Thoughts on the End of a Decade and the End of the Year

New Year’s Eve is more than the end of the holidays or a reason to get together with loved ones. It is a time of reflection and contemplation.

As 2019 and the 2010’s come to a close, perspective comes into play.

When the decade started, I was in my late twenties. Ten years later, I am nearly forty. One of the things I now realize that my twenties were about molding my adult self. My thirties are about becoming that adult that was made in my twenties.

2019 has been a year of highs, lows, and growth in ways that are unexpected. Growth comes from change, learning and admitting to your mistakes. This year, a major change came from a change in employment. Looking for a job is never easy and learning a new job has its fair share of pitfalls. But, there is something to be said when you have weathered both experiences and have become a slightly better person/employee because of said experiences.

I also earned my second-degree black belt in Muy Thai Kickboxing. It took an incredible amount of work and effort, especially after a long day of work. Earning the belt and wearing it to class is merely a symbol of the effort it took. I look back at the effort I have put in over the years and I can see the results of the effort it took. If there is one thing in my life that I can say I am proud of accomplishing, it is having that belt to my name.

Happy New Year!

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Sometimes, You Have to Take A Chance

There is an old saying: you never know what your capable of until you step out of your comfort zone.

I want to tell you the story of a moment in which I stepped out of my comfort zone. It is a moment that I will never regret.

Five years ago, I was looking for a new way to work out. The workout that I was doing at the gym was not doing anything for me, physically or mentally. On the way home from a doctor’s appointment, I decide to stop into a local martial arts school and ask for more information. Yesterday, I received my certificate for my Muy Thai Kickboxing black belt.

It was not easy to start and to this day, it’s not easy. Stepping onto the mat as a white belt is an experience that is full of anxiety and stress. Will I fit in, will I be able to keep up with the class, etc, are two of the multitude of questions that any white belt experience. These days, the difficulty is pushing myself to attend classes when I am tired after a long day and have a list of chores to attend to at home. But I still go to class regularly and I look forward to it.

A black belt and the certificate the follows is more than the cloth that is the belt and the piece of paper that is the certificate. It is the commitment, the energy and pushing yourself even when you don’t feel like it.

That night, I took a chance, it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. If I can take that chance, what other chances can I take?

If It Were Only That Easy

Many of my regular readers know that I have been taking Muy Thai Kickboxing classes at a local dojo.

At the end of the class, the teacher usually gives a little pep talk.

One of the subjects that comes up every once in a while is that reaching our goals is not easy. If it were, anyone could do it.

I want to be a writer. I want to be earning my keep by my pen.

For about two months now, I have been a part of a local novel writing group.  One of the comments from another group member reminded me of something.

It’s not easy to be a writer. If it were, anyone with ambitions to write would have an Emmy, a Tony, a Pulitzer, be on the New York Times best seller list, etc.

The truth is that it is not easy. Sitting in front of the computer or opening that notebook to write is only the first step. The hard part is actually writing.

But there is the joy in writing and the growth that comes with every new story and every new draft. That is what I love about writing.

I know that one day, I will earn my keep by my pen. But until then, I must earn my keep other ways.

How Muy Thai Kickboxing Has Changed My Life

There are a lot of gimmicks and magical pills that claim to help with weight loss.

The truth is that there is no gimmick and there no magical pill.  It comes down to hard work and commitment.

Last May, after spending my time fruitlessly at a local gym, I decided to try out Muy Thai Kick Boxing.

It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I will say that this is not the easiest work out, but it is totally worth it. It’s not the twenty minutes to a half hour treadmill or weights at the gym and then go home and have a big bowl of pasta. The classroom environment requires the students to do our best, even if we are not up doing our best.

I have gone down several sizes in clothing, I am more confident and g-d forbid I am ever attacked, I am able to defend myself.

I can’t speak for everyone that they will enjoy this kind of work out. But I do and I completely recommend Muy Thai Kick Boxing, if only just to try it out.

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