I’m feeling very vulnerable today. This feeling dovetails well with a conversation I had with one of my swordplay students last night. In the conversation my student and I talked about dealing with nerves in tournament and performance environments. I told him that I still get nervous when I compete, even though I have competed hundreds of times. I still Read More …
Be careful where you put your energy. Where you put your attention is what grows. If you allow yourself to spend too much time dwelling in a bad place you may find that the outcome is steered toward what you most fear might occur. It’s easy to let our mind get caught into negative paths of thinking. Someone has wronged Read More …
Alright feeling and expressing emotions [link] is great but what do I do if as soon as I say how I feel the other person explodes? Emotions can be like dynamite. Useful in industry but highly dangerous for children. Most of us are still children when it comes to emotions and like children to act responsibly we need structure. If Read More …
What does it mean to live with Integrity? A ship has integrity when its hull is sound, its ballast is even, all of its parts are in alignment. It is buoyant and runs smoothly in the water. I think of my own integrity being the alignment of my thoughts, words, and deeds. It is looking at my life thoughtfully and Read More …
It’s easy in learning to live in a space that moves between the lesson and the performance and thus never truly explore and internalize technique. The dance floor is not the environment that is conducive to building foundational ownership of technique. You need somewhere that is open to active dialog with yourself and your partner. In a few weeks time Read More …
I don’t hope for the things that I truly want to manifest in my life; I strive for them, work toward them, create them. I don’t hope for them. Does hope serve me? I don’t think it does. I’m a bigger fan of self-belief. Hope is more fragile, less resilient. Hope says “Maybe if fate allows. If the universe likes Read More …
Last week Academie Duello and I participated in an event for Anti-Bullying day. This day happens on February 26th and focuses on bringing awareness to the challenges of bullying. The event at Academie Duello surrounded a book launch of a young adult novel called Verity which has anti-bullying themes and featured several speakers as well as readings from the authour. Read More …
Last month I was honoured to be a speaker at Pecha Kucha Vancouver. Pecha Kucha, for those who are unfamiliar with it, is a speaking night focused on people and inspiration that follows a very focused format. You have 20 slides, each displayed for 20 seconds. The slides move whether you do or not, so you have to keep your Read More …
“I made a stupid decision today — everything worked out ok — but it nearly got me really hurt.” This is the best kind of stupid decision. You get the benefit of all of the learning without any of the consequence. A saying I have often enjoyed is: To avoid bad judgment you need wisdom. To gain wisdom you need Read More …
In Chinese medicine one aspect of health is related to your comfort or lack of comfort with your process for making decisions. I learned this from a student who is a Chinese medicine practitioner and found the concept rather interesting. I loved the idea that your lack of health wouldn’t be with a specific method of decision making but instead Read More …