What Have I Got Myself Into?

Today has not been a good day. I’ve already had a few “what am I getting myself into?” moments as far as the I Ho Chuan is concerned, but today has been the worst. I don’t know if it’s the cold weather but all I want to do is stay inside, lay on the couch, be lazy, and eat; preferably something that isn’t good for me and tastes great.  I have no interest in kung fu or pushups at all today. Between work, all my requirements, my regular workouts, regular class and practice, and I Ho Chuan meetings/classes, I’m envisioning zero free time for myself. My weekdays are already so busy and I’ve agreed to make them even busier. The logical side of my brain tells me that I’ll be fine and I just need to stay organized with my time. I’m already seeing that distractions are everywhere. Invitations to hockey games, adopt-a-driveway, cleaning my house. The list goes on. Everything conspires to keep me from training. Obviously not all distractions are bad, but the point is that you have to make training a priority over almost everything else. Hopefully going to class tonight will help. I always feel pumped up when I leave the kwoon.

On a side note, these are the personal requirements that I have set for myself:

1) 25,000 kicks – this will give me 90 kicks every day (6 days a week) for the year. As a beginner, this seems like something that will help reinforce the basics for me and help me develop a strong base for my kung fu.

2) Give up all single player video games for the year – At times video games can be a pretty big waste of my time. Even though they’re a source of leisure for me, I can get caught up in them and I find myself wasting time and putting off housework and workouts to play. If mastery is all about consistent effort and utilizing the opportunities presented to you every day, video games aren’t going to have a place in my life. The reason I specified “single-player” video games is that I have friends that play and when I visit them, we often play a game or two of hockey. I see no value in giving up an activity that I share with friends. This is not a waste of time to me.

3) Include fruits/vegetables in my diet a minimum of 6 days per week – my diet is often lacking in vegetable/fruit consumption, even though I can feel a physical difference when I eat a lot of veggies. My problem is that I just plain don’t like most vegetables. With the structure that I will need to have to succeed in the I Ho Chuan, I should be able to better plan my meals. If I plan my meals I will be able to find creative ways to include vegetables on a regular basis. My goal is 6 days per week and not 7 because I feel like having a “cheat” day will help me to have balance in my life and will allow me to enjoy my days off and as a result , my goal should be sustainable.