Dream Big- Passion of Learning

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It was an honour to have Angela Maiers cross post and feature this "conversation" on her blog. Many thanks to her for her encouragement in sharing my passion to learn!

Why is it that we are often our own greatest obstacle to overcome?

I love being a dreamer.  Of imagining a world of possibilities that will shape and guide me.

So then, what does it mean to dream big ... I mean really?

I hear these words all the time... and yet I am not sure if I really understand what they mean. Or is it I don't value enough my own desires to actualize them?  

That is exactly what it was ... until now.

This new year I have taken more than one step into uncharted territory.

Going back to school as a full time student after twenty years was no small feat. No small challenge but in many respects offered the incentive to really dream big.

I have long been looking for a passion that could rival both being a teacher as well as mother and wife.  I knew that while I could utterly feel fulfilled in these roles I really felt I owed it to who I am to explore who I hope to become.  Envisioning the future isn't only for the young, but probably most especially, for the young at heart.

Here is where the footsteps of my quest have taken me...

I have found my passion in one of the most unlikeliest of places. I can't give myself any more credit that the simple fact that I stumbled upon it.  Hiding in the shadows of my existence, it has become a part of me without me even knowing it was happening.  I have been immersed in this culture and life for years now, but only recently could I see it calling to me with fresh eyes. I know that to dream big is to follow in the direction I am being led.

My passion is the martial art of Muay Thai. The word Muay is derived from the Sanskrit Mavya which means "to bind together". Those simple words completely encompass how I feel when I am training. I am bound to the learning in a way I never thought was possible.  The confidence I feel is only matched by the competence I gain from each new training session.  It consumes many of my waking thoughts and, for the first time, I revel in knowing that this learning is a part of who I am.  It has empowered me as a learner and given me a focus that compliments every other aspect of my life.  Muay Thai has been an amazing teacher ... combining humility, assurance, skill, tenacity, and intelligence as part of the curriculum.  My own teachers, each and every kru (sensei), continue to offer me the challenge I need to grow in my skill, understanding, and learning.  Most importantly, they instil in me the confidence to continue on.

I have never looked back and now truly understand what passion and fire feels like as it burns inside of me. I know that my journey has only just begun ... mastery may very well be a minute speck in the far distance, but with discipline and passion as my compass, I know I am headed in the right direction.  Someday mastery might very well intersect my future.

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." ~Bruce Lee

And so continues my passion and desire to learn... 

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Getting It Done

Good morning fellow #temters and friends,


I hope you've all been getting active in some way. On my walk each morning, I really have enjoyed the distraction of Twitter. I open my Twitter app, turn on the tunes, and set my timer. On my Interval Timer it adjusts the music depending on a low intensity or a high intensity. I get the opportunity to catch up on my tweets or favourite any that I want to look at later, especially blog posts where I can see it. I'm thinking about buying an iPad just for that reason. I'm going to have to justify it a bit better... Maybe a goal would be to continue to workout each day for the months of September and October. I'm a bit worried that I'm going to let it slide with the busyness of heading back to work. I know you'll all push me to get it done :-). When I've worked out faithfully I'll buy myself the iPad (it'll also give me time to save up for it). Anyways, I'll stop rambling now. My point is if you find yourself addicted to Twitter because of all the good stuff and you still want to get up moving, take your Smartphone or iPhone with you. Just take caution. We don't want to hear of accidents happening.


I'm actually very proud of myself for committing to exercising.  I've gone passed my half way 30 Day Challenge on the Wii (Yay Me!!!) and I'm into my third week of Walking Training. I'm so proud of myself. I feel great. Each day I'm not dreading doing the workouts. I'm finding time to get active in some way. Sometimes, I have to multitask hence the iPhone and Twitter :-). #temt has been such a motivator. When I see others getting out and being active it helps to motivate me to do the same thing.


I've had a goal for the last 3 weeks and it's to get past a certain plateau. Tonight at Weight Watchers I'm hoping to have passed it. I've been here for 5 weeks and I'm hoping the working out is going to help. It did last week, so lets cross our fingers this week. I'm not going to get distracted by the scale because I know the exercise is helping in a lot of other areas as well. It hasn't been that long of a time period. I know we all want results instantly but to see the effects of exercising and eating healthy does take time.

Take time out for yourself, be active and enjoy what you are doing. Remember, we're all here to support and encouragement each other.

Also posted at April's Best Life

Why I joined #temt

I was kind of dreading the 5:30 spinning class.
Don't get me wrong, spinning classes are my absolute favorite classes at my gym. It was just that I hadn't been to the gym in 6 months.
< G.u.l.p. >
During the harsh winter, I fell on ice that left me in a hospital for 4 days and 6 months of recovery. I had a bad contusion around my tailbone so I had a sore *bottom* for a while. Actually, I had so much pain I couldn't walk. I was out of school for 3 weeks.
That's when my blog was born. I couldn't do much so I sat up with my laptop and learned a great deal during the recovery time. My PLN was absolutely awesome and encouraging.

Lately, I've been reading some tweets about getting in shape - phrases like "I just ran..." or "I'm going to go (insert something active), or "I just ousted so and so at my gym" etc. kept popping up. I even heard Jerry (@cybraryman1) give a shout out for #temt from #ntcamp!

It was just the time for me to give exercise a try. I've been scared to sit in the cycling seats, and was not sure if my legs would hold me up.

As soon as I set up my bike, I got on it and started pedalling.
I just smiled like a fool because it felt so good :-).

As a musician, I didn't really try to be good at any sport. Actually I wasn't allowed to play a lot of sports because of possible injuries. I never thought I'd join a gym, but because I loved cycling so much, I joined last year for the first time ever.

Something I love about spinning/cycling class:
1. Love listening to good music while working out (here's a pic of our workout songs).
2. I find myself keeping the beat, counting, and focused, like students in my class. It's quite fun!
3. I love it that you can adjust when to push yourself or relax a bit - I learned to pace & listen to my body.
4. Our cycling room is PACKED every time I go, full of people ready to challenge themselves and being good to their bodies. It's very much like finding such passionate learners in our PLN...every day, any time of the day.
5. It makes me feel really good.

My legs are sore now, but I'm so glad I'm doing this (and my bottom is OK!).
Thanks, PLN for encouraging me to think and take action.

I like this start - and would like to keep it going.

Let's go!
@DoremiGirl #feelingood

Attitude Adjustment

I mentioned in my previous post here that I work out at Curves three times a week. I generally go Monday-Wednesday-Friday. So I wasn't even planning on working out today (Thursday). I came home much later than anticipated after a very trying day, not feeling like doing much of anything. I realized I was just full of frustration and maybe a workout would be helpful. Guess what! It was! When I checked in to CurvesSmart my results indicated that I worked way past my target for the workout, and stayed in "green" even on the machines that usually kick my butt. Seeing the results of my workout on the screen gave me an instant attitude adjustment.

My message for this short post: don't let a bad day be an excuse to not exercise, because it might be just what you need to change your frown upside-down!

Photo by lrargerich on Flickr

Great Starts

I have found that a good breakfast sets the tone for my day. I used to be a cereal or donut/bagel/treat, etc. type of breakfast eater. But when I made some changes in my breakfast choices, I found that I was not starving by 10:00 and ready to shove anything in my mouth. If you work in schools, you know the food that is around the lounge or offices isn't usually "healthy" fare.

The other thing about my breakfast is it has to be edible in the "dashboard diner" on my commute. I have a cereal/granola bar, some fruit, and some protein in the form of nuts or cheese.

Last year my friend introduced me to Vitatops and I love them. They are very filling, and meet my "dashboard diner" requirement as well. Sign up for their email list for special offers. They have many flavors, including several varieties of chocolate. (I'm not getting anything for this; just sharing with #temt something that works for me.)

Some days I'll change things up and have a soft-cooked egg (at the kitchen table), in lieu of the nuts or cheese, which I make in my Egg Genie. I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond with the famous 20% off coupon.

It's not fancy, but it works for me. And it might work for you, too.

A Time to Grow

Every spring and summer I get inspired by nature and all of its beauty. Everything is green and growing...full of potential. This spring I got caught up in this potential and started looking for ways to challenge myself to grow as a person, and as an educator. My first big change was to sign up for Twitter and begin to put myself out there, making comments, sharing ideas, and listening. In those opportunities I have learned so much, grown, and seen more potential for myself than ever before. The people I have virtually "met" have taught me so much. I know that this journey of growth and potential has just begun.

I have truly been challenged intellectually by my Twitter PLN but I began to realize that I haven't been challenging myself physically. I have put so much of my energy into work and my family that by the end of the day, after some Twittering, I had nothing left for my body. I only had to look at the scale to know this was true. I knew that I had to do something but I also knew that for me exercise has never been fun. In fact I really dislike it and any motivation I have ever had to do it was often short lived. My question, my own personal inquiry, was how can I bring the motivation I have to learn more and push myself intellectually into pushing myself physically?

The possible answer to this question came to me while chatting with my new Twitter friends @flourishingkids and @TheHomeworkDog. We decided to create a little support group around exercise, make a daily goal, and check in with each other to see if we had meet those goals. And now within days our little group has grown into a team. A team of wonderful people who are there to offer the support and motivation I have often longed for. I love that we have a blog to contribute to and be motivated by. I love that we have a hashtag #temt to call home. And most of all I love that we have so many wonderful people, who are willing to share, inspire, and motivate. Thanks everyone for this time to grow and …Go Team!!!!

Getting Started!

Hi there! My name is Greta, I’m an English as a second language teacher from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I joined twitter in 2007, but I've been tweeting for about three months. I’m really amazed by its power. Not only do I have an awesome PLN, but also a motivational team! I can’t ask for more! I’m so thrilled about #temt. It’s exactly what I needed!

It’s winter here, and to be honest, it’s the perfect excuse for me to avoid working out. I keep making up excuses such as: I’m too tired, I have to do some planning or grading, the weather is cold… and the list goes on! I don’t want to put on any pounds this winter, so I’d better start working out ASAP!

My goal is to work out for 45 minutes at least 4 times a week. I want to set a realistic goal, by realistic I mean “do-able”, I strongly believe that’s the best way to start. We tend to feel a great sense of achievement when meeting goals, and this will definitely encourage me to go for more. Quoting Mark Twain, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started”…

What about you? When are you getting started? How are you planning to do it? I’d love to hear your stories.