Spring 2008
02/05/08 17:43 Filed in: News
It
has been just over three years that Cloud Mountain
Martial Arts and Wellness Centre has been at this
location. As predicted, it seems that is about the
length of time it takes for people to start
acknowledging the existence of a new business. People
are now coming in and asking how long we have been
here, invariably to be surprised that they didn't
notice us sooner.
When people do come in, however, they realise that they know more about us than they thought. Word of mouth advertising has been working far better than anything we could have paid for. People who know about us do talk about us and recommend us to their friends and family. After three years in one location, the neighbours might not know exactly where we are. But they know what we do.
The word isn't just spreading around town, either. It is spreading around the world. We have already had visitors from the USA, Europe, Japan and Australia come by to visit and to train. And with the online classes allowing us to teach around the world, making an appointment for a private lesson is almost as easy for a European as it is for an Orillian.
I find the international interest in what I do to be very flattering. We all know that there are many masters out there more famous than I am, with better skill and experience than I have. But for some students, my teaching method and knowledge base seems to work for them. I know that not every teacher is right for every student, and not every student is right for every teacher. But when there is a functional rapport, it is like destiny. (緣分 yuánfèn)
I am learning to trust destiny. It has been working out well for me so far. Some students will not like what I have to offer, and some students I turn away if I think there is a better teacher out there for them somewhere. I trust that they will find what is right for them, and I will find the right students for me.
For, when a student does find that this school is for them, I take it as a solemn responsibility to be as generous and fair with them as my teachers have been with me. Masters Liang and Masich, in particular, were never shy about giving me the best teaching at the appropriate time. I was sometimes a terrible student, and sometimes disrespectful, selfish and lazy. But they never gave up on me. And while I may not have done all that I could to earn the respect they have shown me, I can certainly try to learn from their example.
So, as Cloud Mountain Martial Arts and Wellness Centre enters a new phase. I re-affirm my dedication to my students. I will do the best I can to gain knowledge, to share knowledge, and to be the best teacher I can be. I will continue to teach not just to pass on the physical, mental and emotional skills of the internal arts, but to seek internal and external balance, harmony and peace. I will do what I can to make the World a better place, one person at a time.
When people do come in, however, they realise that they know more about us than they thought. Word of mouth advertising has been working far better than anything we could have paid for. People who know about us do talk about us and recommend us to their friends and family. After three years in one location, the neighbours might not know exactly where we are. But they know what we do.
The word isn't just spreading around town, either. It is spreading around the world. We have already had visitors from the USA, Europe, Japan and Australia come by to visit and to train. And with the online classes allowing us to teach around the world, making an appointment for a private lesson is almost as easy for a European as it is for an Orillian.
I find the international interest in what I do to be very flattering. We all know that there are many masters out there more famous than I am, with better skill and experience than I have. But for some students, my teaching method and knowledge base seems to work for them. I know that not every teacher is right for every student, and not every student is right for every teacher. But when there is a functional rapport, it is like destiny. (緣分 yuánfèn)
I am learning to trust destiny. It has been working out well for me so far. Some students will not like what I have to offer, and some students I turn away if I think there is a better teacher out there for them somewhere. I trust that they will find what is right for them, and I will find the right students for me.
For, when a student does find that this school is for them, I take it as a solemn responsibility to be as generous and fair with them as my teachers have been with me. Masters Liang and Masich, in particular, were never shy about giving me the best teaching at the appropriate time. I was sometimes a terrible student, and sometimes disrespectful, selfish and lazy. But they never gave up on me. And while I may not have done all that I could to earn the respect they have shown me, I can certainly try to learn from their example.
So, as Cloud Mountain Martial Arts and Wellness Centre enters a new phase. I re-affirm my dedication to my students. I will do the best I can to gain knowledge, to share knowledge, and to be the best teacher I can be. I will continue to teach not just to pass on the physical, mental and emotional skills of the internal arts, but to seek internal and external balance, harmony and peace. I will do what I can to make the World a better place, one person at a time.
