My construction work came to a halt (whether momentary or long term is yet to be determined), and so again I find myself at home passing the time with a wide variety of activities. I’m spending lots of time on the computer and am trying to be productive - have organised a few upcoming gradings and events for the school which is good. I have an AGM and bunch of tasks to complete for that committee yet am not finding myself tremendously motivated since I lack much moral support in that department. I have used the free time to catch up with a variety of good friends, Michelle (and baby Sean) who I went to uni with, Webb who I sing with and even caught up with Ian who unfortunately is succumbing to his cancer. Great to see him but sad to be given a bunch of stuff as he doesn’t have need for anymore.

2 out of the blue teaching engagements this week. An acting class tonight specialising in clowning although I have given them a lot of my repertoire already. Hmm, will try to recap and expand on said material I suppose. Tomorrow I have an early start to get to Beaudesert to teach a primary class some Medieval swordplay. Wish I had that option as a kid! Usually goes quite well and since I’m down that way, I’ll drop in and visit Viv on the way back. Maybe I can drop off the bike and pick up the posters while I’m southside?

Enjoyed a singing lesson this morning - first since the concert. It was good to pul out and go over some older material. have to create a repertoire for my “Special” group concert on 12th September. Being the featured artist I’ll have to have songs from my two recent groups, Dimensions13 and Folk Ensemble, as well as about 4 solos. So choosing which songs I want to sing so I can specie them up. For solos I’m thinking “Easy like Sunday Morning” by Lionel Richie, “Forever Autumn” from “War of the Worlds”, “Ave Maria” (Beyonces recent version), and “Lady in Red” by Chris Burgh. Bit of variety there! I even watched the movie “Lady in Red” but it was entirely unrelated.

Finally managed to upoad my acro photos onto Facebook. Hopefully I can add some videos shortly too. Miss out tomorrow night but start again on Sat. I’ve been watching my Cirque du Soleil DVDS and getting some ideas!!

At 99 degrees, water is hot.

At 100 degrees, it boils.

And with boiling water, comes steam.

And steam can power a locomotive.

One extra degree makes all the difference

And, that one extra degree of effort, whether in business or in life

separates the good from the great.

Kop Kopmeyer authored many books on success and is often asked “Of all the one thousand success principles that you have discovered, which do you think is the most important?”

He replied without hesitating, “The most important success principle of all was stated by Thomas Huxley many years ago. He said, ‘Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.‘”
He went on to say, “There are 999 other success principles that I have found in my reading and experience, bu

t without self-discipline, none of them work.”
Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness. It is the magic quality that opens all doors for you, and makes everything else possible. With self-discipline, the average person can rise as far and as fast as his talents and intelligence can take him. But without self-discipline, a person with every blessing of background, education and opportunity will seldom rise above mediocrity.

The above two articles got me thinking and so……

So how can we develop or improve our self-discipline? One way is to prevent regular detrimental procrastination (acknowledging that sometimes procrastination is needed and useful!).  How often do we put off

unpleasant tasks even if they are more important than other simpler more enjoyable tasks. I know I do all the time! So here is the challenge - out of all the tasks you set yourself, choos

e the ‘worst’ one and do it first. You know which one. It’s the one that will take the longest or is the most complicated, or most unpleasant. But doing it first will often remove a burden from your shoulders and give you the impetus to then tackle all the remaining (easier) tasks. I’ve tried this myself and it works a treat. just have to do it enough enough so it becomes a habit!

I’m pleased to say that I finally have my ‘new’ broadband established. Suffice to say, had I known the difficulties with Naked ADSL I wouldn’t have bothered. Perhaps I should thank TPG and Telstra for testing various virtues that I’ve written about!

I’m still on “holidays” meaning I’m in betwen work projects at the moment. I’m hoping that the Airport Tunnel Link will start soon. Else I’ll have to wait till September for a busway project at West End. Meanwhile, I can put some time into my school, some creative projects (acting, fight directing, singing) and keep an eye out for a potential date.   ;-)    Actually I had an acting gig lined up for today but it was unfortunately cancelled at the last minute. I was to be a pregnant man as a gimmick handing out flyers at the baby expo! A la Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Junior”.

Last night after visiting friends, I participated in a singing Masterclass. Great experience to give feedback on others and see the improvement and also to receive feedback on what I did. It’s surprising what they see and hear that you don’t yourself expect.

Next week I will be finishing off my motorbike license and looking at getting a bike. I know it’s more dangerous but I figure I’m sensible enough and it’ll be much more convenient and economical. And I’ll look great in leathers! This is a bike I’m looking at maybe getting.

Only 2 weeks till my marathon attempt! I really should have done about 50 times more preparation but oh well, I’ll see how I go. I’m not out to break any records though I’m gonna take it easy. (well, as easy as 42km can be!)

Sad news this week with one my schools instructors heading into the last stage of his terminal cancer. I always think how sad it is when people reach that stage and find so many of their ‘friends’ unwilling to share that stage. The friends discomfort seems to outweigh the patients need for comfort and company. Of course it’s unpleasant to go through it but I don’t think you can give a person a more meaningful gift than your time and thoughts in such a traumatic time. I’ll be visiting Sifu Ian later this week  and will pass on any messages?

An unexpected day off means I can do a bit of bludging, a bit of tidying up and a bit of work on the computer. I’m currently uploading some video clips  onto my Facebook Fan pages. It’s gonna take a few hours though!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brisbane-Kung-Fu/71502368862?v=wall&viewas=673521198

Chat soon!

Sifu Jace

Being accountable and showing responsibility demonstrates that your actions can be trusted. Responsibility is highly valued in both business and personal relationships.

To practise responsibility, when you agree to do something, honour that agreement by doing it and as best you can. If you do not want to do something, honour yourself by saying no. Sometimes accepting responsibility can mean extra training or hard work to carry it out.

Taking on responsibility separates you from the sheep majority. It can be a selfless or selfish choice depending on your motivations but either way, once  accepted try to do it well.

“I must do something” always solves more problems than “Something must be done.”   ~  Author Unknown

“First we make our habits, then our habits make us.”                                                                ~ Charles C. Noble

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons,or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.”                                                    ~ Jim Rohn

“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.”                ~ Martin Luther

“Responsibility is the price of greatness.”                                                                                       ~ Winston Churchill

I saw this article recently and thought it was a remarkable example of perspective and positive attitude! If only we all could view the world this way - it would be an amazing place! Still if we all do a little bit, surely we can make a difference?

I am thankful for:-

· The taxes I pay because it means I am employed.

· The clothes that fit a little too snugly because it means I have more than enough to eat.

· The lawn that needs mowing, or the windows that need cleaning, because it means that I have a home.

· The spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.

· My large heating and cooking bills, because it means that I am always comfortable.

· The lady behind me on the bus who sings off key to her personal stereo, because it means that I can hear.

· The alarm that wakes in the early morning, because it means that I am alive.

Are you a person who is often depressed or negative? Imagine if you could turn around your thoughts to have the perception like these. How much better would life quickly become?

Now, let’s see… Telstra and TPG are blaming each other for the newly added 2 week delay (after already 8 weeks! Grrr!) on my broadband set up. How can I turn that perception around? Hmm… well,  no fees while it’s not working I suppose. Gives me something to look forward to. The opportunity to have it at all when 80%+ of the world couldn’t have it. You know what? I actually feel better about it!  

Patience is enduring a delay or troublesome situation without complaining. When you are patient you remain calm and tolerant when difficult things happen. When you are impatient your irritability doesn’t hurry things along, in fact it just makes people feel uncomfortable.

Accept that some things take time. Acceptance will help you to feel peaceful as you are waiting. Be gentle with yourself and others when you make a mistake. Mistakes only mean that you are still learning. As long as remain learning you are a developing human being and you are planting the seeds of success.

You know you are patient when:

· You remain calm during an inevitable delay

· You create goals for yourself and see them through

· You are gentle with others and yourself when you make a mistake

· You have faith that things will turn out alright in the end.

I like this Chinese quote:

If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.

Don’t Worry , Be Happy!!

Sifu

The project was an absolute gift. Being at a low point not felt in many years I wasn’t exactly flying high in the confidence stakes even if it wasn’t particularly obvious to those around me (still got those acting skills).  The gift was looking at my journey (from conception! to now) and the transformations I had gone through. If anyone is interested I’m considering transcribing my talk into written form.

Anyhow, taking the time to see how far I have come and what I’ve already persevered through and accomplished made me feel pretty good again. Plus the fact I haven’t thrown myself in the deep end for a while so it was great to challenge myself. As I said in the talk, if you tackle a challenge and give it a good shot you’ll feel good about it and get a buzz.

So a good weekend in all. Went to the rellies on Saturday night and found some more family tree research. So many skeletons!  So far we’ve come across adoptions, bigamy, homosexuality, incest, abuse, mental illness, refugeees, POW’s, and more. Fascinating stuff and we’re only 5% in! Sunday was a good day too. Took a friend Zorbing (rolling down a hill inside a water filled clear rubber ball) just like the coke ad in the 80’s. Great fun - followed by strawberry ice creams, Yatala pies, rock climbing, ping pong and fish and chips by the beach! An awesome active day, with variety and great company.  And the whole time being updated with the continuing successes of my students at the NAS tournament. 5 Competitors and 6 trophies brought home. I’m very proud of them all.

Have just sorted through over a thousand photos and decided to create a gallery. The new website will be the obvious place to do that in full. Meanwhile, I’ll put some up on the forum and I’m considering doing a Facebook profile for the school as well. Check my profile for the link. Actually, here it is -http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=74262&id=71502368862&l=0932500591

If you click on the photos they come up in full.

Being honest is being sincere, open trustworthy and truthful. When people are honest, they can be relied on not to lie, cheat or steal. If they tell you something, you know they mean it.

With honesty you can count on your friends, family, classmates, colleagues and they can count on you. Honesty means not exaggerating something just to impress others.

Honesty is telling the truth no matter what, even it means disappointing someone. Being honest means you don’t make false promises. You do what you said you’d do. Your actions match your words. Integrity!

Honesty brings an element of trust and security to your relationships and to your life. Telling the truth and living your life honestly isn’t always easy and requires a lot of courage, but will bring you greater rewards in your personal and professional life.

• Admit your mistakes
• Keep your promises
• Say what you mean
• Mean what you say
• Tell the truth tactfully
• Refuse to lie or cheat
• Refuse to steal

What virtue do you want next?

Be honest     

A lie has speed, but truth has endurance.  ~Edgar J. Mohn

We tell lies when we are afraid… afraid of what we don’t know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us.  But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger.  ~Tad Williams

Some people will not tolerate such emotional honesty in communication.  They would rather defend their dishonesty on the grounds that it might hurt others.  Therefore, having rationalized their phoniness into nobility, they settle for superficial relationships.  ~Author Unknown

It takes two to lie.  One to lie and one to listen.  ~”Homer Simpson,”

My recently serviced and fixed up car broke down again, so I went and got another hire vehicle. I needed it because I was doing night shift teaching on top of my day time labouring all week - crazy long days and very little sleep. It was an absolute overload but I really enjoy teaching at this particular acting institution - QAP. The Qld Actor’s Playhouse. It’s refreshing to have students who are eager, skilled and committed and it’s a reflection on the staff and the schoo as a whole. I just hope next time i get more than a couple of days notice before getting called in!

So then my hire vehicle broke down. (Well - a flat battery thanks to someone sticky beaking and leaving an interior light on). If that was all I would have smiled and moved on but THEN I picked up my car from the mechanics -suposedly fixed - and broke down on Hale St in peak hour. I must have run over a black cat recently or something. Anyway, did a self repair job on the radiator and some hoses, managed to make it home and took it back to the mechanics the next day.  Their response? Dunno. “Must have been an air bubble - seems alright now but?” So I left frustrated and not too confident - however so far no further problems so fingers crossed.

Had a good acro class on the weekend. Can’t wait to get good photos of the new balances we have. It’s challenging, a work out and rewarding to do the hard postures we do!

I’m looking forward to returning to singing lessons next week. Priority is the 3 duets I’m singing next weekend for a friends recital and then I want to start some new material. “November Rain”, “Hymn to Her” (with lyric tweaks), “Easy” are next on the list.

After such a big week I wouldn’t be upset to have a couple of days off due to rain. Plenty to do at home including rearranging the house.

I’ve also agreed to teach every night this week which is little ridiculous considering I’m working 13 hours each day already. But it is just a once off week teaching at the Qld Actors Playhouse. Great students - last week’s were very receptive which makes my job as teacher so much easier and more satisfying. I’ll be looking forward to a sleep in come next week!

Meanwhile, leaving work early today for a dentist and optometrist appointment before going home to help pack!

for the lack of anything interesting to say about myself today, here’s what  some others think. Makes me blush!

The weekend of the 7th & 8th March saw our Zen Chi Ryu Dojo host a Tai Chi Seminar with guest instructor Sifu Jason King.  Planning for this seminar began in the latter stages of 2008 and early 2009 when initial contact was made with Jason after an extensive Web search.  Jason was very approachable and keen to share his martial arts experience with our Dojo and so the date was settled and preparations began in earnest.

My interest in Tai Chi goes back a long way and its elegant and graceful moves coupled with the proven health benefits for mind, body and spirit enticed me to learn more.  I had participated in a series of Tai Chi Workshops in 2006, during which we were taught a ‘form’ and I thoroughly enjoyed that learning experience and believe that it complimented my growing knowledge base of the Martial Arts and Zen Chi Ryu in particular.

My previous experience was in an all female class with a female instructor and there seemed to be a calmness and serenity about the group. This weekend just passed, I thoroughly enjoyed working through this seminar with a number of males of varying ages including teenagers who gave the group a different energy and vibe whilst maintaining the calmness and focus.

When organising this seminar, I had no set expectations, but rather wanted to immerse myself and others in the experience.  We left it up to Jason to decide what he wanted to share with our group of novices and he delivered over and above expectations.  I found Jason to be very open, caring and passionate about his craft. He is eager to share and is a kind and patient instructor.

Jason allowed us to experience a number of building blocks of Tai Chi including the importance of warming up the body; the importance of stretching prior to exercise as well as stretching to increase flexibility.  We experienced and practiced Abdominal Breathing Exercises; Qi Gong Meditation; Sixth Sense Awakening; Tai Chi Applications in self defence as well as learning of the links between Tai Chi and Kung Fu.  The younger males in the group asked if Jason could perform a Kung Fu Kata for them and he did not disappoint.  He was lightening fast in his moves; powerful in the execution of strikes and kicks; athletic in his performance of jumps and rolls and extremely flexible in his deep stances…..Wow!!!

Woven throughout the weekend was the teaching of the 13th Form (Kata).  On the last day, we asked Sifu Jason to perform this Form so that we all had an idea of what it should look like when done by a person of his experience.  Jason was mesmerizing.  He moved through the eight directions of the form with poise and grace and we were all left wanting more.  It is now up to us to practice this Form to the best of our ability to ensure that upon Jason’s return, we might look even a fraction as elegant and graceful as he did.

It is testament to Jason’s interpersonal and teaching skills, that when parents began to arrive to pick up their teens, none of us had any idea that time had passed so quickly, leaving us with a thirst for more.  Jason is keen to return to Gladstone to continue where he left off and we are arranging another weekend mid year, which we are all eagerly anticipating.

On a personal note, I enjoyed the weekend immensely.  Jason was welcomed into our home and our circle of close friends and it was great to get to know him and share stories and experiences about martial arts and life in general. - Sempai Kate Reilly

Such kind words. I look forward to returning in August!

Zen Chi Ryu were great hosts and provided about 16 participants for the Tai Ji workshop. Whole new world for many of them but they embraced it all with an open mind. I look forward to returning in August. The impending cyclone had everyone on high alert and steps were taken to prepare for a posssible hit. Everything outside put well away, food, radios, torches and batteries stocked up on. I was flying out just ahead of it so I was only expecting a fast flight back to Brisbane! Had another alert over the Sat night. Police knocking on our front door at 3am saying prepare to evacuate - there was a house fire a couple of properties away and there were concerns about gas bottles etc. In the end we were fine to stay but when I checked the place out the next day, there was nothing but a shell left. Maybe they’ll rethink inviting me up there again?

Cyclone resulted in wet weather here in Brisbane and as a result I’ve had a few days off work. Caught up on several tasks and even had an induction for this next project I’m applying for. The Airport Link/Northern Busway is 2-4 years potential work which would be great to be included on going into this financial/employment crisis.

If I have tomorrow off I’ll try to catch up with a few people and continue with my committee tasks!

To finish have a think about this quote from Michael Jordan. He puts into personal context the saying if at first you don’t succeed, try try, again.

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”
- Michael Jordan

Failing helps you succeed, as long as you continue to try. And it helps if you learn something from the failure as well. So don’t be afraid to fail. failing is only ‘bad’ if you you don’t try in the first place, or if you give up!

A. Be seen to be constantly working and not bludging (like many around me). Hopefully they’ll be let off before I am.

B. Be proactive about other projects. I have signed up for an induction on the Airport Link Tunnel which starts later this month. Unfortunately, I’m competing against a lot of guys and I don’t have the expoerience or know someone to get me in.

C. My boss finished up this week and is going to a project at West End/Stones Corner. If I can hang on for a month or two, maybe he can get me in on that job. He’s already mentioned a caretaker position which would suit me to the ground. Especialy if it’s night shift!

But if all fails, I can get by for a while so I shan’t stress.

I’m off to Gladstone this weekend to teach TaiJi at a Freestyle karate School. Flying up Sat morning, teach sat afternoon, sun morning and fly back sun night. Should be fun. Then in May I have a big trip to Perth planned. A few people to catch up and plenty of time to check the place out.

I’m working on a few duets with my mate Webb at the moment. We’ve been invited to sing at a mutual friend’s recital in a few weeks. Vincent (Dom Maclean), Forever Autumn (from “War of the Worlds”), and Senza Una Donna (Paul Young and Zucchero). Then I’m looking forward to starting fresh with some new solo material. Any suggestions?

Two students competed last week and did very well Karen and Marc both represented the school and were skilled enough to bring home awards. Makes me happy! Trophies number 387, 388, 389! Who will get 400!

My $360 - $550 repairs to my radiator ended up costing $1300+!!!! Not happy but at least the van’s not overheating now!

I’m gone for a couple of days, so Sun /Mon I’l tell you about the exciting township of Gladstone! 

SELF-DISCIPLINE

Discipline means order. Self-discipline means self-order. With self-order you bring order into your life. You decide what order you would like in your life and then you work towards achieving it. Without self-discipline your life can float along without meaning and purpose. You then risk feeling depressed and apathetic or chaotic and pressured. There are still times for being carefree and you still need to be flexible and open to change; the difference is that with self-discipline you take control of your destiny.

Practise self-discipline to take charge of your life. Decide what direction your taking and set about doing the work to make sure it happens. Decide what to do with your emotions. Think before you act. Sometimes emotions are so strong they cloud our judgement.

Practise self-discipline by thinking about what you want to do. Create a plan to do it. Break your goal down into smaller goals and give yourself realistic timeframes to do them in. Follow a routine to allow it to happen. Then don’t give up. After a while your routine will become second nature and your plan will be underway. You will end up with more confidence knowing you can achieve what you set your mind to. This will lead to greater freedom and taking charge of your destiny.

To sum up:

- don’t procrastinate

- make a step by step plan to

follow

-when making decisions detach

or consider emotions

- get things done on time.

I choose to live by choice, not by chance.

I choose to make changes, not excuses.

I choose to be motivated, not manipulated.

I choose to be useful, not used.

I choose self-esteem, not pity.

I choose to listen to my inner voice,

not the random opinions of crowds.

Alexandra Starr

Just thought I’d share a maxim that I try to live by. It sits on the wall above my desk!

By practising confidence you are willing to try new things knowing that you will learn even if you make mistakes. Being confident means believing in yourself even if nobody else does.

You don’t have to wait until you know something before feeling confident. You can feel confident first, and then know that you will always get better and better at something. Feeling confident in your abilities opens up every opportunity for you. It means being able to step into the unknown. It means achieving your goals and being successful. Being self confident is the first step to a happy and successful life.

Try new things and feel good about it. Be gentle with yourself. Understand that you are here to learn and making mistakes is a natural process of learning. Understand your strengths and weaknesses but rather than using them to hold you back, use them to push yourself forward.

Scientific research has shown that a person who doesn’t appear confident is far more likely to be the victim of an assault than someone showing strength and purpose. So if you’re bullied or walked over at school or work, or don’t feel safe walking down the street at night, you can reduce the chance of victimisation by appearing to be confident. Walk with a purpose, your shoulders back, head held high.

The exciting thing is, if your physical body at least looks confident, you can ‘trick’ your brain into believing it is confident because the brain associates that positive body language with a strength of mind. I have used this tool constantly as a teacher , competitor and performer and can vouch for it working!!

Our Community has packaged up in one place all the various ways people can help out and give to people affected by the Victorian bushfires through our Giving Centre - which is proudly supported by our alliance partner Westpac Bank.

The page describes where to:

• Donate Money (Online, at Banks & Australia Post Offices);
• Donate Time;
• Donate Blood;
• Donate Clothes or Furniture;
• Donate Blankets;
• Help Animals;
• and more.

The page is at www.ourcommunity.com.au/bushfirehelp

This is a one-stop-shop to help out individuals and workplaces who want to contribute to the emergency and recovery efforts. Please feel free to place the link on your own websites etc and spread the word. If you would like an image for your own page you can find some downloadable images here: www.ourcommunity.com.au/bushfirehelpimages

Best regards,

The Our Community Team

http://www.maniacworld.com/are-you-going-to-finish-strong.html