Wing Chun Mindset

[chusauli]

Many of WCK practitioners have this loser mentality. You a winner or loser? Look at this guy:

http://www.maniacworld.com/Phone-Salesman-Amazes-Crowd.html

And check yourself with these best practices:

http://mastersathlete.typepad.com/my_weblog/personal_productivity/index.html

Having a loser mentality just lets you see the negatives in the world. Yes, life is hard, but come on guys...

Best regards,

[sanjuro_ronin]

Many of WCK practitioners have this loser mentality. You a winner or loser? Look at this guy:

http://www.maniacworld.com/Phone-Salesman-Amazes-Crowd.html

And check yourself with these best practices:

http://mastersathlete.typepad.com/my_weblog/personal_productivity/index.html

Having a loser mentality just lets you see the negatives in the world. Yes, life is hard, but come on guys...

Best regards,

First of all, love your book, it was your book that made me re-look into WC.

We don't live in a vacum, never have and the things that surround us, effect us, both good and bad.
Many people, not just WC people, dislike confrontation, other thrive on it.
Placing a judgement on anyone is a tricky thing, the whole "walk a mile in their shoes" thing comes to mind.

Many "heroes" of today, were regarded as "losers" at one point ot another in their life, take Ghandi for example, or Einstein.

Judgement calls based on what WE know are only 50% right because they are not based on what OTHERS know.

[donbdc]

What a voice, thanks for the post it made my day!

[anerlich]

The winner article was good. Thanks. I don't watch vids much.


Having a loser mentality just lets you see the negatives in the world. Yes, life is hard, but come on guys...

What brought this admonishment on?

[JPinAZ]

Many of WCK practitioners have this loser mentality. You a winner or loser? Look at this guy:

http://www.maniacworld.com/Phone-Salesman-Amazes-Crowd.html

And check yourself with these best practices:

http://mastersathlete.typepad.com/my_weblog/personal_productivity/index.html


While I can greatly appreciate both of the links you provided, what exactly are you getting at? (I can guess by your statements, but I'd rather not, see below)

You said "Many of WCK practitioners have this loser mentality." - care to elaborate? Is this your opinion or are you stating 'fact'? In either case, could you please provide examples for this statement?
Being a WCK practitioner myself, and while I know where I stand in this, really what's your point, and just WHO are you referring too?


Having a loser mentality just lets you see the negatives in the world. Yes, life is hard, but come on guys...

Best regards,

The first sentence is a no-brainer, but following it by the second requires some qualification IMO
What 'guys' are you referring to here? With statements like this, it could be assumed that you are calling some people on this forum losers. I would say you are acting in the exact manner you are trying to preach against with this type of talk.

Jonathan

[YungChun]

The winner article was good. Thanks. I don't watch vids much.



What brought this admonishment on?
It's worth watching this short clip...

In view of recent quibbling--I think Robert is trying to inspire the group to strive for greatness... ;)

[chusauli]

Look at the recent quibbling and you know I want WCK as a whole to be great!

Who is this WHO?

WHO creates the quibbling mind?

The ego/mind/brain thrives on conflict - it creates greed, jealousy, anger, hatred, has ignorance and stupidity. It is basically a drug addict, wanting a fix of endorphins, glucose, oxygen, and the energy of your body.

Would you lend this drug addict $5K? He promises to pay you back tomorrow...

But most of you believe your mind...

Don't take your thoughts so seriously - who you are is greater than your thoughts.

So I see WCK as having a disease...

...you guys have to eradicate this disease and come into NOW.

If you don't know what I am talking about, you're still confused. But if you know what I am talking about, then we share the same idea.

Wake up! WCK practitioners, wake up.

Its not found in finding an identity, and then defending it at all costs.

No position, no opposition. Have position, have opposition.

I am really trying to help and not speaking to any particular person or group, nor admonishing.

[anerlich]

I am really trying to help and not speaking to any particular person or group, nor admonishing.

THe thing is, some here might think that you could perhaps really help by speaking to a particular student of yours about same, in the spirit of trying to achieve the goals you mention. After all, "WC as a whole" is made up of individuals, and charity begins at home.


If you don't know what I am talking about, you're still confused.

Communication is a two way street. I could not know what you're talking about because your communication skills are inadequate, or because I'm confused. Automatically assuming the second is a bit egotistical, don't you think?

And, realistically, you ARE admonishing ... not that there's anything wrong with that ...

[LoneTiger108]

Look at the recent quibbling and you know I want WCK as a whole to be great!

Who is this WHO?

WHO creates the quibbling mind?...

...So I see WCK as having a disease...

...you guys have to eradicate this disease and come into NOW.

If you don't know what I am talking about, you're still confused. But if you know what I am talking about, then we share the same idea.

Wake up! WCK practitioners, wake up.

Its not found in finding an identity, and then defending it at all costs.

No position, no opposition. Have position, have opposition.

I am really trying to help and not speaking to any particular person or group, nor admonishing.

I am trying the best I can to understand this post from you, chusauli. I have also read your books and have often wondered how much research you have put in to 'find' all these branches of Wing Chun. And now you let me see a little of your character, online, in a forum, totally poisoning the Wing Chun world that made you with your own contradictory words!

You say you 'see Wing Chun as having a disease'. Please explain for the sake of every new practitioner and forum member what you mean, as I personally was shocked to read such harsh words, especially when I consider where they have originated from.

IMHO the only 'disease' Wing Chun people have been 'infected' with is the MMA phenomenon sweeping the Four Corners of the World these days, and it may also be the MMA community that can ease the strength and strain of the virus. They have to 'see' by training themselves 'with us', learn what respect and 'Mo Duk' is for example before criticising our traditions. We don't all want to be an extreme athlete living to fight in a cage, at least I hope not.

Am I a winner or loser? To be honest, I really don't care lol! I just like the participation. Have you never heard this 'oldskool' expression?

[YungChun]

And now you let me see a little of your character, online, in a forum, totally poisoning the Wing Chun world that made you with your own contradictory words!

You say you 'see Wing Chun as having a disease'. Please explain for the sake of every new practitioner and forum member what you mean, as I personally was shocked to read such harsh words, especially when I consider where they have originated from.

Although I don't agree with all of the detractors...

Robert is right..

First off when we criticize WCK or WCK performance, it's not some violation of the sacred scrolls of the holy founders of WCK... In fact not criticizing bad WCK performance or training is worse than doing so because it contributes to the mess of garbage.. Disease is a little extreme.. I think Robert is talking about the fact that most WCK sucks--and it does.. All you have to do is sample different schools and watch videos of schools on the net.. What you see is 98%(KF) garbage.. So if there is a disease in the system the disease must be the good stuff infecting the bad stuff, since there is so much more bad than good..

But in the end there isn't much anyone can do about the lack of quality WCK out there.. There is no law against teaching bad WCK or training bad WCK or any other style.. All anyone can do is try to do the best they can and pass the word about how to get better.. T does this pretty well for the most part.. Most of what he says is right on the money, right up to where he says other folks who do train hard suck without showing the right way; and saying that the "basic training" of the system sucks,which I don't agree with if it's trained hard and trained well...

So in the end I really don't think there is any cure.. Time will tell what the fate of this funny little boxing art from China will be in years to come.. In the mean time all anyone can say is explore what others are doing; explore what the true meaning of the system is; and try to keep it real by training hard and going outside your comfort zone..

[JPinAZ]

Jim,

I don't see Robert saying anything like that at all. Unfortunately, he still isn't being very specific. What I see him doing is pointing out issues with individuals and maybe a larger group of practitioners, not the system of WC itself.

In his first post he states "Many of WCK practitioners have this loser mentality". And then he follows it with "Having a loser mentality just lets you see the negatives in the world. Yes, life is hard, but come on guys..."
I think it's pretty **** clear what he's saying. He is saying that, in his most 'expert' opinion, there are loser WCK practitioners, right here on this forum. Being one of those members, should I take insult? Since he still hasn't qualified these statements, I'd say he just trolling.

In his second post he speaks of WC as having a disease - yet it's up to US to irradicate it. How very nobel of him to come to WC's rescue. And now that he's been so kind as to point out this disease, he leaves it to us to find a cure..
How many here believe WC has a disease?? I think if Robert is to be taken seriously in his cause for a cure, MAYBE he could be just a LITTLE more specific as to what this disease really is! You have to identify the cause before you can finr a cure. So, what is this 'disease' he speaks of?

And I laugh at this statement "Wake up! WCK practitioners, wake up." Just who does he think is sleeping around here?

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with WCK itself. Sure, maybe there's some issues with some of it's practitioners (or a lot, but who am I to say?), but that's talking of individual people - I can't see how this directly relates to WC having a disease. I for one don't feel I need his 'saving' either. If he wanted to post something motivational, I think starting off by calling people losers isn't the most positive way to go about it. :rolleyes:

If he's really trying to help, I guess I just don't get it...

[chusauli]

My colleagues,

WCK's disease is the ego, the false mind, the little "me". Not even MMA, or other arts. We'll destroy WCK if we succumb to the falseness of the mind/ego and ultimately destroy it if we cannot resolve our own inner conflicts. Remember much of the problems in life come from this. WCK should be actively used as a tool to solve problems.

Reread my posts in this thread and then we'll know what I've written here. If you've perceived my writings as insulting, perhaps you need to look again with fresh eyes. I only mean the best for all practitioners.

Best regards,

[sanjuro_ronin]

My colleagues,

WCK's disease is the ego, the false mind, the little "me". Not even MMA, or other arts. We'll destroy WCK if we succumb to the falseness of the mind/ego and ultimately destroy it if we cannot resolve our own inner conflicts. Remember much of the problems in life come from this. WCK should be actively used as a tool to solve problems.

Reread my posts in this thread and then we'll know what I've written here. If you've perceived my writings as insulting, perhaps you need to look again with fresh eyes. I only mean the best for all practitioners.

Best regards,

The Ego is the weakness of all MA practioners in one way or another.
WCK does have alot of it, either riding its "nuts" or being obessed in regards to how "ineffective" it is.

[Hendrik]

"I " have no Ego.

"I am something" there is where ego starts and all problem starts.


what is wing chun teaching?
a teaching to get one to return to "I" or

a teaching to promote " I am something and I am always the best and you are no good?"


That is how your wingchun mindset starts.

[Hendrik]

The Ego is the weakness of all MA practioners in one way or another.
WCK does have alot of it, either riding its "nuts" or being obessed in regards to how "ineffective" it is.

what is ego? what is identity?

how to post with identity

how to post with ego?

how to post without ego?





Isnt the Kuen Kuit said, Comes accept it, Goes return it, let go and thrust forward, using silence to manage action?

When two people syncronize thier breathing isnt it one get into the kuen kuit's state? are there still WCK and EGO in that state?

[k gledhill]

While we are on the subject of banning people , can we bn hendrik...PLEASE :D
Dragged any planes by your nut sac lately H ?

[eomonroe00]

if we are on the subject of ego, is it just wing chun that is sick, as robert says, or is it all arts, all states , all nations, this planet is infected with the ego, not just wing chun, i know wc is roberts specialty that why his focus is there in my opinion.

but maybe the world will forever be this way, bc there is some quote that says once the good starts to overwelm the evil in the world, well, the evil get fired up and start to fight back and so their ranks swell, and start to overwelm the good, and back and forth,

(maybe a little war on terror inuendo in their , think about, i wont)

[Hendrik]

if we are on the subject of ego, is it just wing chun that is sick, as robert says, or is it all arts, all states , all nations, this planet is infected with the ego, not just wing chun, i know wc is roberts specialty that why his focus is there in my opinion.

but maybe the world will forever be this way, bc there is some quote that says once the good starts to overwelm the evil in the world, well, the evil get fired up and start to fight back and so their ranks swell, and start to overwelm the good, and back and forth,

(maybe a little war on terror inuendo in their , think about, i wont)



See,

EGo is not the problem. Once One sees it one could delete it as fast as deleting a virus in a computer. Just tap the delete key. we put it in we can take it out with ease.

The matter of Truth is --

How to become AWARE of we need an Identity to communicate, but not taking that Identity as us is the major work.


meaning one must quite one's mind and then one could "see" this. (not think but "see" or "know" without using the mind.)

the whole process could be Analogus with when we saw a color and knows the color at that instant; instead of keep thinking what color is it and unconclusive.

We look and we see. That simple and that is the process.


That simple but that difficult.



Thus, in Zen it said One See's one's buddha nature. It never said One Thinks and speculate one's buddha nature. zenist called Thinks and speculation as False Thoughts. So, that "see" is what some spend a life or many life to get there.


What is Wing Chun Mind Set? In the Yik Kam's SLT kuen Kuit, it said, Collect the Intention and union with the spirit. or as in the Emei 12 Zhuang it said, Thus, Thus non moving is the real Yin and Yang. The Jewels not moving thus applications is limitless.

or as said in Wing Chun saying Quiet the Mind and use the intention.


Wing Chun Mind set is No Mind or silence. as in the kuen kuit says, using Silence to lead the action. The ancestor has give us the answer but we dont realized it. Robert has started to awake so he post what he post.


Thus, Wing Chun is limitless. once one said this is Wing Chun or that is Wing Chun,....every thought is by itself a limitation and rigidly cast dead event; it can never be limitless and alive anymore.

Until one has the kung fu and could arive to that state. whatever one thinks is all wrong.

[k gledhill]

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz.......:confused:

[LoneTiger108]

...or as said in Wing Chun saying Quiet the Mind and use the intention...

...Until one has the kung fu and could arive to that state. whatever one thinks is all wrong.

Hey Hendrik! Have only just seen your post here and was wondering, like a few others, what you're on?!

I'd like to ask 'what is 'intention'? What character/kuit are you referring to here? These sound like personal 'feelings/emotions' to me which are normally experienced in a very early stage of training by simply aligning the body. Although you seem to have added the 'mysterious' to your view.

At the end of the day, for you to 'quiet your mind' needs a complete selfish, and self-indulgent attitude (true Buddhist philosphy?) as you have to cut out everything except the beating of your own heart. And to quote this as 'Zen' teaching is quite funny.

I think you may well benefit from using a more Taoist approach, as no Martial Art IMO needs any religious study to be efficient. Moreover, they just need simple understandings of nature and the human body, all of which can be found in earlier 'ways' and need not be linked to Buddhism in any of its forms...

[canglong]

In view of recent quibbling--I think Robert is trying to inspire the group to strive for greatness... Quite possibly Robert should begin his charity work at home.

A man can be known by both his words and his deeds and since Terence is your handy work then Robert you might want to start practicing what you preach.

Wing chun is the Rose and it's practitioners are either stems or thorns neither to be judged as good or bad but simply parts of the whole.

[chusauli]

Tony,

I teach my students WCK and they learn from their experience. WCK is a work in process, one is always developing and perfecting it. My students all express it and I don't try to control them - what they say or what they think. If they ask for my opinion, I tell them.

Terence is older than me - he is an adult and we live in the USA. I do not tell him what to do or control him. He expresses his OWN opinion of things. It is great we live in a country that stresses that. If we were in China, we'd have a different thought and point of view.

The problem is groups tend to a certain way; I just look at people as works in process and they are expressing an opinion at a particular thought in a certain development and time (or as you guys might say time and space), with a certain amount of knowledge. Also I try to look and see from what position a person is thinking and not use labels or judge from an egoic point of view - something that is central to Chan.

Really looking and seeing things - you have "it is what it is". Not defining an identity and labeling who is "right" and who is "wrong", or worse, defining an identity and defending it at all costs.

For the most part, I have no problem with what Terence says, and you should not think I should tell him what to do. Its just like saying that Richard Sifu or Benny Sigung should tell you what to post or not to post.

Peace,

[k gledhill]

Hey Robert , hows it going :D ?

[chusauli]

Kevin,

Life is great!

How's it going in my old stomping grounds?

Take care!

[canglong]

Robert,

To teach wing chun you should know wing chun. As Terence, is an example of one of your students there is no evidence to support that you yourself are qualified to teach wing chun.

Obviously your Chan is different from others.

A sure sign of ego is placing blame on others. Robert, you know neither me nor my "group". There are times to listen and there are times to talk there are times to talk the talk and there are times to walk the walk you and your students are notorious for talking and not much else.

Your own words became your enemy when you chose to use the term loser mentality you found a label and worse you were willing to run with it. In there lies your chan.

[k gledhill]

coooold ! but good for nightime striped bass fishing :D

[Edmund]

The problem is groups tend to a certain way; I just look at people as works in process and they are expressing an opinion at a particular thought in a certain development and time (or as you guys might say time and space), with a certain amount of knowledge. Also I try to look and see from what position a person is thinking and not use labels or judge from an egoic point of view - something that is central to Chan.

Really looking and seeing things - you have "it is what it is". Not defining an identity and labeling who is "right" and who is "wrong", or worse, defining an identity and defending it at all costs.

For the most part, I have no problem with what Terence says, and you should not think I should tell him what to do. Its just like saying that Richard Sifu or Benny Sigung should tell you what to post or not to post.


Robert,

Your criticism of negative WC egos is directed fairly broadly at everyone.

When Tony points out that "charity begins at home", he's not saying you should tell Terence what to post but that it seems you criticize others *before* your own student who happens to be the most negative guy on the forum.

And why is it everyone else's problem? All people are doing are reacting to troll posts and you're saying it's *their* ego problem. I don't see why everyone has to become Zen Buddhists to deal with some d!ckhead's attitude. It's not the social norm.

Self-help books and websites don't change group behaviour. One guy wants to have an argument with everyone so everyone else must disassociate themselves from their own identities and heal...

That's probably not going to work.

[anerlich]

Edmund is correct.

Basically, you whine about what goes on here, but when you are reminded (as if that was necessary) of what the biggest source of negativity and divisiveness on the forum is you decide it has nothing to do with you and suggest we all leave it alone too.

You might also ask yourself whether in this case the teacher is not following the student into becoming a self-appointed moral guardian of the forum.

We have way too many of those already, thanks.

You shouldn't (and shouldn't have to) tell T what to do, but the fact that you are ignoring your pet skunk in the room while complaining how smelly it is doesn't encourage anyone to take you seriously.

[Ultimatewingchun]

Wow!

Two very impressive posts, back-to-back. (Edmund & Anerlich)

Couldn't have said it any better.

[k gledhill]

yeah robert this terence is a ****head :D

[sihing]

yeah robert this terence is a ****head :D

You gotta love the straight forward nature of a New Yorker:)

[Mr Punch]

OMG! LMAO at all of you little kids whining at this guy! :D

Really. How can anyone take what he said as some kind of insult? FFS, are you taking drugs?

It's like this:

Robert Chu: Some pandas have been shown not to eat bamboo.
JPinAZ: Just which pandas are you talking about? What do you mean by bamboo? I think it's obvious which pandas you are referring to. How could you insult pandas so much?
All: One of your own pandas doesn't eat bamboo... you should feed him some before you come here preaching about bamboo!

Holy **** it really is like a primary school in here.

Thanks for the opera, mate. Inspiring indeed. My question to him is why is he on a show like that being judged by wankers with half the talent he has, instead of being in an opera company...

waits...
waits...

C'mon guys, let's have a chorus of: 'Who do you mean by wankers with half the talent he has? Are you talking about me/my kung fu teacher/my mom?'...

:rolleyes:

[Mr Punch]

yeah robert this terence is a ****head :DThat was pretty funny though. :D

[Edmund]

OMG! LMAO at all of you little kids whining at this guy! :D

Really. How can anyone take what he said as some kind of insult? FFS, are you taking drugs?


"Many of WCK practitioners have this loser mentality. You a winner or loser?"
"So I see WCK as having a disease..."
"Wake up! WCK practitioners, wake up."

What's this mean then? He's not hinting that everyone's a winner.

Yet I'm think it's some sort of admonishment. It must be me and my *massive* ego. I have to reread it again removing my sense of self.

This is another one:
"No position, no opposition."

i.e. Ditch your opinions. That way there's no conflict because you won't have to express yourself when there is no self.

[KPM]

Robert wrote:
I teach my students WCK and they learn from their experience. WCK is a work in process, one is always developing and perfecting it. My students all express it and I don't try to control them - what they say or what they think. If they ask for my opinion, I tell them.

---Believe me, this is a good thing! :) I was involved in a lineage that was somewhat secretive and I was told there was certain things I should not post about. It finally came down to the Sifu telling me not to post in the forums at all. I couldn't go along with that, and so broke off from this lineage. Robert is not responsible for what Terence thinks or writes. Did anyone stop to think that perhaps this thread started by Robert was a "gentle reminder" for Terence himself? Now whether Terence actually takes the hint is another matter! :eek:

[CFT]

You gotta love the straight forward nature of a New Yorker:) ... but he is an Englishman in New York :D

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/sting/englishman+in+new+york_20132036.html


If, manners maketh man as someone said
Then hes the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say

[LoneTiger108]

I'm learning more about this forum and its many members with every passing day.

Good or bad? Or simply just 'playing kung fu'?

[Wayfaring]

"Many of WCK practitioners have this loser mentality. You a winner or loser?"
"So I see WCK as having a disease..."
"Wake up! WCK practitioners, wake up."

What's this mean then? He's not hinting that everyone's a winner.

Yet I'm think it's some sort of admonishment. It must be me and my *massive* ego. I have to reread it again removing my sense of self.


I have just re-read this thread and reflected upon its contents. I have started to awaken myself and remove the ego attachment. I want to be a winner.

My plans are to quit my job and take up cellular phone sales at a kiosk in the mall.
Oh, and I'm starting opera lessons this week.

All of this will make my wing chun pure.

[Dan_chi_sau]

god this forum has really turned into a 'lets-have-a-pop-athon' lately hasn't it.
Wouldn't catch me lowering myself to such childish behaviour ;)
would love to stay and chat, but its time for my (all together now) 'dinner-dinner-dinner-dinner....dinner-dinner-dinner-dinner......'

Dan

[MrBump]

Batman!!!!

[Ali. R]

Hello all,

The simplest mindset of a fighter starts in training… Don’t be a knowledge hog: Digest the information that you may already have before going too the next… It’s not how good you are, but how good one can become (master your levels)…

The reason why some wing chun practitioners wing chun don’t work, they keep constantly choking off the information that they already have, hence a bad representation for all wing chun klan’s…

The way I was taught and teach, is too develop grace under pressure without deviating from structure and the mass principles of the art itself, never putting self in the way, but learning and developing “what is” before going to the next (make sure it works for you before asking for more information)…

What you see me do on clips is what you’ll see, when I’m in an all out fight… I believe that I may be one of the many-or-few, that their wing chun can really work under full pressure, because I kept telling myself this; Don’t be a “knowledge hog”…


Ali Rahim.

[anerlich]

FFS, are you taking drugs?


You say that, then you come up with that panda/bamboo analogy. What have you been smoking? ;)

The main purpose of this forum IS for *****ing and whining, trying to lift yourself up by pulling others down, and telling other people how to behave without doing it yourself.

Now that it's been explained to you, feel free to continue on that basis.

[Wayfaring]

... I believe that I may be one of the many-or-few, that their wing chun can really work under full pressure...

What is this pressure you speak of?

Discuss.

[Ali. R]

What is this pressure you speak of?

Discuss.


Why do I feel like I’m about to walk into something?

:confused::confused::rolleyes:


Ali Rahim.

[GeneChing]

Random Forbes article. Anything to give this here subforum a little luv. :)


Nov 30, 2018, 12:45pm
Self-Defense For The Entrepreneur's Spirit (https://www.forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2018/11/30/self-defense-for-the-entrepreneurs-spirit/#3079744d4cce)
Elaine Pofeldt
Contributor
Entrepreneurs

When martial artist Bogdan Rosu launched his own martial arts school, Empowerment Wing Chun, in Bucharest, Romania, in 2013, some of his friends were perplexed. Although they knew how passionate he was about Wing Chun—a type of kung fu focused on close-range fighting—they didn’t see much potential for him to make a living through self-employment.

“They were like, ‘Why don’t you get a job? You’re wasting your time,’” Rosu, 30, recalls.

Rosu felt frustrated, but, tapping into the mindset he’d learned from studying martial arts, he decided to let go of the anger he felt when they expressed their skepticism.

“They were testing my conviction,” he told himself. “That was valuable. They saw they couldn’t budge me.”

Today, Rosu has built a business around what he loves by teaching private lessons to a small group of martial artists at a premium price point. He has extended the Empowerment Wing Chun brand he started at the school to an online course that taps into the connections between martial arts and business and the Personal Development Through Martial Arts podcast, where I recently met him when he interviewed me about my own experiences learning taekwondo.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Felainepofeldt%2Ffiles%2F2018%2 F11%2FSTP_5273-copy-Cropped-300x300.jpg
Bogdan Rosu, based in Romania, teaches his students how to apply the principles of martial arts to their business and personal goals.EMPOWERMENT WING CHUN

As a student of martial arts and freelancer, I found Rosu’s approach to be very relevant to the daily realities of self-employment. Running a very lean operation is fun but it can sometimes be hard, and some of the biggest battles we face are with our own mindset. In a world where it can at times seem like folly to try to make a living outside of a traditional job, one of the most important skills to have is protecting your own entrepreneurial dream, no matter what form of freedom you envision for yourself. That way, misunderstanders won't sap your strength.

Here are some of my takeaways from our conversation on how to do that.

Take time to understand how your mindset affects your effectiveness. No matter how smart your approach to what you’re doing—whether martial arts or business—it won’t get you very far if you haven’t addressed underlying personal challenges, like lack of confidence. “It’s not just about having the right strategy,” says Rosu. “It’s really about diving deep into what you are going through on a personal level. If there’s an imbalance in your personal life, it can affect your business.” You may need help from an advisor or coach to break out of what is holding you back.

Know where you need to bring courage. Doing business with a demanding client or tackling a financial setback may not be the hardest part of your business. As Rosu experienced, what may be harder to process is resistance from people around you who feel entrepreneurship is too risky. Bucking that social pressure can require a lot of inner strength. “It takes a lot of courage to do your own thing and be who you are,” he says.

Nonetheless, lack of social support does not mean you should give up on what matters to you.

“Once you accept why your friends are doubting you, it will be much easier to release any anger you feel and not be dominated by it,” he says. In his own case, what helped was realizing that his friends cared about him but were fearful he was making a mistake, letting go any residential frustrations about that and redoubling his efforts to grow his business through concrete actions, like digital marketing.

Master the basics. In martial arts, you need to learn certain fundamental skills to be successful. That is why many schools focus so heavily on drills to learn them.

In a very small business, learning fundamentals such as cash flow management are just as essential—even if what drives you, deep down, is the pursuit of your professional passion and not the finances.

“It is difficult to get into the mindset of being a business owner and being aware of cash flow,” says Rosu. However, once you bring that discipline to your business, he notes, “it is an advantage.”

Put yourself in a position of power. In his practice, Rosu teaches students a breathing technique to focus them on elevating themselves, so they are in the proper mindset for growth.

When running a business, a way to do this is by thinking about attracting the clients you really want, as opposed to anyone who chooses you, he explains. A good question to ask to get yourself in this mindset is: “Whom would you love to spend time with?”

Vetting clients in a qualifying conversation to make sure they are a good fit can help with this. “You need to be in a position to say, ‘Great. I love your interest. However, I don’t feel it’s the right time to work together,” he says. “Then you put them on a waiting list.”

Modulate your approach to business challenges. Many business owners get into the habit of applying the same energy level to all business situations. You’ll often be more successful if you adjust the energy you bring to the situation, just as in martial arts. Being aggressive isn’t always the right approach.

“If you’re fighting someone who is super aggressive and you’re trying to fight fire with fire you’re going to get hit,” Rosu says. “You’re better of keeping your distance and striking at the right moment if they are using their dominant force too much.” In martial arts and business, how you think is often just as important as the specific actions you take.


Elaine Pofeldt is author of The Million-Dollar, One Person Business (Random House, January 2, 2018), a book looking at how to break $1M in revenue in a business staffed only by the owners.

[GeneChing]

Random Hong Kong article. Anything to give this here subforum a little luv :D


http://www.ejinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2011347_7a0b0e9223d39e99464cc6219a67ba3d-692x360.jpg
Wing Chun kung fu teaches students the importance of getting rid of old thinking and embracing new ideas. Photo: Xinhua

Home Hong Kong Local
Erwin Huang
Dec 10, 2018 10:35am
How Wing Chun inspired me to unlearn old ideas, embrace new ones (http://www.ejinsight.com/20181210-how-wing-chun-inspired-me-to-unlearn-old-ideas-embrace-new-ones/)

A friend of mine quit his high-paying job as chief operating officer of a company more than a decade ago to help his kung fu master run a martial arts club. He was already a Wing Chun master when we met up again recently.

Inspired by his dedication to martial arts, I took up Wing Chun. In the process of learning this style of kung fu, I found that its philosophy is basically to challenge existing rules.

The learning process has taught me the importance of getting rid of my old thinking and embracing new ideas.

Come to think of it, I have had a similar experience in my career development.

A few years ago, I decided to leave the world of business to pursue a career in the education sector.

I had to start everything from scratch. Projects such as the DreamStarter program, which aims to empower primary school students to fulfill their dreams, the JA Company Programme, which enables secondary school students to develop their entrepreneurial spirit and skills, or the entrepreneurship course that I teach in the university – these are all new things.

From program design to teaching method, I had to build everything from ground zero.

I also realized the same teaching approach does not work for every student. To unlock and unleash the full potential of a student, a good educator should adjust the teaching process according to each individual’s talent, capability and feedback, instead of going by the textbook all the time.

Also, in a world where information can be had from all sorts of channels, it makes better sense than spoon-feeding students to help them develop their own thinking and guide them on the path of actively identifying problems and solving them by themselves.

The world is rapidly changing. Technological innovations are disrupting traditional industries. That’s an inevitable trend. Many jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence within five to ten years.

Whether their choice of education will fit the needs of future society has been the concern of many parents and students. Instead of worrying about the future, it might be a better idea to get ready to unlearn old ideas and embrace new ones constantly. This is a better way to adapt to the rapidly changing world.

This article appeared in the Hong Kong Economic Journal on Dec 3

Translation by Julie Zhu

[Chinese version 中文版 (http://startupbeat.hkej.com/?p=66784)]

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RT/CG