Ring the curtain down: 再见永平

After five months of intensive training I had to say good bye to the Rising Dragon school, deeply grateful for a truly unforgettable experience.  Part of me wishes I could have stayed for longer, although my muscles are happy I will let them rest for a while.

There is a lot I will miss from the Kung Fu school; I had tons of fun, improved my fitness, learnt a lot about Chinese culture and language, developed a genuine interest for martial arts and learnt some fancy moves; re-discovered multiple things about myself and discovered some new ones including a small ability to write; and most importantly I met amazing people that were a constant source of learning and inspiration.

Now, at the risk of sounding like one of those lame self-help authors, and perhaps a but repetitive, here’s my list of unsolicited advice:

1. Move: Everyday use your body in whichever way you prefer; go to the gym, run, swim, play a sport, dance, play with your kids, work on a garden, walk to work, something, anything, but get active and use your muscles.

2. Think: Use and stimulate your brain everyday. Read, learn a new skill or a new language, play challenging video-games or sudokus, try to improve on the little things you do mindlessly at work, keep a mental calculation of your daily expenses, whatever interest you to keep the mind active.

3. Dream and be thankful: Take a few minutes everyday to reflect on all the good things you have and be grateful for them; think about your dreams, goals and aspirations, some people call this praying, others diary-writing, meditating or ladies night; again, whatever works for you.

4. Be nice: Treat others with respect and compassion; you don’t have to like them or agree with them, just be nice. A simple smile can take you a long way, believe me, you never know when your kindness will be returned.

5. Make your own choices: Focus on what is important to you and make decisions accordingly. Given the same set of circumstances, I’m sure my experience in China was very different to every other student, because I consciously focused on what I wanted out of it; listen to others but make sure the decisions are yours.

Optional – Take a break: At some point, stop your daily routine and do something unexpected. Of course I am now a big believer of a career break, but if that is not possible take a month, a week, a day to explore something new or do something you’ve always wanted to do. No partners, no children, no friends, just you. Don’t worry, your family, friends, job, debts and all your other worries will be there when you’re back!

I still have a few months of sabbatical; I will be doing some more travelling and hopefully will continue to have interesting experiences, so please keep reading!