Routine, Reflection, and Readiness
As we slide into week two of isolation and / or social distancing it is beginning to feel like a new kind of normal and I am sure that I am not the only one who has slipped into a new routine that is making my ‘normal’ day to day …
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The Best Anti-Anxiety Medication
It’s day three of what seems to be the new – temporary – lifestyle that we are all getting accustomed to. Actually I’m spending my days teaching, training, working on my laptop, walking the dog, eating, chatting with family and friends – pretty much the same as normal. Except …
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Kung Fu Beats Coronavirus
As a martial artist we spend a great proportion of our lives putting our bodies as well as our minds into uncomfortable situations and positions. Take my favourite exercise for example, the low horse stance (those who know me will not be surprised!). It’s the perfect example of physical …
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Jack Kerouac, Toilet Paper, and Finding Your Purpose
I haven’t written a series of blog posts for a while, the last time was whilst I was in China last summer. I was expecting to do something a little similar this summer coming but you know what they say about the best laid plans. So here we are, …
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Tick Tock Tick Tock
I really don’t like the sound of a ticking clock, I find it incredibly irritating and (as happened in my kitchen this morning as I had previously been enjoying a coffee) my conscious thoughts and the tick tock tick tock became synchronised and I swear it became louder with each …
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When things don’t go to plan…
I know of quite a few people going through a hard time at the moment – personally, and/or professionally – and life’s crueler events often seems to happen at this time of year, when in my part of the world at least, it’s grey, damp, and generally a bit miserable …
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Benefits of Martial Arts Weapons Training
There comes a point in the training life of every traditional martial artist when the shiny glint of a blade catches their eye and lures them into the temptation of training with traditional weapons. For me, it began with the ‘jian’, more commonly known on these shores as a Chinese …
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Just get started…
This week’s theme is all about how to get yourself started on a task, instead of delaying, and I have to admit that I don’t have anything other than a general topic for this blog post as yet. So, I’m just starting… One thing that I like to do sometimes …
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Dealing with Stress in the Workplace
I’m lucky enough to be able to work for myself now but I spent the best part of 20 years in a corporate career. Whilst I didn’t always feel that way, many times over the near two decades people would frequently comment on how un-stressed I was at work. My …
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How does an undisciplined person become a martial arts instructor?
I was asked a question recently related to disciple, and how I’d managed to become a martial arts instructor, when as a person I’ve often had a downright disdain for discipline (school!) and have often been one to (at least sometimes metaphorically) stick two fingers up to authority figures. Admittedly, …
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