Every day that goes by, I am so grateful for blessings I receive from having kung fu in my life. I can't imagine the type of person I would be and the shape I would be in, or the emotional state and frame of mind I would have today without my martial arts training. It has taught me how to be the person I need to be. It helps me to think clearly and in a positive way. It helps me to stay healthy and increase my quality of life. It helps me to acknowledge and live up to my potential as a leader. It has taught me how to work hard, have an eye for detail, achieve my goals, and feel good about the work I do.

This week, those qualities I have gained from the tools I receive through my kung fu training played a huge part in my professional life. I have been in a manager position now for only four months, and I was given a review by the manager above me, on Friday. My review was very positive, and the leaders I work with and the ones above me are very impressed with the work I do, and how far I have come in my position. So much so that I got a raise attached to my review.

I have come such a long ways from where I was 13 years ago. I am not a real special person, and I do not in any way see myself as better than anyone because of the qualities I have gained. I may have been the one to put in the hours of hard work to get where I am today, but I also acknowledge the countless hours of teaching and council that others have given to me. I see in very plain site, the tools I received in order to achieve the successes in my life. This success goes far beyond my professional life. The training I received has helped me to open my eyes to things in life that are important, and things that need to be passed on to my kids to help them to rise to their own personal potential. Kung fu has given me the means to be a good mom and raise my children in a positive environment. Kung fu has shown me how to be strong and push through difficult times in my life.

A couple weeks ago, I came close to making some decisions in my life that would not have had positive results. The positive influence of friends helped me to make the proper decision and move my life forward, not backwards. The biggest influence in the decision I made came from my kung fu. As I pondered what I was about to do, I suddenly remembered who I was. I remembered what I was all about and what morals and standards I had that made up who I was. I thought of the person I wanted to continue to be. I am a woman of virtue, a martial artist, and very dear to me is the fact that I am a member of Silent River Kung fu. The realization of these things came to me like a slap across the face, and I was a bit ashamed of the wrong decision I was about to make.

I feel like I am writing all about things I have written about so many times before, but it can't be helped. There are constantly things that come up in my life to reiterate the benefits of my martial arts training in my life and the person who I have become. To me, learning how to do kung fu is not just learning how to defend myself. That has been a small part of it for me. The bigger part is more internal. It is about who I have become on the inside, and my way of thinking. This in return dictates how I act on the outside. I am still learning, and I look forward to those things ahead of me, that allow me to move in a forward motion.