bunch of smaller meals all the time. This will help keep the blood sugar levels in your body at even levels with out that horrible spiking.

Ian
Student of Kung Fu @ Silent River Kung Fu
Stony Plain, Alberta

Letting go.....humility and starting over.

2010-08-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

Throughout my life I have been faced with many people saying "your to small", "your not smart enough" etc. You try and block these things from your mind and tell yourself "I don't believe them". However these things tend to stick and especially if you been told this when you are growing up as a child. Life can be cruel and people crueler. For most all of my adult life I have set about proving people wrong and self justifying that I have succeeded and these people where wrong. But really what is success? Is that fancy car that you bought that shows people "Hey I am a success!!" or is that title in your work that has "Director or VP"? I think too often we measure success by what the material things we have acquired and what titles we have achieved. But is that really success?? I used to think exactly that. I used to measure my success around material things and titles. To me it was a very easy way to prove to myself that I had made it and show other people look at me!!

I no longer measure my self the same way. I have a sense of humility that I never had before. It takes work to change your thinking and it must be a continual every day thing. What I truly love about Kung Fu is the positive attitude that people have. The sense of humility that not only our Sifu's have but pretty much everyone at the Kwoon has. It's energy helps keep my ego in check and helps grow my humbleness that is so important in not only Kung Fu but life.

It was only five years ago that my personal life came crashing down. I realized that I was very very selfish and had a huge ego. I had to hit rock bottom to truly realized what I was and what I had become. My wife is an absolute angel!! With out her I would not be here today and I fear that I would have stayed on that destructive path that I was on. She along with my children are the most important things in my life I know I don't tell them that enough, but I am working on that!!

When I started the new chapter of life five years ago a dear friend and colleague shared with me the 10 commandments of human relations that I would like to share with you.

1. Speak to people - there is nothing as nice as a cheerful greeting
2. Call people by name - the sweetest music to hear is one's name called
3. Have HUMILITY - There is something to be learned from every living thing
4. Be friendly - if you want to have a friend, be one
5. Be cordial - speak and act as if everything you do is a pleasure
6. Be interested in others - you can like almost everyone if you try
7. Be generous with praise - cautious with criticism
8. Give your word - then keep it
9. Be considerate - of the feelings of others
10. Be alert to give service -what counts most in life is what we do for others

Ian

Back at it

2010-08-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended class and it was GREAT!! It was so nice to walk into the kwoon and see all the people that I haven't seen for the past three weeks. The feeling I got was that I was truly missed by some people and that is an amazing feeling. I got a chance to speak with Sifu Shipalesky before class and we both shared how difficult it is to keep everything in balance. Everyone has their challenges keeping their lives in balance and from time to time they get do get unbalanced.

I have a business mentor that keeps reminding me of the following and I think it is so true. He says the following, "If you don't balance your own life, life will balance things up for you and you probably won't like the results". To me this rings so true that we have a responsibly to do our best to keep things balanced.

Yesterday was a big step forward in regaining the balance in my life as Kung Fu has become a big part of the equation. I also must say that my loving wife and children play a huge role in my life. They keep me grounded and focused on what is most important in my life and that is my family.

Lost......balance.....

2010-08-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Here I am sitting in my hotel room in Calgary at 12:45 am and I am reflecting on how I have lost my way in Kung Fu. I have not been able to attend many classes lately as I have been called away on business for most of August. This has been an important time for me in my work life but my personal life and my kung fu life has suffered. There is an empty spot in my life right now and it is a result of my not being able to attend my classes. Kung Fu has become a really big parft of my life and it is hard to explain to anyone that is not involved in martial arts........ I really don't know how to expalin it other that it gives me balance in a very hectic world. I am very busy trying to balance my work life with my personal life and my kung fu life and it is not easy at all. For the past three months I have fully dedicated myself to kung fu and managed to balance my life. Recently my work has taken over my life and everything is out of balance.

I need to get it back into balance and Sifu Brinker and all the other Sifu's have helped keep the balance in the past. Sifu Brinker has said balance is sooooo important in life but it is so hard to achieve and I am really struggling to keep it all in check.......

I am spending the next three days in Calgary but I hope to get back to classes this week and get thinks back into balance and get my training started again......

Ian
Student of Kung Fu
Silent River Kung Fu