Being sick has some advantages, I suppose. It forces you to put the brakes on and re-evaluate where you've been, what you've done, where you're headed, and how you're going about it.
Sometimes, I let the excitement of living my life get the best of me, and I run myself a bit ragged. Maybe it goes back to all those years living under the roof of a Chinese mother... hearing constantly about how the other kids are working harder, getting better grades, achieving more athletically, have more friends, until later it turns into stuff like getting better jobs, marrying someone from a more prominent family, making more money, etc., etc., etc.
Thank God that it's not like that these days with my Mom, but I guess some of that is still hard-wired into me. I remember hearing my Mom talk with great esteem about my Chinese godbrother and how he was such a stud in social & athletic circles and how he went on to work internationally and fly here & there and jet-setted around Asia for a living. He even married a Hong Kong starlet in a posh ceremony in Thailand.
So what do I find myself doing now, even when the stimulus is gone?
Making lots of friends, doing elite martial arts & kettlebell training, practicing and teaching Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), flying all over creation to do these things, and making damn good money in the process.
So what's the problem?
There's no real problem per se, but it may be time for me to re-evaluate what my goals in life are. Talking with one of my former students from the UCLA Kung-Fu days, I realize that so much of what we spend our energies on these days revolves around our kids. Family's undeniably important. And no matter how successful someone is professionally, the public always wants to know about their inner personal life.
How you live your family life defines you. How you treat those who are closest to you speaks volumes about who you really are. And what you do to nourish the good points and weed out the bad points in your family life decides TONS about how the rest of your life will turn out.
So while I've been saying it for a long time, I'm going to be forcing myself to nourish the good and weed out the bad with my own family. That's priority #1.
What comes after that? My own health, and it's actually a tie rather than a subordination.
And what's involved in my understanding of health? - the triduum of mind, body, and spirit.
Mind:
- 1. More focused study of Gray Cook's FMS technologies
- 2. More diligent research into optimizing business practices
- 3. More disciplined review of Pavel's extensive writings & the RKC system
Body:
- 1. Optimizing athletic fitness (getting back into prime fighting shape through a combination of MA & RKC kettlebell training methods)
- 2. Learning & internalizing new neurological combative skill sets: Combat Shuai-Chiao, BJJ, & both traditional & non-classical standup MA
- 3. Eating more cleanly
Spirit:
- 1. More family-nourishing time
- 2. Regular endurance training
- 3. Focusing more energy on nourishing those who themselves nourish the social synergy that is needed to succeed
Let's see how much of that I can accomplish for the remainder of 2008!
6 comments:
Sounds like a good plan Doc. Get well and enjoy time with the family. IMO, time is the most valuable thing you can give family, and it's ALL quality time.
I have to laugh because bragging about relatives' kids and complaining about how lazy your own kids are seems to be a VERY common Asian-thing. If I ever want to feel lazy, I just remember my grandparents (don't get me wrong - I loved them like crazy but...).
Mark,
No better plan. The looking after yourself part is so important. That is where the strength to look after others comes from.
Sounds like your head and heart are in dialogue. No better place to be. When they talk we can handle lifes pain. When they don't, that's when we suffer.
What we want and what we need are sometimes two different things. I think life is about getting those in sync. No better time.
Much love to you and yours.
Catch you later Hombre.
Rannoch
In the quest for more of this and that I am reminded of the fact that there is perfection in imperfection and that no matter how much knowledge I seek to acquire it is the use of that which I have already at my disposal that creates the wisdom.
Doc, keep up the awareness/consciousness, it is wonderful to see you evaluating and planning.
Sustainability is a key factor for me as a human walking this beautiful planet
Boris, you hit the nail right on the head. I figured if anyone in the RKC clan knew what the heck I was talking about, it'd be you & Matsushita-san.
Brother Rannoch, I miss you & Scotland, and I'm looking forward to being back there.
Joe, thanks for your kind words. As much as possible, I try to live my life predicated on 4 words - Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute. So in that sense, there is no life without awareness.
Awesome Doc, I dig the words you choose to live by, fascinating to learn about you on this level, very insightful
PS: thank you for your response to my 12 commandments Post. We will be in touch and please pass on my hello to Adam and Dr. Jeff
Mark,
Solid goals, solid game plan. I have to admit that many of you goals I would have to say are very similar to mine. It is refreshing to see how reflective and introspective you are at examining your life and your motives!
I can for sure relate to the wanting more family time as a new dad myself.
Awesome, purely awesome stuff in store for all of us!!
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