The 10%

The last few weeks have been challenging and stressful, and not just because I'm training for my second degree black belt. For the kids, I'd compare this kind of stress to the end of a term at school...paper deadlines creeping up, presentations to prepare, season championships on the line...etc. I've already shared about a few things: block party, taking on the responsibilities of one of my employees while she's on maternity leave, hiring for a manager position and planning for the transition of one manager to another position, 2012 budget process is starting, the end of the Dare to Dream Test, and this darn ankle situation.

Well, life definitely does not slow down when you're feeling stressed, and you have to learn to deal with multiple on-going situations that require a large amount of focus, planning, analysis, critical thinking, problem solving, and making very difficult decisions.

What I haven't mentioned before is that my friend of 12 years was an internal candidate for the manager position that we were hiring for...and that position reports to me. I spent many days and sleepless nights thinking about this situation, and my friendship. The hiring decision was not solely mine, but was a committee decision, and my friend did not get the position. The person we hired was more qualified and had more experience, yet this experience definitely had a toll on my stress level and my friendship.

When I think about the past month, and all that has happened, I am impressed with myself and how calm and focused i have been able to remain overall. I feel like I owe this to my training as a black belt at Aim High. "Life is 10% what happens, and 90% how you react to it." I honestly find myself repeating this statement more and more...it's become an affirmation.

Because of my training as a black belt, and my dedication to maintaining control of my thoughts and actions, I know I will get through everything that is happening right now with a positive outlook on life and the things to come.

Training Partners.

Does anyone have a training parter OUTSIDE of Aim High? I do. I have a friend whose name is blake, and he is always one step better than me. He always pushes me to go harder i sure hope i do the same for him. Having a training partner is good in any situation. Training partners always push you to do your best in everything.

Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. ~Robert Schuller

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. ~William Feather

More Quotes.

As I sure hope a lot of you have seen, i like to add quotes to the end of all my journals. Here are some more that i really like.

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. ~Author Unknown

Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there. ~Josh Billings

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer. ~Albert Einstein


Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. ~Walter Elliott, The Spiritual Life


People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them. ~G.B. Shaw, Mrs. Warren's Profession, 1893


There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream. ~Author Unknown

You learn you can do your best even when it's hard, even when you're tired and maybe hurting a little bit. It feels good to show some courage. ~Joe Namath

I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday. ~Author Unknown

I broke a brick!

I broke a brick. It hurt. I just needed to power through it and not stop. My hand really stung and felt stiff after I broke my brick. I was really nervous before I broke my brick. I didn`t really feel stick to my stomach, but was just nervous.I felt really great after i broke my brick because it was done and over with. Im really glad I was able to do something like that.

When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
~Author Unknown

The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground. ~Author Unknown

Fall seven times, stand up eight. ~Japanese Proverb

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. ~Newt Gingrich

qoute

it's funny how i always gauge my workouts on how sweaty i am and how i feel....  the below quote always reminds me of why i push myself the way i do....


"The true vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when no one is looking."
- Mia Hamm

From CGN Sarah

I wanted to thank CGN Chris for organizing the trip to the food bank. I had so much fun and I want to do it again sometime. I think that it was a great way to bond even more with our fellow testers. I feel like the team has grown so closer in the last couple months than I could have ever imagined. We’ve bled, cried, and sweat on each other. We’ve run with each other, kicked each other, and grappled the snot out of each other. But most importantly, we’ve stuck together no matter what. I can’t imagine testing with a better group of people. Our team mates are our family now and I wanted to thank all of you for always being there for me.

CGN Sarah

Block Party

Catching up on my Journals:
The block party was fun. It was interesting to see all the people there, and to be able to help set up. One of my favorite parts was helping in the fishing game and attaching prizes to the fishing poles. I think the demo team did a great job on their performance. We were able to ad-lib so we could time things perfectly.

~ A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm. ~ I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. ~

Oregon Food Bank.

Hi everyone. For those of you that went, I hope you had a memeorable time t the Oregon Food Bank, and would want to do something like that again. After the first time I went to the OBF, I decided i wanted to do the same thing with you guys. So I planned and schemed untill it was time to go. I had a lot of fun planning it too, and i really hope you guys had fun helping out.
Each person in our group helped to feed a lot of people.
Frozen Bean Room: 120 people fed per person
Potato/Tomato Room: 232 people fed per person.

~ In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it. ~

ugh...

My ankle is swollen, bruised, and still in pain. I have a blister on my right heel from wearing that stupid fiberglass splint. My right knee is sore from having to wear the clunky black boot. Some of the fingers on my right hand have been numb for a couple days...most likely from using the crutches. I'm working both days this weekend. And, I'm just plain old tired.

Okay, now that all of that complaining is out of the way, let me tell you about the good parts of my day. I crutched a 1/4 mile (my arms were burning!) with CGN Jenalyn keeping me company, and even challenged Hunter to try and finish his mile before I finished my quarter mile...which he did. :) I improved on my push-ups, sit-ups, plank, and hang-time. Enjoyed a delicious pancake breakfast provided by the Hoskins family and enjoy the company of the DTD team on a relaxed level (one of my favorite things to do). I got to watch a couple girls compete at the Stargazer Meet today who I taught when they were five years old...and sit and chat with their moms for a while. And, I took a nap on the couch with my ankle up on a bunch of pillows.

All-in-all, I think today was a balanced day. I little bit of challenge to overcome with positive thoughts.

State Management is controlling the way you think, feel, behave, and perform. There are two things that control your state of mind; your physiology and your mental interpretations. Change the way you think, and you will change the way you act. (might be a little off, but you get the point) :o)

Hope everyone is working to maintain a positive attitude. We're almost there...

Block party

This week at the block party I was sad that I didn’t break my last board. I broke it the same way I tried three days before, when I broke it. I was very unhappy. But I got happier after I did the demo performance. Good Job Everybody.

4th Monday again

Hi guys - it's early and I know I will see you all Saturday but Monday it is my board meeting again. So I won't be in class.....train hard! :-)

So much to do, so little time :)

K, so it seems like everyone is ahead of me on numbers. I'll have the sit-ups, etc all done by testing time, but I'm afraid I'm going to forget things. :) Saturday trainings always knot my stomach up. I'm afraid I'll oversleep, so I set two alarm clocks... How sad is that? I'm stressing over conditioning day and pretty much everything else. We won't even go into my stress level when it comes to brick breaking (but Jessica's going to work w/me on that, thank you Jessica!)

When testing is done and I have my belt in my hands, I'm going to get a massage, a pedicure, go out to a theater to see a movie, go to the coast, sleep in, fold all of my laundry and plan a real vacation for my family. Then I want to go to class, hit things, kick things and even break things. But this time, with no pressure. Oh, and then we get the blue gi tops so we don't look like Stay-Puft marshmallow people. ;) I look better in blue & black anyhow. Heh Heh!

Knowledge

So monday night bsbn asked us some of the knowledge base stuff and some I knew before but i now forgot so what i need to do is practice all those and know all I need (maybe even more). But just so I get great on the stuff I need to know I will stick to that first.

saturday

Saturday was kind of a crazy, exciting and fun day for me. 

The crazy happened at belt testing. Chandler and I volunteered to help with the lil warriors and there were only four of them.  We stuck around for the jr warriors/kids and there were 12 of them... total!! KJN/BKJN had put the junior dtd black belts to work, so we stuck around again for the adults... only 4.  How crazy is that? 

It was so exciting to break our boards and bricks in front of individuals who don't see us on a regular basis (at the studio and at home).  I'm always nervous, like everyone else, and I must have a trigger inside my head that says... suck it up and do it (lol), because when I got up there, I was fine.  Now if I had to talk... that might have been a different story!  lol :D

The day ended with getting dressed up and attending the Amy Roloff charity event.  It was so much fun being a part of the AH table and having CGN Jessica there as part of the Edwards Center table.  We even got to see/visit with a parent whose son used to come to the studio!  It was so great to see Michelle! 

A Saturday of Growth

Wow, what a Saturday. I'm really happy about how everything turned out, and I feel genuinely relaxed right now. My leg is propped up on some pillows, and I'm lounging on the couch listening to some of my favorite mellow music.

Saturday morning I woke up with an expectation of how everything was going to work for the block party...and then I got a couple calls from KJN and BKJN. It was raining--we needed to figure out a plan for dealing with it. Of course, plan B for the block party in the case of rain has always been to move things inside OGA, so I already knew that was going to be fine. However, this year we had a lot of BIG things, and I wasn't sure how everything was going to work.

During my initial conversation with BKJN, the stress overwhelmed me a little, and I had to hang up with him so I could cry. I was already flustered by trying to bathe and get dressed while hobbling around on my crutches; already had the normal anxiety that comes with the responsibility of running an event; already wondering how my breaks were going to go, and the rain just had to come along and add that final straw. Like I said in my letter to next year's candidates, I'm a 30 year old woman who cries when under stress. I'm not ashamed. Once I cry, I feel better, my head is clearer, and I can move on with the task at hand.

Moving the event inside was a good decision, and the event progressed very well. There were so many helpful people--I'm trying to make a list of all the people so I don't forget to thank someone. The exhibitions were amazing! The raffles and dunk tank were more successful than previous fundraising attempts at the 2009 and 2010 block parties, and we still have sponsorship dollars left over! Both Aim High and OGA will share the funds to make gymnastics and martial arts available to kids with special needs and at-risk youth.

I am so proud of all of the DTD testers for board and brick breaking awesomeness! I surprised myself a little with the front kick...not sure if everyone could tell, but I wasn't quite sure how to position myself for that break...I felt so off-balance. I loved that so many people were watching us!

The night ended with an amazing time at the Amy Roloff charity dinner. It was great to finish a successful event and then get "dressed up" and spend the evening with great friends and some very interesting people supporting a wonderful cause.

I feel great about everything that happened yesterday. I know that if I can get through a day like yesterday and allow myself to trust others to get things done when I can't, then I have truly grown as a professional, and as a person. I owe much of this to my training as a black belt at a place like Aim High.

Now, I'd like to say that I am so glad the block party is over! :o)

From CGN Sarah

Dear 2012 Black Belt candidates,

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS. You have worked so hard to get where you are now and it’s well deserved. Coming up, you will be faced with some challenges that might make you doubt yourself and your totally awesome skills. No matter what, you must remember that if you set your mind to it, you will succeed. Your instructors would have pulled you out by now if they didn’t think you could handle the test.

During the test, you are going to have to make some sacrifices. For me, I had to give up a few soccer games and practices to attend some training. But sports aren’t the only things that are sacrificed. I had to give up a lot of time with my family and friends for my test. My friends would ask me to come over or spend the night and I repeatedly had to say that I was busy. Or my cousins were having a sleepover but I had special training the following morning so I left early. Spend all the time you can with your loved ones and make good use of your nights off.

Don’t fall behind on your numbers. Once you’re too far behind its hard to catch up and you’ll end up with tons of pushups/sit-ups/rows to crank out at the end. Try keeping a chart in you binder and fill it out after each day. Whether you had P.E. or you rode your bike to work, everything counts.

Rely on your team. They are your family for this test and they will support you no matter what. Aim High, Dream Big, and never give up.

With love and best wishes,

CGN Sarah :)

Doesn't get any better then this...

Last night we were at the Roloff dinner - separate tables for EC and AH but still with the crew from the studio. Sam, Brandy, Chelsea and I posed for our "black dress" picture and I was reminded of posing with Cheryl and Tammy for the "black belt" picture. Out of the dojo and into the world ladies.....Smokin' hot. Chelsea get ready cuz you're next! LOL ~ CGNJ

Bricks

So I broke all 3 of my boards but not my brick. I honestly thought I could, but for the wrong reason. I thought that, even though I'd never broken one before, that we'd have the instructors pretty much hovering over us telling us how to stand, how to position our hand, twist into it, hit down through it to the floor, etc. I knew all that going into it. I know how to do that with a board. But then it was just like, go for it. Seriously? Just me? Where's my support system telling me what to do? After I failed at breaking it, THEN they tell me what I did wrong. I remember thinking: 'No kidding, I know it was wrong.'

Then why did I do it wrong if I KNEW it wasn't right?

Because instead of going in with the confidence of knowing I could go through the brick, I went into it with the confidence of knowing the instructors would help us break them. That's what they've always done. I can't expect to have someone else break through the difficult things for me. I'm the one that has to do that.

However, now I'm still left with an unbroken brick. Now what? Well, tomorrow I spend my entire day mute, so I guess I can use the time to figure it out. Nothing like failing to break it in front of a hundred or so people to make you second-guess yourself. Oh well, if I can do half of the stuff we've all done so far, then it's right back to it all on Monday and pick up where we left off. Think I'm going to throw myself a 2 hr pity party complete with a consolation movie: Murder By Death.... Hilariously funny. Do I smell Nestle' Tollhouse cookies? :)

Never Give Up

The last few days, that's what I've been thinking: Never give up. Of all times for me to get an injury that interferes with my ability to stand, walk, run, etc., this is probably one of the worst times it could have happened...or one of the best.

I do have to say, the first thoughts immediately after the injury happened and I got the pain under control were angry and centered on how this is the worst thing that could happen. However, as I laid on the floor in the back office, I realized that I could either be angry, or I could have a positive attitude and work through this. While at the hospital, I was certain they were going to say "just stay off it for a couple weeks and take it easy after that until it feels better." When the two doctors came in looking serious and told me what happened, my heart did sink a little, and it took me a minute to get back in that positive state of mind. I can tell you, it is a struggle...especially with all that's going on.

The Block Party is tomorrow, I'm hiring a new manager and a new graphic design/website person at work this month, prepping for a manager to go on maternity leave (who also was assigned to bed rest recently for a short while, and I had to cover for her), getting ready for 2012 budget process, helping out more at Aim High, and oh, did I mention the Dare to Dream test?

So, how is this good for me? Well, now I have get creative with my test and figure out how things can be modified and still satisfy my requirements, ask for help and let people help me (something CGN Brandy ordered me to do), delegate more things I normally do to others and trust they will get them done, sit and let others handle things at the block party when I really want to be walking around helping, and take care of my injury properly because I know if I don't, it won't heal right, and that will affect the rest of my life. All of this requires a large amount of growth.

I see this injury as a test. How much can I adjust my perspective to keep from getting super-stressed? So far, I think I'm doing rather well. I haven't cried yet over the stress, and I feel rather calm right now. My ankle is hurting me, and my leg/foot is swollen and uncomfortable, but I think I'm managing the pain well, ignoring it most of the time, and taking ibuprofen only about once per day. I'm busy delegating at work, and I'm working with KJN and BKJN to come up with ideas to continue training and hopefully test next month.

However, I do know that there is a slight chance I will not test with everyone next month. The board/brick breaking is solved, conditioning can easily be modified, it's the curriculum that I'm most concerned about. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I don't want to give up.

My appointment at the fracture clinic is next Wednesday afternoon, and I'll find out if I need surgery or just some rest and intense physical therapy. I'll come to training that night with a full report from the visit. :0)

Hope everyone is having a good night!

whoa

one month left... it just hit me. 28 days from now or whatever the amount is I will have earned my black belt... if everything goes to plan ;)

Good luck to everyone and have a great Friday :)

Hdawg

Board breaking

So I just have to say that a sooooo love board breaking week! I love watching the little kids' faces the first time they ever break a board. I love watching the advanced belts trying to break the boards with the more difficult kicks... you know, the ones that make the moms close their eyes and pray we don't end up in the ER that night. I love watching Kjn Jeremy hold boards day after day and still being able to keep a smile on his face even after his fingers have been kicked for the 45th time that day.

Then, I just love breaking them myself... My favorite so far is using my elbow. Even the sounds on board breaking week are great.... The sound of them splitting in half and hitting the floor... The cheers of all the students & parents when someone succeeds at breaking one... especially the little pint-size warriors. There's something just really great about board breaking week that makes everyone happy. It makes you leave with a smile on your face. :)

i seriously need help...

i've always kept a log of the miles i run, as it was a way to set monthly goals for myself and to build up my distance.  i started keeping track of the situps/pushups when jake started testing with the make it happen team to help support him.  yep, i've been logging ever since 2008.  as i was updating my log from the last couple of weeks (to give bkjn my numbers), i was a little sick to my stomach as i looked at the combined total for all the years.  OMG! there is obviously something wrong with me! seriously!! i need to see a shrink! who in their right state of mind would do that to their bodies...  that's just complete torcher.  lol   ;)

Life is taking over...

So there's a few people out on vacation @ work this week and I'm finding that doing their job and my job is getting to be one stressful big job. I look forward to BB training just to get away from it all and then I find myself stressing over the next few weeks we have left to train. Not sure, but I think I need to learn how to relax. And get more mouth guards... and wash my shin guards ... and do more push-ups. Yep, it's going to be a BUSY month!

Injury

Tonight I was so struck by the risks we take each and every night in class. Not just BB training but conditioning, fit blast, board breaking etc.....Thinking about Sam at the ER, watching Taylor cradle her wrist and Hunter's foot after the round house...It was like being catapulted back to my first degree test and breaking my foot just 2 short weeks from testing day. Stinks.

Listen team....pace yourselves. Take care...stop when you need to and don't overdo it! I want to be there with each and every one of you on testing day and I don't want any of you to be sidelined because of injury! You guys are the best and you push yourselves each and every night. I totally respect that!

Sam my heart is with you this very minute. I had to write this blog so that when you log on next you will know that each and every ounce of healing energy I have is coming your way! SBN Cinda is a GREAT resource. Call her. She can coach you through. You are LOVED!

Thanks for a great class tonight Jenalyn. You are an amazing partner. Thanks Devon for the board. It really boosted my confidence to get through it on the second try. Thanks Brandy for giving up class to stay with Sam. Thanks Chandler for letting me bite your arm! LOL! Thanks Melissa for inspiring me to try the kick! Thanks Hunter for the positive comments. Thanks KJN for guiding us through and pushing us hard. Thanks girls for making the best payload delivery line I've ever seen. Our energy on our line was AWESOME. Love & thanks to each and everyone one of you!

CGN Jessica

5th Phase and the Start of Fall

So we're in the final phase of our journey to our black belts. The kids are off to school once again and I'm just hoping the weather stays somewhat amiable until after conditioning day on the 8th of next month. I'd be lying if I said I'm not ready for it all to be done. Seventeen months of preparing and stressing and making sure the numbers are there and documented, special trainings in the wee hours of the mornings (which we will always be thankful to Brandy for, no matter how tired we all our those mornings), BB training classes until 9pm, etc. Military boot camp is only 6 months long and we've been in our own boot camp for nearly 2 years now. It's really been tough, but well worth it. I've never had to work hard at anything else in my life, nor have I wanted to, quite frankly. I mean, if stuff comes easy to you, go with it, right? But this past 2 years has been anything but easy, so maybe that's why it means so much to us all. I still don't know if I can survive the conditioning day... I'm not really stressed about breaking bricks, and I'm stressed about the curriculum testing day, but we went through it with the Collective Synergy group, so I'm okay with that overall, I just need to continue working on technique. The conditioning though, only a select few DTD testers got to participate in that portion last year, so that's the unknown in the puzzle. I like knowing what to expect... The unknown surprises they throw in there for us make me nauseous and quite honestly, I hate that part. I don't mean 'dislike' or 'would prefer another avenue', etc ... I hate that part. Period. But I now know the glass is also half full, because if I can do something that difficult and not know what's coming at us, we can do anything. :)

Wednesday Class

This week in black belt training, we did forms and open forms. We also had a forms battle and I did better than my partner. I was fun to watch the second degree’s open forms. All of them are awesome! I am done with my open form for the show so now all I need to do is practice, practice, practice.

End Of Summer

I can’t believe that summer has ended. I had great fun on my trip to California and Nevada. I hope that everyone has seen my new video journal. Now that school has started, I can’t wait to see my old friends.

Well summers officially here.

Don`t get me wrong, i do realize that it`s almost fall and summers pretty much done and over with. But it`s this heat that makes any workout a sweatshop worthy of large amounts of shamwow. I never really realized how much sweat can come out of a 13-year olds body until now (eww.). Even though it`s hot out, the heat is one of my favorite times to work out, because i know that whatever i do is going to be a workout. so enjoy it! It may only last for a while more....

Some people look at their cups half empty. There are others who look at their glass half full. Then there are the people like me who are just fine with having a cup in the first place, and are eager to fill that cup more each and every day.

--- Christopher Hoskins

Forms

When doing forms on wednesday, I realized something. I need to work a whole lot more on my forms. I guess i should say i didn`t realize it on wednesday, but when Master Dave pulled the 2nd degree testers over and talked to us about having our forms memorized forward, backwards and sideways. (He wasn`t kidding.) ON wednesday, when I competed against CGN Chandler with chumo 4, i realized i could mess up, and still do well. But what`s the point of "doing well" when i could do great? I want to be able to down/upper/outside/inside (etc.) block just as fast as i could punch or kick. I think it was the combination of wednesday night and the night with Master Dave that made me fully realize this. And now a quote which I found becasue of what BKJN Dan posted on facebook.


“Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are.” - Bernice Johnson Reagon

Back to Aim High

My family and I just went on a short vacation and I'm ready to get back to an Aim High lifestyle. It was intresting on my vacation to notice how much martial arts was apart of my life. I did so many things connected to martil arts and it felt normal. For instance we did sidekicks off the boat and other moves like that. Also at school I had to write about my life one the first things I thought of were my family and my favorite sport or hobbie. Martial arts was in both of the sections like CGN Jessica said we go from student to family. Also if any of my friends are having a hard time I suggest martial arts to them or just suggest talking to an instuctor. Another thing is at school we go forms with all are information. One of are contacts listed when something goes wrong was Daniel Sikkens or BKJN Dan. And I realize if something did happen I would want to call Bkjn. I just know that Aim High will always be there and that we all are family.

First Day of School

Yesterday, was my first day of high school and it was pretty fun. I knew half the people there was rarely any new people. and today was jacob's first day of high school so we both go to the same school now which is pretty fun. I wasn't really nervous at all because this would be like my 3 time at a new school so it was fine.

jits

it was really great to be back on the mat for jits last night.  the last time i logged... was back in the middle of may! i thought i would be a little sore today, but i feel pretty good.  my left shoulder doesn't feel too bad, but i realized last night during warms ups that i can't put too much pressure on it.  my shoulder has been giving me troubles off/on this year and has made it really difficult on getting push-ups logged. 

Summer's End

Tomorrow is the first day of school! I'm so excited- and nervous. I'm going into 7th grade and this year I'm going to be in an advanced placement program in my school district. Homework levels are way higher (so its a good thing I like homework). The good thing about school starting is that I have less than 100 sit ups left and only a little more than 3,000 push ups left. So I only have to do like 100 to 200 a day and finish by October 1. Tonight, my family is having a BBQ with my dad's family.

Yesterday evening, for dinner my parents, my sister and I ate dinner outside. It was a beautiful evening. We are lucky to live in such a lovely place. Today I began my 4th environmental act. I'm typing a pamphlet about disposing of household items properly so that they don't end up in landfills and harm animals and plants.

As much as I'm sad to be looking at sun down of summer, I'm exciting to find out what great things are hiding behind the autumn sun rise.