Intelligent

I find it a pity that I don`t write things on here that take much effort, so I`m taking this chance to sound intelligent.
Here we are. Less than a week and a half till the test and only about 2 days till conditioning. So where are you now? Are you ready, focused and determined? Or are you going to wait until its time to go and be shocked by what we are going to do.
Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance
Start eating right for conditioning day NOW. The more easily your body is going to digest those gronola bars, the better. If you are ready and energized for the day, you won`t be shocked about how your food is reacting to you. Go for a run, plan healthy snacks, meditate. For something as big as our blackbelt test, we always need to be prepared for everything, even when we don`t exactly know what that "thing" is.
Together Everyone Acheives More
Are you nervous about saturday? Talk to a fellow tester! Share your concerns. When you`re done, you won`t feel as stressed. And the less stress you have on conditioning day the better. On conditioning day, find someone who has similar atheletic skills to you, and erge each other the whole day to do better. This way, everyone improves, and everyone feels like a team.
"I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how i react to it."
Not everything is going to go smoothly. I don`t mean to dishearten anyone, but each one of you is going to mess up. And trust me, I know from experience. I FAILED my conditioning test for my 1st Degree. And I`m learning not to be ashamed of that. Be honest with yourself, if something is hurting, don`t baby it any more that it needs to be babied. And keep in mind that you will get frustrated, and exhausted. But why do you think we have memorized all these quotes? We memorized them to keep them in mind when we are frustrated and exhausted.
"we are in charge of our attitudes"
Stay focused always. No matter what is thrown at us, we need to stick together as a team, and stay focused on the goal ahead. And we need to have fun with it! If we didn`t all have this fun quirky spirit inside of us, we would all be doomed from day one. So let it out! And I don`t mean giggle and laugh each time KJN tells us to run a mile. I mean make the best of everything that happens from here on out. Because as a team, we can do whatever we need to do to acheive whatever belt we are striving for.

Dare to Dream my friends.


"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, 'press on' has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race."
Calvin Coolidge

"I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature." John D. Rockefeller

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." Conrad Hilton

Conditioning day.

Wow. They always do something to freak us out for conditioning day. When i was reading the list of supplies, i think I froze up a little bit when i read "flashlight". Now this could just mean we will be doing things at night, but in my experience, we`ve always been where there where street lights. So Im really clueless to what they are going to do with us. I guess thats what they want us to feel, and thats where all the fun in it is too. :D

"People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to." George E. Allen

Flushing out the negative thoughts.

I have to admit to everyone....I had a somewhat negative attitude tonight after I twisted my ankle inside the boot. Yes, I had to wipe away a few tears, yes I had a short-lived pity party, and yes, I felt and still do feel a little discouraged and angry. I'm frustrated that I cannot fully participate in the training right now, and while I am working to modify things (i.e. running through forms with modified stances), it just doesn't feel the same. I see everyone else busting their rears and then there's me on the sidelines trying to do what I can to keep moving when you're moving.

I feel like a pitiful dog that everyone looks at and thinks: "oh that poor thing...she's trying so hard to keep up." I don't really like attention, especially when it's pity. I know everyone on the DTD team is giving me positive energy, and no one thinks that way...it's just a negative thought that pops into my head when I see people looking at me walking with my boot.

My new nick-name has taken many forms: gimpy, limpy, gimp...you get the picture. I really don't like it. I'm also tired of talking about what happened. I'm tired of needing help.

I'm also worried. Worried that I'm setting a bad example for the kids (even thought KJN told me it was a good example when I stopped today instead of trying to keep going). Worried that I'm not going to be able to modify things enough, or that stuff will be too modified and not able to show enough of my knowledge and abilities to pass the test. Worried that I'm going to overdo it again and damage something permanently. The doctor was very serious when he told me not to continue training until after November; that my ankle was becoming seriously unstable and if I don't let it heal right this time and keep injuring it, I will eventually need surgery.

I know this is all coming off as very negative, but I think I really need to vent and clear my head so I can reset the positive outlook I've been trying to keep this whole time.

I know I can do this, and I know this is more of a test than I anticipated; I just have to keep altering my plan on how I'm going to tackle this obstacle without putting myself at risk of re-injury. I need to get mentally and emotionally prepared for Saturday. I've asked BSBN Cory to help me come up with some grueling conditioning things I can do without a lot of impact or pressure on my ankle.

"Life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it." Just keep thinking this way...

From CGN Sarah

Hey team! I can’t believe the test is only 2 weeks away!!! AHHH!!!! I can’t wait to get it over with. I’m so nervous but I think that we will all do great! You guys have been so awesome along the way and I know that we can all do this if we try our best. I think I know the second degree stuff pretty well except I might work a little more on grappling. I’m scared that KJN is going to have us come out and does first degree stuff so I need to review that to. I’m mostly worried about the written test though. I thought that second degree testers didn’t do it so I haven’t been studying and know I have 2 weeks to cram it all into my brain! YIKES!!!!

CGN Sarah

Brick Breaking to Final Saturday Training

If attitude is everything, I'm thinking that the stress of everything right now is effecting my focus on my attitude. I'm finding myself feeling very uptight for no real reason, once I stop and think about it. I'm starting to try and focus on one day at a time, since that seems to save my sanity.

On the up side, I finally broke my brick! It was one of the most successful feelings I've ever had and I was so proud of myself! My right hand just seemed to have too much of my brain connected to it (I'm right handed), and after 3 attempts at breaking the brick, the only thing I had to show for it was a sore hand.

So after some tears & pacing, I wanted to go back and try again, this time, with my left hand (not much of any other option, seeing as my right one was pretty much out of the running). I was hoping Kjn would let me, as I'd already told him I was calling it on night on breaking. Luckily, no one stopped me... In fact, Boy Sam walked me through how to come down through the brick & was a GREAT help in the whole process. The brick broke on the first try! I was so surprised that I just stood up and said, "It broke!".

I figured it broke because instead of using my right hand and thinking, "If I break this hand, I can't write until it heals", I was thinking about my left hand as, "Hey, if I mess this up, at least I can still write with my right hand!"

I guess attitude is everything. ;)

Final Push

Okay I've been taking OSHA all day and Zinc - I am NOT going to get sick darn it! I could not believe how hard this morning was for me! It was like the hardest special training ever. I could feel myself getting weak as the morning pushed on. It was so much fun that I just decided to ignore it and keep going.

Need extra help this week to pull together kicks and a few other cirriculum areas. We will be there Monday but Wed is back to school night for Josh so we will be rolling in late :-(

Hang in there everyone. It is the final push!

Special Training & Requirements

Special Training this morning was great! I haven't really done any cardio for three weeks, partially because of the pain, but mainly because I didn't get creative in how I could continue that part of training. Today, I realized how much hopping on one foot can get my heart rate up! I am going to spend about 15 minutes day hopping on one foot for the next two weeks to get my cardio going again. I really miss jogging, but hopping will help. :o)

On another note, I'm so proud of everyone today! You all did such a great job with the relays, and kept a positive attitude. You worked your butts off today, and I am saddened that I was unable to participate fully. I do have to tell you, I'm getting pretty good on my push-up form...and doing push-ups with one leg in the air.

Working on putting my notebook together to submit for the requirements. I'm still down 5,000 push-ups, sit-ups, and rows. I need to do an average of 333 of each per day until the 15th to finish them. Here come some arms and abs of steel! Everything else I'm good!

I just realized the only major things I have left are two environmental acts...I did three in April, and then just seemed to forget about them. I'm going to be looking for opportunities to fulfill that requirement in the next two weeks. If anyone else needs to something for the environment, please let me know!