My Aikido New Years Resolutions for 2010

Posted 2010-01-04 21:19:16 by Dunken Francis
News URL: http://aikidoforbeginners.blogspot.c...tions-for.html

Rather than just make a handful of vague promises like "eat less red meat" and "call my mum more often", this year I thought I'd set some tangible Aiki-related resolutions, and then publish them for the world to see to make sure I follow through! I'd be interested to hear what goals other Aikidoka around the world have set themselves for 2010..

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My goal is to train for the whole year.*
I know, I know- not very impressive, but unimpressive things can be important.

*of course I don't mean continuously for 365 days without sleep- I mean solidly throughout the year, excusing myself only for family needs or illness.

wish me luck (rather, wish me perseverence and resolve!)

Hi Jun,

Congratulations on having the courage to state your goals.

I was told that the difference between goals and priorities is simple. .

My Goal was what I intended to do that day.

My Priority was what I actually did that day.

Still working on my priorities.

In Oneness,

To clarify, the blog posting was written by Mr. Dunken Francis...

-- Jun

For me...

During the last half of 2009 I was hit with a "rare but serious" side effect of my cholesterol medication, brought forward by a slight change in formulation. It rendered me unable to much more than slowly walk without fatigue and pain. Going off the medication, however, eventually found me realizing that I had long been suffering from this, just at a low level. Which I realize in retrospect had hampered my training for a very long time. So my resolutions became...

1. Get my cholesterol under control as much as possible through changes in lifestyle. Medication *has* to be a last ditch approach. I was given a severe lesson on why. I will pay attention. I will drop weight. I will eat better. I will exercise every day. Because I have no choice in the matter -- I have family to consider. The lesson of Fudo-Myo-o is to see things clearly. I do now. And I must follow through.

2. Being down allowed me more time to think, study and hopefully begin to understand things I've been shown by people like Toby Threadgill and Mike Sigman. Also what I've read through the marvelous work of Ellis Amdur and Dr. Peter Goldsbury. I resolve to continue to train, study and integrate as much as I can into my daily life to further improve my aikido. I will empty that cup over and over again.

3. Due to my illness I missed something I had never missed before. At the end of the year we do a 2000 cut practice. Once I am fully healthy I will find the time to do it on my own in one stretch.

4. I will find ways to improve my teaching. I will make a difference in my students' training.

5. I will quit spending so much time on-line talking about what I should be doing and more time doing what I should be doing. So on that note... Toodles!

While I have no goal or resolution, I do have a general direction: to keep showing up.

As of now, I don't have a problem showing up to the dojo. My goal is to increase my fluidity and sink into my hips more because both of those things are lacking..... BIG time.