Wandern - Let's go hiking in 2026!

 

Mental Ball Training :-)

Mental Training is actually not a new science. It is something that human society ignores in its significance. We are told and we here all day here and there that "everything is just a matter of mind", but actually we ignore this biggest truth of our essence. Our life's quality is inside of us and we aren't able to take advantage of this fascinating power. 

But many people know about their inner power and they use it. Some are doing it from instinct, some are doing it due to their intuition and some are taught by the waves of life the hard way. 

All my life long I used this ability without knowing. And if you don't know it, if you aren't conscious about the fact that you really can use the power inside yourself, life can go wrong. Because we never get into a routine to live our life as life means changes, movements, challenges, errors, joy and pain, tears, and laughs.

The art of mental training is different because it is a conscious process and this is a huge difference. If we would start to live in this way our life would be very different and if our life would be different the general collective energy of Earth would be much better for all of us. So you can say that after all, it is just an issue of education. Very regrettably. 

There are many methods to be mentally trained. It sounds stupid ..... because we are actually "mentally trained" before we land on this world. Just now in this entire Corona story, we transit a new era of "to be mentally trained". What I mean is of course to train, not to be trained. We are born in a world where everything is pre-established for us. We are told how many years we have to go in Kindergarten, how many years we have to go to school, we are told how many hours we have to sleep, we are told how many hours per day we must work, we are told when we are allowed to retire from work, we are told to wear the face mask, we are told to go to be tested, we are told we will be vaccinated and so on, no end until the last breath of each of us!

To live your own life, you have no choice but to learn, to understand, to exercise, and to include mental training in your daily life. After weeks, months, and years you will know that it was worth starting the process.

I started the process some years ago because life forced me to become conscious. So I understood that it is absolutely vital to train my unconscious first and I know it can sound crazy, but to make your consciousness your friend, you need to train first your unconsciousness. 

Last week I had a revelation. I have a lot of revelations throughout the last years. A lot. One of them was drawing as meditation. I absolutely felt how my brain changes after months of intensive creative drawing. My life changed finally. I am still on the way to the path as part of the final road, but I know that my life changed through this kind of meditation. 

The latest revelation is .... a foot-ball. Oh yes ...

Playing football on your own is a fantastic method to train your body (muscles and functions), your spirit, your movements, and YOUR BRAIN!

Playing football not for socialization or as competition, but on your own. To be there, to feel, to experiment, to let your mind outside of yourself, to enter new dimensions ...

So, do you feel in the mood for a football game? Let me know how it worked out for you! Enjoy it!

P.S. Last time I remember to be playing ball was about 35 years ago. As a small girl, I was very good at playing football with the guys. I remember that the only friends in my summer holidays were the books from the local library where I and my mother spend the summer holidays and the ball. 

I found an old and chopped football about three months ago. I took it home. I knew I will use it.  An here I am now. I bought a sort of "ball bag" with an elastic band which can be attached to the body and you can train for hours with it. I assure you that it's a fascinating way to let your mind on a new journey .... I train YOU!

+43 676 327 9114 - I am located in Austria, Salzburger Land and I mobile 

www.sportyourlife.at

"Das Ziel steht mir im Weg!" .....

Hast du in deinem Leben irgendwelche Erfolge gehabt, ohne Ziele im Voraus fest zu definieren, bzw. sie festzulegen?
Nein? Ja?

Wenn man darüber denkt, dass Gehen im Sinne einen Erfolg ist, den man durchs lernen, stürzen, sich verletzen und immer wieder hochkommen erreicht, würde ich sagen: ich habe mir das Gehen nie als Ziel definiert, aber den Erfolg in diesem Sinne habe ich erreicht. Das heisst aber kaum, dass alles im Leben einfach so verläuft .....

   Ein Weg zu einen Ziel ist allerdings ..... Bewegung! Und der Weg zum ersten Ziel ist einfach ein Training für die nächsten Wege zu den nächsten Ziele.

   Ist (oder war) dein Ziel 10 Kg in 5 Monate abzunehmen? Sind die 5 Monate vergangen und du sogar einen Kilo mehr drauf hast? Wie fühlst du dich damit? Ganz ehrlich ......

   Die meisten erwarten auf dem ”richtigen Druck”, um etwas für ihren Ziele zu unternehmen. Die verfolgen ihren (fest) definierten Ziele nicht tatsächlich und es kann sein, dass sie den Anfang machen, aber dann es  kontinuierlich die weiteren Schritte nicht mehr weiterbringen.

   Na ja .... woher soll der Erfolg kommen? Du kannst in einer Woche nie Das erreichen, was du in 5 Monate nicht verfolgt, bzw. aufgebaut hast.

Wäre nicht effizienter ... neh, effizient ist nicht gerade was ich meinte ..... ich suche ein anderes Wort .... Wäre nicht sinnvoller auch die Wege zum Ziel mit zu definieren und ebefalls möglichst machbar sie (fest) zu gestalten? Manchmal sogar  statt den Ziel selbst? Weil oft uns das Leben zeigt, dass unser Ziel am Anfang einen Namen trug, aber am Ende doch anders wird. Und meistens paßt uns es sogar besser so. Da den ganzen Prozess unterwegs sinnvoll zu unserem Gunsten verändert wurde. Es ist genau wie im Training und deswegen empfehle ich den Sportlern nur personalisierte Trainingspläne zu folgen, weil unterwegs immer Kleinigkeiten vorkommen und der Trainingsplan einfach dementsprechend angepasst werden soll. Wenn deinen Trainingsplan für einen Ironman 4 Trainingseinheiten pro Woche vorsieht und in einer Woche du krank wirst, was wirst du dann machen? In die nächste Woche 8 Trainingseinheiten durchführen?! Bestimmt nicht! Du fragst deinen Trainer nach und er wird dich erneut bewerten und deinen Trainingsplan anpassen. Längere Einheiten oder höhere Intensitäten oder was immer nötig und passend für dich ist. Das ist teilweise auch Fingerspitzengefühl, aber natürlich auch Erfahrung. 

Viele definieren im Leben Ziele die gar nicht 

ihre Ziele sind. Die passen zu ihnen gar nicht. 

Ich bin ein Reisender. Wir alle sind Reisenden in diesem Leben, aber ich meine ich bin richtig durch die Kontinenten gereist, mehrere 6-Tausender geklettert usw.. Mit Flugzeug, Zügen, Schiffe, sehr viel zu Fuß, getrammpelt habe ich auch erlebt, sogar auf einer Autobahn in Österreich, da ich damals keine Ahnung hatte, dass man auf Autobahn nicht trampeln darf oder genauer gesagt, keine Ahnung hatte, wie eine Autobahn aussieht ...

   Dann ab und zu, als Leute über meine Reisen liesen, hörte ich mir folgenden Sätze an: "Ach du Anca, ich beneide dich. Ich würde so gerne dein Leben haben!"
   Einfach so, ohne genaueres über mein Leben überhaupt zu wissen oder zu fragen. Dann sagte ich, je nach dem Fall: "Ach komm, dass paßt gar nicht zu dir!” oder „Wirklich? Bist du dir so sicher?” Und diejenigen die meine Rückantwort wahrnahmen erlebten in den Moment so eine Art „Aufwachen”-Blitz und sahen ein, dass sie mein Leben doch nicht meistern könnten, weil sie einfach anders waren! Viel mehr anders. 

Warum erreichen die meisten Menschen 

ihren Ziele doch nicht? 

   Meiner Meinung nach, ein möglicher Grund wäre Mangeln an Begeisterung. Ja genau! BEGEISTERUNG! Das ist so ein schönes Wort im Deutsch.

  Versuch mal euch vorzustellen, deinen Ziel würde ins Gedanken durch eine volle Begeisterung auftauchen. Du willst nicht reich werden um das Yacht zu kaufen, der deinen Nachbarn auf dein Leben neidisch machen würde. Du wills reich werden, nur weil für dich Reichtum das Gefühl der Erfüllung gibt.Viele sind von Reichtum gar nicht begeistert! Viele haben nur die Illusion, Reichtum wäre alles was sie erfüllen könnte und suchen die Erfüllung gar nicht an die Quelle ..... nämlich in sich selbst (aber das ist eine andere Thema). 

   Ziele sollten allerdings mit dir persönlich etwas zu tun haben. Sie sollten abhängig von jede Art der äußere Beeinflussung sein. Sie sollten nur von deinen Begeisterung, Emotionen, Willenskraft abhängig sein.
   „Warum will ich überhaupt abnehmen?”- fragt sich im Idealfall eine möllige Frau. Möglichen Antworten: 
1. Weil meine Nachbarin schlank ist und Männer anzieht; 
2. Weil meine Nachbarin schlank ist und mein Mann sie immer öfter anlächelt; 
3. Weil mir der Arzt sagte, ich muss unbedingt abnehmen. 
4. Weil ich in meinen Sexy-Hosen nicht mehr rein passe usw.usf. 
Wenn dein Ziel keinen Sinn für dich persönlich macht, dann steht dir den Ziel im Weg, ihn zu erreichen. 
Warum willst du abnehmen?
Warum willst du mit Rauchen aufhören?
Warum willst du mit Lauftraining anfangen?
Warum willst du das und dies?

Eine heiße Thema: 

raus aus Depression kommen. 

Ist das ein Ziel oder nicht? Ich habe eine Freundin die gerade in dieser Situation ist .... und ich weiss genau, dass ich sie gerade jetzt nicht erreichen kann ..... egal was ich tue, weil ich genau dort war, wo sie anscheinend ist.

   Ich war in meinem Leben oft depressiv. Ich dachte immer, die Gründe wären objektiv, jetzt weiss ich aber, dass die Gründe subjektiv sind.

   Um so den Umfang meiner Depression zu vermitteln: von 25 Jahren meines Lebens etwa 23 waren von Depressionen sehr stark geprägt. Ich dachte damals nicht in solchen Begriffe wie Zielsetzung, Ziele definieren, mentales Training, Verantwortung über mich und der Gestaltung meines Lebens übernehmen ("WTF ist das?!) usw.

Daher war „Raus aus Depressionzustand” nie ein Ziel für mich. Natürlich dachte ich und pflegte immer zu sagen, dass ich nicht mehr depressiv sein will ..... genau so .... „ich will nicht mehr” statt „ich will lebensfroh sein, singen beim Aufwachen, singen beim Einschlafen”.... und so wie die Anziehungskraftgesetz funktioniert, blieb ich all diesen Jahren – mit Pausen dazwischen, die ich künstlich anlegte – depressiv. Es war ein Zustand. Und es lief so lange in dieser Art und Weise, dass fast einen Lebensstill geworden ist. Als die Sachen bei mir einmal schön waren, waren die Gedanken sofort los: „Ach was, das ist zu schön für mich, um wahr zu sein.” Und dann war es einmal nicht mehr so schön! Warum? Weil ich gedanklich einfach überzeugt war, ich verdiene es nicht, glücklig zu sein. Und gerade als ich dachte, ich sei hoch auf dem Gipfel angekommen, stürtze ich wieder mit voller Geschwindigkeit ins Abgrund zurück ..... und das macht im Endeffekt auf Dauer lebensmüde!

   Ich wollte theoretisch lebensfroh sein – nach dem Motto: „Theoretisch kann ich praktisch alles!” -, ein Sinn des Lebens blicken, ich machte immer so einen Start ins Optimismus, aber dann, nach kurze Zeit, landete ich zurück zu meinen Depressionen, ging nicht mehr aus, sprach mit keinem, da mich sowieso keiner verstanden hätte, da ich sowieso nichts Interessantes zu erzählen hätte, da ich sowieso keinen Sinn für Humor hätte und solche Sachen. 

Ziele definieren reicht allerdings nicht

   Stell dir vor, deinen Ziel ist so definiert: „Ich will auf dem Gipfel von Everest sein!” Und du bist da. Und du guckst herum, freust dich und in dem Moment aber wird es dir klar .... „Ups, nun muss ich wohl zurück, oder? Ich kann gar nicht atmen hier, es ist alles nur Eis, Öd, ich habe Hunger, es wird mir schwindelig .....” Ja, genau, weil dort auf dem Gipfel bei fast 9.000 Meter kannst du nicht lange bleiben. Vielleicht halbe Stunde höchstens.
   Verstehst du? Kinder machen so .... ich zumindest ich immer, als Kind, voller Begeisterung höhe Bäume hoch geklettert. Ich war immer schon vor der Augen meiner Mutter verschwunden, bevor sie überhaupt merken konnte, wo meine Ziel war!! :-) Wieder auf die Erde heil zu kommen war schon eine andere Geschichte ..... ich war hoch, auf meinem Everest, und gleichzeitig bis zum Hals im Scheiße!!

Das Leben ist für vielen eine lange Kette von Zielen und nicht alle werden unterwegs erreicht. Das heisst Ausdauer. An diese Sachen denken aber viele nicht. Sie denken kurzfristig. Sie wollen 10 Kg in 2 Wochen abnehmen. Ohne weiteren Gedanken, ohne den Prozess zu verstehen, ohne sich zu fragen, welche Schritte dafür gemacht werden sollen, ob die dafür richtig vorbereitet sind und wenn nicht, wie bereitet man so ein Prozess vor? Sie sind nur so sturr ausscließlich auf dem Ziel fokusiert, dass sie den ganzen Weg zum Ziel ignorieren. Sie starten an, im besten Fall, und dann stolpern sie oder stürzen sie und kommen möglicherweise nie wieder hoch. Ich sage es nicht unbedingt, dass das Leben einen Geschäftsplan ist ....  

   Ausdauer bedeutet allerdings auch Regenerations- und Entspannungsphasen während des Prozesses. Mal richtig anhalten, den Moment anfühlen, wenn nötig kurz nach hinten gucken, kurz nach vorne gucken und den Moment genießen. Nur so kommt mit dem nächsten Schritt in Superkompensation, weil während dieser Phase wir kreativer werden und viel besser Lösungen finden, eventuelle Ungleichgewichte rechtzeitig spüren ....

   Das mit dem Abnehmen kenne ich nur zu gut ..... alle möglichen Diäten durchgeführt, teuere „Schlank-Macher”-Produkte gekauft und am Ende war ich depressiv und bissl dicker geworden. 

   Ein neuen Ziel in deinem Leben bedeutet meistens Änderungen in deinem Leben. Viele wünschen sich Änderungen im Leben, aber ändern sich nicht und ändern ihre Gewöhnheiten kaum. Und dann sagen, dass das Leben unfair wäre. 

   Ein jungen Mann aus Indien hat mich per E-Mail vor etwa zwei Monate kontaktiert, er wolle Ironman machen (3,8 km schwimmen, 180 km Radfahren und 42,195 km laufen, alles in 17 Stunden). Ob ich ihm dabei helfe? Ja, sicher. Ich habe ihm einen Fragebogen geschickt, ich habe ihm gesagt wie er anfangen sollte .... dann kam die erste Reaktion von ihm: "Aber hier regnet es die ganze Zeit, es ist gerade Monsunzeit!" Ich war verblüft. Ich sagte nur: "Und? Ich dachte, dein Traum wäre, Ironman zu starten!"  

   Ein guter Mentor oder Trainer wird dir von Anfang an sagen:

„Ich sage es nicht, es wird leicht. Ich sage es nur, du wirst es erreichen. Aber es wird weh tun und dein ganzes Leben wird umgestellt. Und nach einige Zeit wirst du zurückblicken und wirst du an deinen vorigen Leben nicht mehr kehren wollen, weil das neue Leben sich so verdammt gut sich anfüllt!"
   Ja, sicher, Ziel definieren ist wichtig. Wir hören doch überall: "Wer sein Ziel kennt, findet der Weg." - aber diesen Spruch enthält nur einen Teil der Information! Als Überschrift reicht, aber davon versteht jeder etwas anderes oder gar nichts, abhängig wo sich man gerade im Leben mit dem Verstand, Erfahrung und Emotionen sich befindet!

Große Ziele brauchen .... eine Weile ruhig bleiben ....

   Fragen, Anregungen, Kommentare? Bitte gerne :-) 

Achte bitte drauf, dass dieses Artikel nicht alle Aspekte im Umfang nehmen konnte, über Ziele definieren und festsezten kann man sehr viel sprechen und sogar üben. Übung macht den Meister und wir sind mit dem Lernen nie am Ende!

And YES, I AM!!! Certified IM Coach

Ironman Journeys: how about dreaming (even about a Castle in Low Austria)?

Man spricht immer über Ironman Journey .... 

There are always talks about an Ironman Journey .... 

natürlich ist die ganze Zeit eine lange Erlebnissreise, angefangen mit dem ersten Gedanke um teilzunehmen und bis nach Erreichen des Ziels! Und dann kommt die nächste Kurve :-)

And of course! The entire preparation time is a long Journey which starts with the first thought about even attemp the race and it does not ends after passing the finish line .... as the new curve is coming :-)

als alles weitergeht, weil nach dem Ziel ist Dein Glücksgefühl so stark, dass Du sofort eine Neue Reise anfangen willst! 

Ja, das ist Ironman Journey!! 

Ein Kreis mit vielen Bausteine und einen Neuen Lebensstill!

 

because then you feel so strong, that you want it again!! To start again a New Journey to the Next Race of Ironman! 

Yes, this is the Ironman Journey!!

A circle with many milestones and a New Life Style!

Die Trainingseinheiten sind oft sehr herausfordernd und machmal können auch sehr langweilig werden, besonders wenn man alleine unterwegs ist. Man spricht ja nicht umsonst über "Die Einsamkeit des Läufers", was aber nicht bedeutet, dass die Tore zugesperrt sind!

The training units are ofter challenging and sometimes can be pretty boring, especially when training alone on a long route. The talks about "The Athlete's Loneliness" are not in vain. But this does not mean the gates are closed!

Was viele  machen und empfehlen: 

Bring Neues in Deiner Routine, versuche immer die Strecken zu wechseln, versuche immer neue Strecken zu Entdecken, zu dokumentieren. Kombiniere doch ein bisschen die Arbeit, Schwitzen mit Schönheit, Respiro, Bilder .... nimm Dir Zeit zu träumen, Dich mental vorzubereiten. Träumen gehört einfach dazu, falls Du es noch nicht wusstest.

What many others are doing and suggesting:

Bring News in your Routine! Always try to change the routes, to discover new routes and to document them. Combine your work(out) and the sweat with beauty around you, moments of breaks and respiro .... take your time to dream. Yes, to dream ... it is a component of the Mental Training in case you never thought about it.

So "fand" ich unterwegs ......  einen Schloß aus dem 14. Jahrhundert und ich erinnerte mich dass mein Traum als kleines Mädchen war .... mein eigenes Schloß zu haben :-) Und der Traum geht weiter ....... genau wie meine Reise.

So that today I "found" a big Castle from the 14th Century and I recalled my little-girl-dream about having my own Castle :-)

My dream goes on .... exactly as my Journey is doing. If you want to touch the moon, you have to set a goal about touching the moon, right? Right!

IM Coaching: Liegestütz

Ausführung:

Beginne mit gestreckten Armen in Bauchlage, die Hände etwas weiter als Schulterbreite aufgestellt, die Finger weisen nach vorn.

Spanne Deine Core-Muskulatur an und senke den Oberkörper ab, bis er leicht den boden berührt, das Gewicht bleibt jedoch auf den Armen. Achte auf eine geraden Rücken und eine neutrale Kopfhaltung. 

Dan drücke in einer explosiven, doch kontrollierten Bewegung die Arme durch und den Körper nach oben zurück in die Ausgangsstellung, bis die Ellenbogen nur noch minimal gebeught sind. Wiederhole die Bewegung bis die gewünschte Zahl an Wiederholungen erreicht ist.

TRIATHLON FOKUS  

Liegestütze sind eine der effektivsten und am weitesten verbreiteten Übungen für die Oberkörpermuskulatur, die es gibt! Sie zielen auf Schlüssel-Muskelgruppen im Torso und in den Oberarmen ab, die in allen drei Triathlondisziplinen aktiv genutzt werden. Und weil sie so einfach durchzuführen und keinerlei zusätzliche Geräte notig sind, sind einfache Liegestütze so praktisch und lassen sich fast überall und jederzeit absolvieren.

Schwimmer profitieren durch stärkere Brustmuskulatur, insbesondere im bereich des großen Brustmuskels und des Trizeps, die beim Freistil von entscheidender Bedeutung sind. Mehr Kraft in diesen Muskelgruppen ermöglicht größere Ausdauerleistungen und mehr Power beim Vortrieb.

Reine Rennradfahrer und Läufer haben - mit wenigen Ausnahmen - einen notorisch schwach entwickelten Oberkörper. 

Triathleten tendieren durch die Schwimmanforderungen hingegen zu einem besser trainierten Oberkörper und die durch Liegestütz aufgebaute Kraft ermöglicht ihnen auch eine stabilere Haltung auf dem Rad, wenn sie am Berg aus dem Sattel gehen. 

Läufer können durch entsprechendes Training der Ermüdung des Oberkörpers bei harten Bergaufintervallen entgegenwirken und beim Endspurt die Arme effektiver einsetzen.    

Quelle:"Triathlon Anatomie" von Mark Klion, Troy Jacobson

Certified IM Coach: The Journey!

As I firstly read, about one year ago, that the Institution of Ironman USA

is going to offer a course for becoming Ironman Coach with a discount of 100 USD I immediatly subscribed and paid. Not because I had too much money, but because I had a feeling.

I didn't have the entire amount availabe - 600 USD - and I asked if it is possible to pay 50% at that moment and 50% about three months later. Unfortunately they could not offer that option. So, I gave up some food and I did not subscribed anymore for races and somehow I paid the 600 USD. The course start was announced to be somewhere at mid of August 2015. They still had to manage technical issues.

Life and things got ugly for me,  I regreted about giving so much money for an on-line course about I just could guess it will be OK ..... but it was done, no refunds possible. Ironman has a cruel politic about "no refunds" or, if they accept some situations after all, the disadvantages are huge for the client.

A very agitated period of time continued to ruin my life, I "lost" my job after being 3,5 months in sickness leaving, I "had to" move out, I started a new job which I "lost it" after 3 weeks, I've got sick again. In the new home I had huge troubles with communication options, no phone possibilites and no decent internet connections. I find myself alone, sick, without any work, little money and a ruined life.
(About "loosing" the 2 jobs there is a very interesting fact actually: I hated them! From the first day, even before I started each time, but at that time I choose to take the chance for a next step, so the movie of my life just goes on and someday I will be able to see and understand why things happend how they happened. There is always an explanation!)

It was absolutely impossible to study the course which I started on 1st of September and the deadline from the moment you loged in was 90 days. In November I wrote to them in USA and I tried to explain the "life sucks at the moment" and I really need a postponed deadline as I am not able to have internet connection. I requested three months, they gave me two months. 

Sick again, new issues occured, I move out again, winter was over all including my soul and abilities and everything. Mid of January I left home for one month and I was busy with administrative stuff back in Bucharest, I returned to Austria sick. Very sick. 

So, to be shorter:

End of January was the deadline for the 1st assessment. I wrote again to them in USA begging for one month longer. They gave it to me! (I always said: "The rules are good, but there are always special situations! If you do not try, if you do not ask for, you will never know if you would became it! I've reached here incredible things in a long and ugly story with the Austrian authorities. Just because I asked and asked for and because I explained. The point is: you have to know exactly how badly you want something and thad "badly" will push you to try impossible things!) But I took the risk to attend the 1st assessment as I knew from Bucharest I will have no chance to do it and I also knew I may have two attemptions. I did not succeded to get the minimum of 75%. No wonder.

But I did not give up the idea to try again.

I wrote again to Ironman explaining the entire picture and I was surprised to get a new postponed deadline. 

I never begged in my life .... until this story! I didn't even had a strange feeling, I suppose all my senses were paralized for months .... I just dared to ask, to request, to explain and to beg getting a chance, not getting a favour! Afterall there were 600 USD paid and they would have had lost anything by helping me out and letting me to try. This was my approach.

Mid of March I've got better and I started to read again the entire stuff I began in September!

The course is very extensive! You cannot imagine how extensive it is really (anatomy, nutrition, fueling, endurance pshychology, physiology, body evaluation, mental evaluation, risks, injuries, training plans, communication, marketing, business issues, exercises, swim techniques, bike, run, equipment, strength & conditioning etc. etc. 12 large chapters!). But in the same time it is verye well structured, very logical and very detailed. It is a combination of theory and praxis. 

The two folders you see in the picture are just a part of the entire stuff. I would appreciate to be about 70% - excepting all the videos you cannot keep it, this is why you just need a fantastic internet connection for attending this course!

If you ask me: excellent course! But of course, it is like in every other domain: you get the information. What you are doing with it it is YOUR business! 

Coaching is more than training, everybody should know this. An additional reason why coaching is more expensive than training, but it takes time to find the difference.

It is a vocation, not just a job or a profession. The vocation is not something you can learn. You have it or not. Attending a journalismus school will not tranform you into a journalist, it is the same principle here! Professions regarding teaching or coaching or healing or entertaining are not just professions, they are vocations! Medicine doctors, teachers, coachers, artists .... these are vocations, not jobs!

29th of March I decided to give the 2nd try for the first assessment. You have this right for a second try. If you get the 75% then you get the right for the 2nd part of the assessment.

There are 50 questions with multiple or single answers.

You get the result at the end of the 50 questions.

This time I've got 90% score and I've got immediately a detailed e-mail  from USA with the second part of the assessment.

About 20+ questions. Composition style. A very intelligent test and also very extensive.

But now I had a new issue: my deadline, the ultimative deadline for my course was 31st of March. So, two days longer and that it is, no chances anymore! 

At that moment I began to WANT BY ANY PRICE TO SUCCEED!!

It was like a long race which I started not very convinced I will be able to finish it, but after swimming, after cycling and after 75% of the run leg I started to know that I will finish the race and I started to want to finish the race!! And I finished it after all!!! and I took it like a life lesson to be avoided in the future :-)
29th to 30th of March it was a sleepless night. I have read, studied, searched, tried to understand things I never understood before, I wrote - it is a 16 pages word document where you have to write down your "compositions" -.

30th of March: I had a breakfast and I returned to my room. I didn't leave it the entire day. Internet connection issues occured. I realized I will not be able to send my final assessment in the next 24 hours. Now it was a race!

30th to 31st of March I slept about 3 hours. Internet connection was very bad. I could not vizualize the videos and I could not see the stuff ..... I went out for 2 hours for a ride. I was terrible tired. I hated my room and the entire space and papers and everything.

I returned home and sent an E-Mail to Ironman contact person, Jennifer. I wrote her that I have some troubles with the internet connection and I would like to know if the troubles are coming from their system. 

Due to the 6 hours time difference her reply came later. In the mean time I did not give up to try and to try again to go further with my test. After 2 days and one night I had about 40% solved. No chance to be ready in time, it was so frustrating!!

I was so close to .... catch A DREAM .... because in the meantime the entire story became a dream! I cannot explain why. It was like someone, a guardian engel was watching and keeping me awake in the whole story. It was a sudden feeling. I neved experienced something like that in my entire life, not even for the most difficult exams during high school!

As I've read the reply for Jennifer such that yes, they did some updates to the entire system and because of the troubles they extended my deadline with 2 weeks ..... I thought I do not understand well. I wrote back asking if it is for real ..... her reply came next day, but that night I had the 3rd sleepless night, studying, reading, writing and so on!!

The test is fascinating and this was the motivation. It is interesting even for me who I never thought I could be interested in such of stuff! Not even to read! But the philosophy part gives you the feeling it is about you, as human being. Or I am maybe too emotional.

Between 1st and 7th of April I did not find any peace. I worked days and nights, I ate el fugitivo, I struggled to find a comfortable position for reading and writing, my bud was tired, my eyes were sleepy, but my soul was awake and excited.

I have no idea how I managed the entire period of time!

6th of April:

I went to bed in the morning at about 4 a.m. All questions were replied. 18 pages of text. I hardly slept for 3-4 hours, I had a breakfast, I had a lot of big butterflies in my stomach .... but I was afraid to send the assessment!!

I left home for a 2 hours ride. I returned and I started to read again. I even ordered a color printer in order to print everything I wanted. The printer was very important, I have to say this. 

The only thing I would evaluate negatively about the course is about the design. All screens are on black background. If you take a print screen and want to print it you need a lot of ink. This is a lot of waste, a lot of money. Not good.

I said to my friend: "It is ready, but I cannot send it, you know? I am too excited. I go back to my room, I read again everything I wrote, I correct it and I send it. I have to finish this story otherwise I will go crazy, I am too tired, I cannot anymore!" I hopped she would like to read all my work, I would have find a little of peace to know somebodyelse is reading it, to be sure the English is fair enough.

So I returned to my chaos and I started to read my assessment. It was about 9 p.m. After 10 minutes I felt I CANNOT ANYMORE, I let everything in stand by and I went to bed. The room is tiny, so the bed was just 20 cm behind me :-), no long journey!!

7th of April 2016

I wake up in the morning at 6 and I started to read my assessment.

12:31 - SENT!

I also thanked them for the entire support during the course! I have to say that it was not easy, but after all they seemed to understand a special situation and they offered me the desired and requested chance to try for "winning".

Then I left instantly the room doing some household work and for the next 2-3 days I avoided to stay any longer in that room. All over spreaded documents, papers, test segments, pencils .....
 Then I took my bike for a ride and I also took a run in the wonderful sunny day ...... I FELT FREE, AFRAID and EXCITED.

I've got an E-Mail from Ironman University. The final result will be send in about one week. Seven Days waiting ..... what a challenge!! You need at least 80% to pass the examination. If you have 75% and some issues are not clear, you get in e-mail being asked for clarifications.

So ..... it is 3:20 a.m. and I count the hours ..... still about 75 hours to wait ....

In the meanwhile yesterday I started my education with Vital Akademy in Linz for becoming Dipl. Fitness & Health Trainer + Masseur.

  HERE THE RESULT, which came 4 days earlier!

One of my dream beds .....

I am sleeping already ..... I tell you the story tomorrow :-)

The photo in the heart of Himalaya

for the Romanian version click here

The truth is that I am still floating. Three weeks are gone since I returned from Himalaya and I cannot find – or I don’t want to find it - the exit from this dome of fascination which seized me. And not just because everything was perfect and because everything was as it was. But just because everything was perfect in an amazing imperfection! Under that thing some people name it “a hard shell”, I always had my sensitivity corners. At this moment, I don’t care about what a he or a she are saying, what are they thinking or judging about me. And maybe in this way, lost in this emotional fog I failed into, I will learn to ignore – and to overcome – the rough issues and behaviours, the deep egocentrism coming from those I more less expected, to ignore and overcome the surrounding superficiality, the parasitism, the sloth, demagogy and my own powerlessness in front of a situation that depends of a context and an objective reality, but which strikes me and makes me lose my direction.

I’ve just remembered about those long minutes from my life, about that short time I spent alone on a rock, somewhere in an overwhelming Himalayan desert, coming out from one Ends of this big World. Fighting with a ragged soul, with that kind of emotion I struggle every time when I have to survive a separation that I hate to experience, I was in a point when I had to leave behind me a world corner where probably I suffered the most during this adventure. No drama, it was no disaster, the suffering was composed only of physical and emotional pain that together led to a trivial short-term psychological collapse. It was on Monday, Decembr 27^th, 2010 and I was going down from a high altitude, about 5.000 meters over the sea level, from Gokyo Lakes Area, Everest Land. The place where you greet some giants of this planet, but not only the Everest itself. You may greet the Ngozumba Glacier too, the longest glacier in the Himalayas. You are surrounded by the area of the natural records and you are so small and insignifiant. And lonely. And you turn your back against your will for returning to a world where you do not recognize yourself, where you don’t refind yourself. A world you hate it. But this is also a detail that you must live with, because if you talk about it, you will suffocate because your own inability to understand the others’ reactions.

It’s four o’clock in the morning. My exam starts in 6 hours, after two more days I have another one and this is my life for the next three days. Then I finish all the exams this session and I have a break. For what? That break I am waiting for like a breath for starting to read the words and thoughts of Sir Edmund Hillary and of Tenzing Norgay Jamling’s as they were expressed many years ago when myself I did not even exist on the list of still unthinkable babies. Reading and write, this is what I want to do. The rest issues seem to be a secondary matter, although the life and the place where I am living will inevitable point me out that my priorities should be different and that the order of the elements in my actual life should change. This is true, I know. The Maslow’s pyramid is not a mere fiction, but the reality that will bring me with my feet on this Earth. Eventually.

I was descending from that universe, though beautiful, sublime, still hostile and cold. And every step of mine was a ton of regret.

I left behind me the narrow and dusty path, getting out from the noisy river area, where the water's strong and wild voice covered all others sounds. I went down on the front shelf paths, contrasting generous and widely under my feet and I suddenly stopped.

Behind me, I left the path to a hidden world that you cannot see in the picture.

In front of me another path which brings me to another world. I came from that world before reaching the world I now was coming back ....

There was no turning anywhere. Just inside of me. And when we meet an intersection we usually are accustomed to stop. For assuring and choosing, deciding and making the next step. That step is the step for the next one and so one til the moment we die. Everything is connected, everything is hooked up, we sometimes get circles in our life, sometimes squares, pyramids, lines, curves, inverted pyramids and we go through all kind of geometrical shapes whose name we know ongly because of some linguistic inventions.

I stopped and looked for a higher rock, in order to fix my camera and take a picture trying to keep the illusion of an image of the state I felt there and then. The pictures cannot forward thoughts, but the still communicate some things. The batteries of the camera were very low, so I couldn’t afford too much options, I had to manage one shot and only one and to get a right picture. And though I take such photographs usually in other circumstances – when I feel that I want to dance and to frolic and to express the excitement of a moment -, this time I felt so lost. I wanted to take a picture of me getting lost inside me. I felt so lost in a palpable sense of pain of the soul. The soul, that “thing” which all doctors are seeking to heal and never find it, they just believe that they are getting closer, but whatever they poke, they never reach it.

Well, that moment, the moment behind of this picture is actually the essence of a travel I did on several levels. It was one of the conscious trips in the sense that I wanted in a particular way to understand the significance of every moment I experience. But somehow, when I’m there, although I breath with every pore the every single particle of the every single moment, I do not feel anything particularly deep inside. It is just a simple mixture of superficial and common feelings which I can translate in even more common words: beautiful, warm, dark, ecstasy, cold, hunger, well, fatique, thirst, nature, road, people, tired, animals, hard, loneliness, curiosity, fascination, sleep, insomnia, energy. That’s all. There’s nothing profound. Then, when everything is finished, ended, after you changed the rhythm, the screenplay, the landscape, the tomorrow’s day perspective, the food, the program, expectations, time, area, activities – only then it starts the real processing of information you collected. Then appear a different moment, when you should see what are you doing with all these, how do you manage, how do you pass over the new emotions and states.

The Myth of Shangri La does exist. 
You cannot see it. Don't look after it. It is a matter of feelings and senses.

Himalaya - Annapurna - Tengi, the stone village

Himalaya - places almost unknown 
by time and space

Himalaya has a huge potential. An unsuspected one. I am glad it is so, I am glad I have got - and hope to get it again in the near future! - the opportunity to walk on wild paths, where only the yaks are familiar and just a few people, some paths are maybe still untouched by the tourists and they should stay that way.

Tengi remains in my mind as a sort of weird, odd place. But in harmony with its environment. 
Where the modern human being didn't interfere everything seems to be harmonized in the Himalayas, everything seems to be exactly in its natural place: the contrasts, shapes, the solid and the liquid, the dust and the ice, the river or lake and the dry land, the deep and the high.
I passed through Tengi, "the stone shelters' labyrinth", at the end of December 2008 on the trail which surrounds Annapurna Massif. Maybe some of those shelters deserve the name of "houses", if we accept that the terms are relative and imperfect in an imperfect world and relative. 
I stayed in Manang - another settlement about I will write some special ideas - for two nights. Now, with my face still swollen, I began to climb the slope, leaving the magnificent corner of this world named Manang. It was the second Christmas Day. Behind me, with a thud sound and an white ocean of fine snowy dust, an huge avalanche of ice and snow unexpected  rolled down from over 7.000 meters high of hte glacier of Gangapurna. What a great performance! What a superb image - when you are away from the impact area! Just one day before I was alone in that area ...

At the moment of the avalanche I was on the other side of the valley, watching at the place I was 15 hours before! I had climbed up there, right at the foot of the huge mountain stopped by the ice fall, looking down and dragging my sleepy eyes under the power of a strong sun and looking to that almost impertinent beautiful combination of bright colors: deep gray, deep blue, bright white, deep brown.
  - working by translation -

Albastrul lacului semi-înghețat, înfiorat de dantelăria albicioasă a plăcilor de gheață, era o pată discordantă de culoare în hăul acela prăfuit și cenușiu, era un spectacol alcătuit din spațiu, anotimp și reflexii.

Să spui despre Tengi că ar fi un sat este o exagerare, o indulgență. Totuși, este mai mult decât o așezare omenească, pentru că există clădiri cu etaj în pustietatea lui de piatră dură. Intri practic într-un sat din piatră, cu rare incursiuni lemnoase, cu ulițe așa cum vezi în vechile filme englezești având acțiunea plasată într-un Ev Mediu al celor foarte săraci și năpăstuiți, doar că mai scurte și mai înguste, ai impresia că e un labirint în care sub nici o formă nu ai vrea să te afli pe timp de noapte. Straniul este dat de lipsa oricărei mișcări, a oricărei prezențe umane, mie mi s-a părut a fi total abandonat. Fascinant locul. 

Și nu cred că exagerez cu nimic dacă afirm că este imaginea fidelă a ceea ce este de fapt esența geografico - umană a Tibetului ”necizelat”, la nivel de infrastructură: te situezi într-un univers imens, ca și dispunere în spațiu. Ca dispunere în timp, ai depășit cu mult propriul tău timp. 

Traversezi o dimensiune spațială și mentală pe care nici măcar nu ar trebui să te apuci să o descrii, pentru că nu dispui de vocabularul care să transmită ceea ce aproape nici să simți nu mai reușești. Armata aceea din locuințe formate din bolovani și plăci milenare se armonizează cu ținutul. Nu este extrem de diferit de Manang, aflat cu câteva zeci de metri mai jos, în vale, dar, în mod paradoxal, este o lume absolut nouă care pare să îți întrerupă monotonia relativă a călătoriei. Nu există picturi, culori, sculpturi, vopsele, obiecte de artizanat. În poza de sus, dacă te uiți cu atenție, vei vedea geam din sticlă!! Mi se pare senzațional!

Totul e sec, brut, natural, singura intervenție umană este pura așezare a cataroaielor sub formă de adăposturi, adică arhitectura în sine. Recunoști gestul uman de a fi scobit un trunchi de copac, adus din păduri destul de îndepărtate, deci cărat cu greu și sudoare până aici, sus, și folosit acum pe post de scară spre primul etaj al unei clădiri. Îmi este foarte greu să spun că este un sat urât, pentru că pe mine m-a fascinat. Dar în termenii acceptați în lumea noastră – evident că există o ”lume a noastră” care nu are nici o legătură cu lumea pe care o descriu aici -, multe dintre satele și așezările umane prin care am trecut sunt de-a dreptul urâte și inutile.
Dacă aș mai ajunge acolo, aș intra peste tot și aș staționa măcar o oră-două să simt și să încerc să înțeleg locul, nu m-aș rezuma la doar să îl traversez ca pe un pod de trecere. 

Dacă omul nu ar fi întrerupt acolo peisajul, construind acest univers disturbator, locul nici nu ar fi fost ”loc”, așa cum întâmplarea nu este eveniment dacă nu este relatată de jurnalist. Ar fi rămas o simplă componentă a peisajului, peste care omul, călătorul, ar fi pășit fără gânduri speciale, așa cum sunt acestea ale mele, de pildă. Că doar nu admiri banalul și ”neimportantul”, ceea ce te face să te oprești este ieșirea din monotonia drumului. Clădirile, proporțional vorbind, sunt mari și te minunezi că stau în picioare. Treptele către intrările superioare ale vreunei locuințe sunt foarte abrupte, făcute în marea lor majoritate tot din pietre de râu unite cu ceva mortar între ele. Ajungi la capătul treptelor și acolo e ca și cum intri pe fereastra unei case. De fapt intri într-o cutie, într-o cușcă neprimitoare, menită să te ferească de vânturi și de soare și de ploi. Dar nu de frig, asta e sigur. Ferestrele, în marea lor majoritate, nu au geamuri din sticlă, deci sunt blocate cu panouri făcute din scânduri, bucăți din lemn neprelucrat. Îmi pot doar imagina că intrând prin pătratul acela pe post de ușă și fereastră dai de o cameră pierdută în beznă unde localnicii chiar își duc traiul cotidian pe timpul verii. Altceva nu îmi pot imagina. 

Dau oblonul la o parte, au lumina zilei, indiferent dacă e frig sau plouă. Dacă vor să nu intre ploaia, pun oblonul și …. dacă au unt de yak și ceva textil, pot face lumânări și luminează spațiul acela închis și îmbâcsit, dacă nu …. Nu știu. Acest gen de locuințe l-am reîntâlnit peste câteva zile, după Muktinath, fiind specific tibetan. Tibetanismul acela milenar, mizer, brutal și brutalizat de orice gest de curățire, lustruire, îngrijire. Aici s-au dat cu siguranță cele mai sofisticate definiții ale mizeriei pure. Mizeria apare acolo unde apare o ființă, pentru că ființa, în procesul ei de a ființa, se hrănește și elimină ceea ce mănâncă. Ființa care nu are niciodată apă să se spele începe să poarte mizeria cu sine precum un veșmânt permanent care îi ține de cald atunci când se ghemuiește să se culce și care, cu timpul, devine tot mai slinos și mai alunecos, respingând astfel și duritatea frigului static sau al celui mânuit de vânturi nemiloase și repezite. Dâre de apă înghețată și mizeră se preling pe ulițele descendente dintre adăposturi. 

Excremente, oase, ceva resturi de cutii de conserve și plastice de la Fanta sau CocaCola, blestemată fie această civilizație distrugătoare a tot ceea ce nu este natural!

Apar și rame din lemn pe post de ferestre, am văzut chiar geamuri din sticlă montate și parțial pavaj, fiind singurele intervenții cu pretenție de ”intrus civilizator” sesizate de mine acolo. Și ceva plăci de tablă peste clădiri, nișele lungi cu moriști de rugăciune și plăcile din piatră pe care erau săpate rugăciuni. Și o tăbliță din lemn, pe post de indicator, care îți îndrumă pașii spre Thorung La. Litere mari, clare, galbene. Litere latine.

După câteva minute de la intrarea în sat apare o altă intrare, adică o arcadă din piatră, pe peretele din dreapta fiind desenat, color, pe o tablă, și cu text în nepaleză, un mesaj prin care se cerea celor care circulau călare să nu intre decât mergând la pas și ținându-și patrupedul de căpăstru. Acest lucru apare în multe alte așezări, la intrare și ține, cred eu, de siguranța călătorului în primul rând, pericolul de a aluneca, a cade, de a se răni, el și calul sau asinul său, fiind aproape inevitabil. Să vezi astfel de semne de avertizare acolo pare cel puțin ciudat și lipsit de sens. Cine circulă călare? Turiștii? Nicidecum. Localnicii, uneori. Și localnicii cunosc condițiile și pericolele, nu au nevoie de avertizări pictate. Mi s-a părut pur și simplu un element intrigant, chiar dacă eu, cu mintea mea europeană și citadină, i-am apreciat semnificația mesajului transmis. Dar este un element discordant, inutil și total perturbator, fie doar și din punct de vedere al esteticului. Sau să fie o intenție de conservare? Un panou care îți atrage atenția că de fapt tu intri într-un muzeu foarte delicat și plăpând și e bine să descaleci și să îți faci patrupedul să nu apese cu greutatea copitelor pe caldarâm, și să pășească cât mai ușor și aerian, pentru a nu deranja istoria înghețată a unor timpuri pe cale de dispariție ......

 Din ce mi-am dat seama, pumnul de case era părăsit. Era sfârșit de decembrie. Să fie părăsit permanent sau să fi fost părăsit doar de o lună – două, pe perioada iernii ce-mi sufla și mie din ceafă, cu murmurul primei ninsori?

Pentru mine, așa cum am trăit viziunea palpabilă asupra acelei aglomerări de pietre frumos aranjate, Tengi nu este un sat, ci o fantomă. Ca urmare, simt ceva special la gândul că am trecut printr-o fantomă precum printr-un portal ce te catapultează în alte dimensiuni.

Anka