Comments on: Succeed in IMA - Part 2 - Be Present http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/ For students of Baguazhang and Xingyiquan Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:22:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: george http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-126 george Thu, 27 Dec 2007 06:01:10 +0000 http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-126 Yeah, there's a lot of people out there not taking full advantage of Luo laoshi's generosity in teaching. I was surprised when I first came out to one of his seminars in the States, he gave out a ton of information. It's too bad more people aren't paying his generosity back with equal amount of respect and solid, hard work. There's only so many traditional IMA teachers out there who have had success in teaching. Luo Laoshi is in my opinion at the top of these not only in terms of skill, but in terms of having a proven track record of being able to produce good students. Of course, you will always need good material to produce a good product. There's a lot of potential out there practicing Yizong Bagua now, I hope they don't waste their opportunities. Yeah, there’s a lot of people out there not taking full advantage of Luo laoshi’s generosity in teaching. I was surprised when I first came out to one of his seminars in the States, he gave out a ton of information. It’s too bad more people aren’t paying his generosity back with equal amount of respect and solid, hard work.

There’s only so many traditional IMA teachers out there who have had success in teaching. Luo Laoshi is in my opinion at the top of these not only in terms of skill, but in terms of having a proven track record of being able to produce good students.

Of course, you will always need good material to produce a good product. There’s a lot of potential out there practicing Yizong Bagua now, I hope they don’t waste their opportunities.

]]> By: JessOBrien http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-109 JessOBrien Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:39:55 +0000 http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-109 Nice post George! And Josh, I too have followed the "go to class" mentality. Sometimes even if you can't get the reading done, being in class will help things seep into your head and stick there. Some nights I come home and I'm tired and don't want to train. Then I go out into the cold rainy night and start, and next thing you know I'm having so much fun I don't want to stop! I've been strapping Jonah onto my chest and doing the circle walking and San Ti training. He loves it. Wow is he heavy! 15 pounds of dead weight, jeez! Sometimes I can only get out for 10 minutes and do a quick Tai Chi form or Circle walking set. But mostly those ten minutes drag out to 45 or an hour! My wife is like, where have you been!?!? The time just seems to fly by once you get going. Sometimes it depresses me when I go to Luo Laoshi's seminars and people obviously haven't been working out in between summers. That is sad because he tries so hard to teach us. It's hard to practice when you suck. But then again, how will you ever get better? You can't wait until you are good to train! That's how you GET good, by slogging through many lame, clumsy sessions. I always say that the boring, "off" nights are the dues you pay for the nights when it feels amazing and awesome and like everything is just clicking perfectly. Alright guys, take care, see ya around! -Jess O Nice post George! And Josh, I too have followed the “go to class” mentality. Sometimes even if you can’t get the reading done, being in class will help things seep into your head and stick there.

Some nights I come home and I’m tired and don’t want to train. Then I go out into the cold rainy night and start, and next thing you know I’m having so much fun I don’t want to stop!

I’ve been strapping Jonah onto my chest and doing the circle walking and San Ti training. He loves it. Wow is he heavy! 15 pounds of dead weight, jeez!

Sometimes I can only get out for 10 minutes and do a quick Tai Chi form or Circle walking set. But mostly those ten minutes drag out to 45 or an hour! My wife is like, where have you been!?!? The time just seems to fly by once you get going.

Sometimes it depresses me when I go to Luo Laoshi’s seminars and people obviously haven’t been working out in between summers. That is sad because he tries so hard to teach us. It’s hard to practice when you suck. But then again, how will you ever get better? You can’t wait until you are good to train! That’s how you GET good, by slogging through many lame, clumsy sessions.

I always say that the boring, “off” nights are the dues you pay for the nights when it feels amazing and awesome and like everything is just clicking perfectly.

Alright guys, take care, see ya around!

-Jess O

]]> By: jleeger http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-107 jleeger Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:49:15 +0000 http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-107 I've read a lot of stuff that points to the baby-boomer generation as the source of the "entitlement" feeling in America. According to some, since the parents of the boomers lived through the Great Depression, they spoiled their kids, and raised them with the idea that they should have whatever they want. Of course, no one gets everything they want, all the time, so the baby-boomers (people born between the end of WWII and about 1950 or 55) raised their kids with this same idea. The cumulative effect is what we see today - people who think they should have whatever they want, whenever they want it, and just because they want it, not because they've worked for it. Above and beyond that, corporate America doesn't mind if you think/feel that way. Then, you won't have any problem putting yourself deep into debt. It pays the bills for all sorts of companies that make useless crap (because no one has any sense of what is really necessary anymore, versus a "manufactured necessity"), along with lining the deep pockets of the credit card companies. Hard work, the ethic of hard work, and the value of self-denial, is fading into non-existence. Of course, this is a series of gross generalizations, but that's what I've read/heard, and seems to make sense. I’ve read a lot of stuff that points to the baby-boomer generation as the source of the “entitlement” feeling in America. According to some, since the parents of the boomers lived through the Great Depression, they spoiled their kids, and raised them with the idea that they should have whatever they want. Of course, no one gets everything they want, all the time, so the baby-boomers (people born between the end of WWII and about 1950 or 55) raised their kids with this same idea.

The cumulative effect is what we see today - people who think they should have whatever they want, whenever they want it, and just because they want it, not because they’ve worked for it.

Above and beyond that, corporate America doesn’t mind if you think/feel that way. Then, you won’t have any problem putting yourself deep into debt. It pays the bills for all sorts of companies that make useless crap (because no one has any sense of what is really necessary anymore, versus a “manufactured necessity”), along with lining the deep pockets of the credit card companies.

Hard work, the ethic of hard work, and the value of self-denial, is fading into non-existence.

Of course, this is a series of gross generalizations, but that’s what I’ve read/heard, and seems to make sense.

]]> By: Nick http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-104 Nick Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:23:45 +0000 http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-104 Please do touch that topic about entitlement issues. I'm interested to get some insight about it. Please do touch that topic about entitlement issues. I’m interested to get some insight about it.

]]> By: george http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-94 george Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:43:30 +0000 http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-94 Actually, my next installment is entitled "being present" and covers the mental aspects of being present in class, in training and maybe even a token touch on being present in life. I have noticed the sense of entitlement issue. Its not local to America, America's culture and its ills have been aggressively exported around the world. Those problems have carried over. It is a bigger topic, and I personally probably shouldn't touch it. I'm causing enough trouble probably just by writing my thoughts on martial arts. LOL. Actually, my next installment is entitled “being present” and covers the mental aspects of being present in class, in training and maybe even a token touch on being present in life.

I have noticed the sense of entitlement issue. Its not local to America, America’s culture and its ills have been aggressively exported around the world. Those problems have carried over. It is a bigger topic, and I personally probably shouldn’t touch it. I’m causing enough trouble probably just by writing my thoughts on martial arts. LOL.

]]> By: jleeger http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-86 jleeger Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:39:57 +0000 http://blog.zongwumen.com/2007/12/07/succeed-in-ima-part-2-be-present/#comment-86 I couldn't agree with you more, George! You've really summed it up well. I particularly like your reference to college classes. In fact, I received one word of advice from my boss at the pizza shop before I left on my last day - "Always go to class." He said, even if I didn't study all the time, what I heard in class would help me get a C on the exam. Well, I got my Bachelor's degree, so he wasn't all wrong! I think this lesson extends to a greater view as well. Being present in a wider sense can mean being present for your life. Not letting circumstances dictate what you do or do not do, but deciding what is important to you, and seeing it through to the end. For me, being present means accepting responsibility for yourself, your feelings, and your commitments. I think a lot of students (martial arts or otherwise) don't realize that by signing up for a class, they're making an implicit commitment to the teacher to show up and to do their best to learn what is taught. There's a whole other discussion somewhere here about the sense of entitlement that has swept over everyone in modern America, but that's too much writing! I couldn’t agree with you more, George! You’ve really summed it up well. I particularly like your reference to college classes. In fact, I received one word of advice from my boss at the pizza shop before I left on my last day - “Always go to class.” He said, even if I didn’t study all the time, what I heard in class would help me get a C on the exam. Well, I got my Bachelor’s degree, so he wasn’t all wrong!

I think this lesson extends to a greater view as well. Being present in a wider sense can mean being present for your life. Not letting circumstances dictate what you do or do not do, but deciding what is important to you, and seeing it through to the end.

For me, being present means accepting responsibility for yourself, your feelings, and your commitments.

I think a lot of students (martial arts or otherwise) don’t realize that by signing up for a class, they’re making an implicit commitment to the teacher to show up and to do their best to learn what is taught.

There’s a whole other discussion somewhere here about the sense of entitlement that has swept over everyone in modern America, but that’s too much writing!

]]>