From left, Yvonne, Sabrina, Elena and Joanna are among about 450 Buddhist nuns on P.E.I.

Yvonne had always wanted to be the "perfect wife," so for her, she says, the hardest part about becoming a Buddhist nun was having to break up with her boyfriend.

For Sabrina, who grew up adoring boy bands like the Backstreet Boys, it was telling her father. She knew it would be a shock, so she waited until Christmas Eve to break the news.

Joanna saw herself spending her 20s soaking up the energy of New York, immersed in the colourful arts and culture scene. Not in rural P.E.I., wearing a beige robe day in and day out, her long, flowing hair shaved shorter than an army sergeant.

It wasn't a big stretch for Elena, however, given that her older sister was a Buddhist nun and her brother a monk.

The women are part of the Great Wisdom Buddhist Institute, a growing monastery on P.E.I. of about 450 nuns with an average age of 29. It is separate from the monks' Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society, but many, like Elena, Sabrina and Yvonne, have brothers there.

Family is a common thread among the nuns, they said. There are 66 pairs of siblings and cousins, and four sets of mother and daughter.

They come from different parts of the world, with different backgrounds.But at some point in their "normal" lives, they found a new purpose. They not only practise Buddhism in their everyday lives, but in the past few years have been invited to teach mindfulness and wellness workshops at businesses and organizations in P.E.I.,Ontario and the U.S.

They can come and go freely and communicate with their families, they said. Many have had their families visit them at the monastery.

The nuns can leave the monastery permanently at any time, though they say only two per cent of ordained nuns ever do.

Here are the stories of how and why four highly-educated women, while in their 20s, decided to give up their dreams of family and a career for a life of celibacy, study and devotion to Buddhism.

Yvonne was born in Taiwan and spent her high school years in New Zealand. She moved to the United States to study businessat Purdue University.

She had a loving boyfriend, and talked about getting married and settling in the U.S.It was all good.

"I never thought that I would become a nun," she said. "I thought I wanted to become a perfect wife and a successful businesswoman just like my mom."

Things began to change, she said, during a management lecture at Purdue. The professor asked the class what they thought was the most important thing in their lives, and all 600 students went silent, blank looks on their faces.

"At that moment I was really shocked. I was like, 'So what's the most important thing for my life?' I want to know."

After speaking with her professor and her parents, she decided to leave the business program and find her dream. Maybe go to Africa and help women.

First, she went to visit her parents in Taiwan. This was big news. Buddhists themselves, they suggested she attend a Buddhismdiscussion group.

"Surprisingly, it really hit me," she said. "To me it was not like a religion, but it was more like a tool that I can make myself happier."

She wanted to pursue it further, and made plans to join the monastery.But first, she had to tell her boyfriend.

"That was the hardest part, because we didn't break up because we had any problem," she said.

"Of course, he was very sad. So every single time we talked about it he would cry and I would cry. But we said goodbye and then I joined the monastery after that."

Fifteen years later, she said she has no regrets.

Before she became a Buddhist nun 13 years ago, Sabrina said she had a "very normal" lifein southern California.

She grew up a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and like many teenage girls at the time, fawned overboy bands like the Backstreet Boys. She once saw 'N Sync play live!

She loved going to Disneyland, especially when she could get in for free as part of a youth orchestra that played there twice a year.

"I had a pretty happy childhood," she said. "My family was very loving and I had a lot of fun growing up."

As she got older, she realized not everybody did,that with all the joys in life, "there's always a sliver of pain and suffering."

She thought the best way to help people would be to study psychology. In her second year of university in San Diego County, she asked three accomplished psychologists if they could do it all over again, would they?

"Each of them told me no. I was like, 'What?' I got really confused."

So in her third year she decided to study abroad and, on the advice of her mother, check out a Buddhist retreat in Taiwan.

Little did her mom know that a year later Sabrina would come home and tell her she wanted to become a Buddhist nun.

"She thought I would just go to the retreat and that was it."

After the initial shock, her mom, who is Buddhist, came around, especially after Sabrina told her she would go on to graduate school if it didn't work out.

Her dad, who is not a Buddhist well, she had to wait for just the right time to tell him.

That time was Christmas Eve, right after supper.

"He was like, 'So you're about to graduate university. Do you have any plans in mind?'" she recalled.

"I was like, you know, dad, I was thinking maybe after I graduate university I'd become a Buddhist nun and he was like, 'What?... Um, go upstairs I need to talk to your mom for a bit.'"

She waited upstairs with her brother, Matthew, for about an hour when she was finally called back down. Her mom put out a plate of apples.

"I could see my dad was a little teary eyed. He had cried I think," Sabrina said.

"First he double-checked to see if I was crazy and then he realized I was being serious and then he just started thinking, well what can I do for you."

She knew he had finally accepted her decision when he bought her a new pair of thermal underwear, which shewears under her robe during the cold P.E.I. winters.

In 2017, after graduating from med school at Berkeley and working as a doctor for 10 years in Los Angeles, Sabrina's brother Matthew moved to P.E.I. to become a Buddhist monk at GEBIS.

Joanna grew up an only child in northern California, but it was always her goal to live in New York City after graduating university.

"I loved the energy, I loved the vibe of the city, I loved the culture and the arts there and I really wanted to surround myself with that," she said.

She said her "eyes were opened" when she went to university to study health psychology.

"My best friend growing up as a child suffered from severe depression and I always wanted to find a way to help her because I really didn't know what to do when I was 14, 15, 16," she said.

"I realized that there were a lot more problems in the world than just my friend and then I suddenly felt very small and that I didn't really know how I could contribute and what I could do for the world."

She knew people friends and family who were well educated and had good careers but still seemed unhappy and dissatisfied with life.

She began studying Buddhism as a way of helping others find joy. Her mother, a Buddhist, had always wanted this path for her, she said, but eventually gave up on the idea given her "way of life before joining the monastery."

"I surprised a lot of people," she said. "I wanted a family. I knew how many kids I wanted. I probably had their names figured out."

Before becoming a nun, she said she would spend hours on her hair and picking out clothes.

"Now I save all that time because it's just very simple. It allows us to focus on the things that we want to focus on and for us that's studying and improving ourselves and becoming better people."

She's been a Buddhist nun for six years, and has "not regretted a day." That was reaffirmed on a recent outreach trip to New York, she said.

"New York was again full of arts, full of culture, full of diversity. But coming back to P.E.I., coming back to the monastery I was like, 'You know, no, this is where home is and this is where I belong.'"

Elena was born and raised in Taiwan. As a kid she travelled around Asia and Europe a lot with her parents.

She studied foreign languages and literature. Shecan speak multiple languages, including French.

Her older sister became a Buddhist nun in 2006, not long after hearing the Dalai Lama speak in India.

"She was really moved because she is always someone who wants to perfect herself," Elena said.

Elena said she and her younger brother were sad at first because theywere a very close family. Then, in 2008, her brother became a Buddhist monk.

"He thought that some of the things the monks are learning are really interesting. For instance, what he found most fascinating was that debate, he found that can really sharpen your thinking."

After her siblings joined, Elena began to think more and more about joiningas well.

Then some tragedies struck. She learned an old high school classmate, who became a talented musician, had died of leukemia. And one Christmas morning while staying with family friends in France, she came downstairs to see them hugging and crying after learning their neighbour had died by suicide the night before.

"These events really shocked me because I started to really think this is something that everyone might encounter, the struggling times in life," she said.

"I always only looked at the happy side, like travelling or learning new things or making new friends. But what can I really do for my life and for the ones I love? Or maybe even more people? And how can I really make good use of my life?"

She found those answers six years ago, she said, when she became a Buddhist nun.

Visit link:
'He was like, what?': Why 4 women left their 'normal' lives to become Buddhist nuns - CBC.ca

By Kalinga Seneviratne

This article is the 37th in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous articles.

BANGKOK (IDN) On a Saturday morning a couple drives into the Santi Asoke community in the north-eastern outskirts of Bangkok, and walks into a large warehouse stacked with clothes, shoes, books, electrical goods, mobile phones, washing machines, furniture and other household items. The couple inspects a stack of clothes scattered on a mat, picks some up and puts it in a basket. It is then taken to a volunteer cashier, who weighs it and quotes a price.

This is a type of a Buddhist supermarket where almost all goods for sale are second hand, donated by the devotees and sold here to raise money for Santi Asoke TV station. They make about Bhat 800,000 to 600,000 (USD 19,000-26,000) a month.

People donate whatever they dont need. We have no set price. They will come and collect the pieces they want to buy, like in wholesale, and we quote a price, explained community leader Samdin Lersbusway, while taking Lotus News on a tour of the community.

> Secondhand clothes being sold at a Buddhist supermarket in Santi Asoke community in the north-eastern outskirts of Bangkok. Credit: Kalinga Seneviratne | IDN-INPS.

The shop sells everything from clothes to air conditioners. Things that cannot be sold directly, we repair and sell. We also recycle paper, plastics and sell to recyclers, he added. Anyone can donate stuff to us. Sometimes we get new goods from the rich.

Taking a lift to the third storey of a multistorey block we visit the modest facilities of Santi Asoke TV station where only their Liaison Officer Thongkaeo and her cameraman a student was present. They dont have a station manager or a program manager, but they broadcast 24-hours a day on satellite and when the need arises live on Facebook and LINE. Its operations are coordinated by the Liaison Officer.

A recorded feature was being broadcast when I visited them.

We have run the TV station for 10 years. We work as a family, says Thongkaeo, adding, I plan schedules, do interviews, arrange visitors to be interviewed, and during school term students help us. She invites me to take part in a discussion with her about Lotus Communication Network with the help of an English interpreter. But, before we start the interview she points out, we may be the only TV station in the world where no staff is paid. All staff has to be multitalented.

Samdin adds further that they work on the basis everybody-works-for free and the money they earn from their labour goes to a central fund which is managed by the Santi Asoke community. They have seven communities across Thailand, with the largest one and their headquarters in Ubon Ratchathani in north-east of Thailand near the Laos border.

Santi Asoke was founded by Bodhiraksa, a famous television entertainer in the 1970s, who became a monk in the early 1980s. He was not happy with the behavior of many monks who were non-vegetarian and involved with black magic rituals. Thus, he left the temple with a group of followers and set up a third sect of monks outside the control of the State. They became an outlawed sect in the tightly controlled Thai clergy.

But, when Santi Asoke member Major-General Chamlong Srimuang was elected as the Governor of Bangkok in 1985 and later showed interest in joining national politics there was a systematic campaign to demonise the group. Chamlong was extremely popular as a Governor, regarded as a Mr Clean, who lived modestly according to the Asoke teachings, ate one vegetarian meal a day, rejected tobacco and alcohol, and did not gamble or visit night-clubs, noted Mahidool University Professor Marja-Leena Heikkila-Horn in a study on Santi Asoke.

Chamlong had a potential to clean up the corrupt political establishment of the kingdom with a Buddhist moral movement that could appeal to the population, where 95 percent claim to be Buddhist.

In order to prevent Chamlong from taking to the national stage in politics, his Buddhist affiliations needed to be declared illegal, explains Prof Heikkila-Horn. Bodhiraksa was detained in June 1989 and all the Asoke monks and nuns were detained for one night in August 1989. A court case was filed against them that year; it lasted until 1996.

The economic crisis of 1997, where excessive greed and borrowing was identified as the root cause of the problem, stocks of Santi Asoke began to rise, because they have always been critical of greedy capitalism and promoted the concept of Buddhist economics known as bunniyom (meritism).

The purpose of having a business here is not to make money. We make contacts in doing business to practice the dhamma (virtues), says Samdin. Business here is viable because people want food. Take little profit so that they can continue to take a little wage.

He was explaining this principle to Lotus News while walking through their weekend market where the farmers (who dont use chemical inputs in their farms) sell their vegetables and fruits at a modest profit. There were also a number of vegetarian restaurants that were selling meals virtually for free.

> Chef Glang Din at the Indian restaurant with the notice board with keys for free meals on he left on the wall. Credit: Kalinga Seneviratne | IDN-INPS.

An Indian vegetarian restaurant run by a Thai chef was giving food free of charge to monks, nuns and residents of the lay community here who have to come before 10.30 am to eat. Other people pay. They may also leave a donation to give one a free meal, chef Glang Din explained, pointing to keys on a noticeboard he said, key is on a board to show how many free meals are available. If you want to get one, take a key and give it to me for a free meal. Anyone can do it. He added that if you donate 4,000 Bhat (USD 130) I will give free meals for the day to everyone who wants a meal here.

At the height of the economic crisis in 1998, the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej famously advised Thais to follow a sufficiency economics model of contented economic self-reliance. This was what Santi Asoke has been practicing since its inception.

When business tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra came to power in 2001, Santi Asoke got the opportunity to preach their economic ideal to the rural masses. He delegated to Santi Asoke the government-financed training of tens of thousands of indebted farmers in Asoke centres. Farmers came in groups of about 100 and stayed for five days. They learnt about organic farming, recycling and reusing, and were obliged to listen to sermons on the virtues of vegetarianism and bunniyom.

Each Santi Asoke community, like the centre here, whose leafy 7 acre property is surrounded by creeping high rise buildings of developers, has in addition to the warehouse, the market space and restaurants, two multistorey apartment buildings housing lay followers, kutis (cottages) for monks and nuns, a school building, a health centre, departmental store selling mainly organic and herbal products, and a 4-storey unfinished temple in concrete with an artificial water fall behind a Buddha statue. They have been constructing the building in stages for 30 years, when we have money to do it says Samdin.

Interestingly, they dont have the large Buddha statues and lavish shrine rooms Thai temples normally have. Our community has 3 sections temple, school and community. All 3 are integrated, says Prouputt Kaodura, English interpreter for the community.

We dont worship Buddha the way others do. Buddha statues remind us of his teachings. Its not true that we dont respect Buddha, she adds. Chipping in Samdin says, Buddha statues means 3 things to us about worldly things, being knower of the world, having compassion.

Thus, the rooms and floors that surround the Buddha statue are areas for retreats, classes, conference rooms, meeting rooms and a library. It is a place for people to work, a very practical path, says Prouputt.

The Santi Ashoke communities are self-sustained Buddhist communities. Monks and people live according to the teachings of Buddha and they have developed a system of sustainable living, says Thai television producer Pipope Panitchpakdi who has reported on the community many times.

It is something good for todays world facing climate change and political divisions, etc, he says, pointing out that because Santi Asoke believes that capitalism is against humanity, the commercialized mainstream media shuns them.

* A video documentary on the Santi Asoke community can be viewed on Lotus Comm Net https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooQHk16Owlc [IDN-InDepthNews 09 December 2019]

Photo (top): Farmers selling their vegetables and fruits from organic farming at a modest profit in the weekend market. Credit: Kalinga Seneviratne | IDN-INPS.

Photos (in text): 1. Secondhand clothes being sold at a Buddhist supermarket in Santi Asoke community in the north-eastern outskirts of Bangkok. 2. Chef Glang Din at the Indian restaurant with the notice board with keys for free meals on he left on the wall. Credit: Kalinga Seneviratne | IDN-INPS.

IDN is flagship agency of the International Press Syndicate.

facebook.com/IDN.GoingDeeper - twitter.com/InDepthNews

See the article here:
Grassroots Buddhism Flourishes in the Outskirts of Bangkok - IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

MELBOURNE Adam Scott was onto something, whether he knew it or not, when he recently advised his fellow Australians to curtail their enthusiasm for Tiger Woods at this weeks Presidents Cup.

Last time it was too friendly, the amiable Scott told the Herald Sun of Melbourne, referring to the 2011 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. That year, the U.S. won handily, with Woods scoring the clinching point, as part of its current streak of seven straight Cup victories. Quite bluntly, we want the home-crowd advantage, and Ill be disappointed if they are cheering enthusiastically for Tiger or anyone on the U.S. team.

Of course, he singled out Tiger Woods, who not only remains the biggest draw in golf, but also this week assumes the dual roles of captain and competitor for the United States team.

RELATED: Two hats, one manTigers challenge as a modern playing captain

Making his ninth appearance for the International team, Scott wasnt calling for unsavory behavior from the locals. But he does want the folks to be an authentic home crowd, and thats not happening if their reception of Woods and his American team is a bit too friendly and enthusiastic, or not much different from their support of the International side.

Im not saying be a poor sport, but one challenge our team has always had is gaining a home-soil advantage, Scott said. While we appreciate them very much, we dont have to cheer for them.

Team cohesion has been an issue for the Internationals in past Presidents Cups.

Within Scotts words is the answer to a conundrum that has dogged the International team since its lone Presidents Cup victory at Royal Melbourne in 1998. There has been no central cohesive element, no rallying point for a team composed of players from every part of the world outside the U.S. except for Europe. Their different languages and cultures are a hurdle, yes, but Europe faces similar issues. What the Europeans do so well, as Englands Paul Casey once said, is properly hate the Americans for one week every two years.

Caseys strong choice of words troubled some soft-hearted souls, but sensible people knew what he meant. There has to be an unabiding desire to beat the other side, whatever the sport or competition, if victory is the objective. One has to hold the other side in utter disdain during the competition. That does not mean throwing aside sportsmanship. But save the backslapping and handshakes for the conclusion.

What should be the binding ingredient for captain Ernie Els and his International team in the upcoming 13th Presidents Cup? Its really quite simple, and its not the new International Team logo that Els unveiled last year, one intended to give the team a more unified focus.

You want a unified focus? Try this mission:

Beat Tiger Woods.

Woods arguably is the greatest player of all time, having recently tied Sam Sneads record of 82 PGA Tour titles. Though Woods' Ryder Cup record is sub-standard, he has been decidedly more successful in the Presidents Cup, going 24-15-1, including 6-2 in singles. In addition to scoring the clinching point at Royal Melbourne in 2011, he did the same two years later at Muirfield Village. Woods is the captain of this team and only the second man, after Hale Irwin in the inaugural edition in 1994, to double as a competitor.

What better motivation can there be than beating Woods? To add to your legacy the scalp of the games most formidable winner is to forever dine out on the ultimate bragging rights.

Right now, we just want to win, said Canadas Adam Hadwin, who debuted for the International team two years ago at Liberty National and had to swallow a spirit-puncturing eight-point setback that wasnt even that close as the Americans came within a point of closing things out before Sunday singles. But would beating Tiger make it more meaningful? I think I would have to say it would. Hes certainly the greatest player of our generation. Yeah, it would mean a lot more.

Hadwin walks to the fairway during a practice round at Royal Melbourne.

RELATED: A former European Ryder Cup captain offers this warning to the U.S. Presidents Cup team

Fellow Canadian David Hearn, still looking to play in a Presidents Cup, agrees that latching onto the goal of beating Woods is a winning psychological strategy. Weve got to find something that is going to fire up the International side, he said. Thats probably a great way to bring everyone together.

What would a victory mean to Woods and a U.S. squad that leads this series 10-1-1? Well, it would be worthy of celebrating, no question. The Americans want to win, too, especially after the disappointing effort in last years Ryder Cup in Paris. But would it be career-defining? Hardly.

To the Internationals, however, a triumph over a Woods-led team would be something to savor from next week all the way to their rocking chairs.

With only two players among the top 25 in the world (Scott at No. 15 and Hideki Maruyama at No. 20) and seven rookies on the squad, Els team is a decided underdog. The Internationals can play for pride or they can play for a piece of history they can share forever.

I think seeing our guys beating the Americans would be great. It hasnt happened in so long, said Australias Aaron Baddeley, who went 1-3-1 on the 2011 squad in Melbourne. Beating a team led by Tiger Woods, I think, would make it sweeter. You know what they saywinning means more when you beat the best.

WATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS

Continue reading here:
Presidents Cup 2019: For motivation, the International team can point to an unlikely sourceTiger Woods - Golf Digest

Jason Garrett is who he is. You might not like it heck, you probably hate it but he wont compromise himself. Until he no longer holds the Dallas Cowboys top coaching position, Garrett will continue doing what he feels is in the best interests of the team.

This means going back to the same well thats sustained him over the past decade. It entails clapping, coach-speak, and cautious optimism in the face of even the sharpest criticism.

And it leads to decisions that bring about said criticism. Such as

In effort to get the Cowboy out of their slump coach Jason Garrett showed his team a reel of their highlight plays this week to show them how good they are at their best. It included a few plays from last season, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday.

Hey, nobody denies that Garrett is a bit tone-deaf. Little else can explain the decision to show your squad a highlight-reel from 2018, days before facing the same foe the Los Angeles Rams who brought that season to a bitter and premature close.

The 2019 tape, too, is a questionable choice. While the Cowboys jumped out to a 3-0 start and their offense certainly has made some wow plays, theyve yet to beat an opponent with a winning record and lost three of their last four games. Fan morale has plummeted to new lows while Garretts seat has never been hotter.

To his credit, however, the message was clearly communicated. Garretts bunch isnt ready to wave the white flag despite it being nearly a month since they won a game.

You cant confuse losing with fight. You cant confuse losing with not good leadership. When you win theres great chemistry, but when you lose its in disarray. You have to play better, tight end Jason Witten said earlier this week.

Follow the Heavy on Cowboys Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!

Whatever the opposite of bulletin-board material is, Todd Gurley has provided it. The Rams Pro Bowl running back admits Dallas, who hell face Sunday at AT&T Stadium, isnt in a good place right now. But

Sh*t, theyre in a better place than us because theyre gonna make the playoffs, Gurley said. I dont know why everyones concerned about them. As long as they take care of what they need to take care of, theyll still be playing in January.

The Cowboys disappointing record aside, they are firmly in control of their own destiny. Thanks to tiebreakers, they can finish 7-9 and win the embarrassingly weak NFC East, provided they beat the 6-7 Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16.

The Rams, meanwhile, are on the outside looking in, currently holding the seventh seed behind wild-card leaders Seattle (10-3) and Minnesota (9-4). Sean McVay and Co. will have to win out and get some help to punch a postseason berth. A loss to the Cowboys and a Vikings victory would unofficially eliminate them from contention.

READ NEXT: Troubling Update Emerges on Cowboys, Dak Prescott Contract Discussions

Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL

View original post here:
Cowboys' Jason Garrett Used Highlights as Week 15 Motivation - Heavy.com

PEDESTRIAN.TV has teamed up with Samsung to help set your goals.

For most people, starting the day at 4.30am seems completely abhorrent. If it were me, Id need to set about twelve alarms and pre-emptively rig up a light, brighter than my teachers thought my future would be, to turn on at that time even just to crack an eyelid.

But thats the everyday experience for fitness queen and boxing guru Ellice Whichello, who rises at 4.30am and goes to bed by 8.30pm. Its all part of her balanced lifestyle, and its how she has grown her empire to the place it is now.

Until recently, Ellice was a trainer and ambassador for Hustle Boxing, a high-tempo boxing studio based out of Potts Point, as well as a qualified nutritionist and veritable Instagram queen with over 60K followers.

We caught up with Ellice to pick her brain and chat about how shes gotten to where she is now and how she stays on top.

It might be hard to believe, but Ellice wasnt always the boxing beast she is now. At the very beginning of her fitness journey, she experienced the same struggles and challenges that many of us face (though there was no word on whether she also experienced the extreme tomato-coloured sheen my face goes whenever I have to go faster than a walk).

I couldnt even make one kilometre without stopping, she said. But I started to get a little bit addicted to the feeling of feeling well.

So running became her forte, and cardio became a part of her regular routine. Then one day she came to a spinning class and realised that the spinning instructor hadnt shown up. Instead? The boxing instructor was there, and a seed was planted.

I fell in love with the idea of hitting something, she joked. Having grown up with older brothers, she was no stranger to embracing her more aggressive side in a healthy, channelled way.

And so, boxing became a huge part of her life.

With so much going on each day, keeping track of things is of paramount importance for Ellice. So how does she do it?

Having wearables that are easy to use makes a huge difference, she said. I love using the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 it looks quite nice whether youre in a dress or your gym gear, and thats important for me when Im in three different sets of gym gear a day.

But its the specifics that make all the difference. Wearables nowadays have a lot of scope for what they can track, and when youre someone who needs to maintain that measurement and tracking across all aspects of fitness, that scope is vital.

I really like to look at heart rate, said Ellice. As well, for me, the sleep tracking and the stress tracking are important. Being able to measure those things, because its all about exerting the right amount at the right time.

Look, between you and I, goal setting was never my forte. Unless my goal was sourcing snacks then it was hard to keep my focus on anything. But thats not a problem for Ellice, who taught herself to focus on the right things.

She said, If youre not thinking about your goal, youre putting your energy in the wrong place. When it comes to health and wellness, its something we tend to leave out when we get busy.

And its true we keep up with work and friends, and trying to sleep enough (let alone waking up at 4.30am), but we put off things like fitness. Ellice has a secret weapon for dealing with that, too.

Working in a time-efficient manner is key, she said. Prioritising my time is crucial. I deal with something right then and there instead of putting it off until later, so having tech that allows me to tap into phone calls, messages, even Instagram posts then and there before moving on, is super important.

Everything is kept in her Galaxy Note10 appointments, measurements and tracked fitness automatically transferred from her watch. As a self-confessed planner, its integral to the continued balance of her hectic lifestyle.

If theres one thing that people lack, and that Ellice has in spades, its motivation. While other people struggle to get themselves off the couch on their days off, Ellice is constantly striving for more, with the help of her two accountability partners.

Having a fitness buddy is not something to be overlooked, she said. I have two buddies. One would be Dan and the other would be my Samsung watch, so theres double the accountability for my fitness goals we set weekly challenges like step counts, I can see what hes doing, he can see what Im doing.

And its not because she wants to be better than other people, though she admits to being fiercely competitive.

Im super competitive with myself, not with other people, she said. I hate to think that Im not getting better at a skill, that Im not improving.

It comes down to ensuring that other people have that mentality of striving for better. Striving not only to improve on your yesterday, but to keep improving the day after that too, and remembering that you dont have to compete with anyone other than yourself.

So if that means getting up a little earlier each day, measuring your heart rate on a Galaxy Watch Active2, finding a fitness buddy or setting definitive goals to make sure youre hitting your targets (boxing or otherwise), give it a crack.

Rest assured, nobodys asking you to get up at 4.30am yet.

Read this article:
How This Boxing Queen Smashes Goal Setting, Fitness Tracking & Motivation Out Of The Park - Pedestrian TV

Table Tennis Robot Forpheus Equipped with Joint Research Technology to Be Exhibited at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2020

OMRON Corporation ofKyotoand Square Enix Co., Ltd. (hereinafter Square Enix) ofTokyoannounced onDecember 13the commencement of joint research on artificial intelligence (AI) that helps motivate humans for FORPHEUS, an innovative table tennis robot tutor that harnesses OMRONs state-of-the-art technology. Through this joint research, the two companies aim to develop an AI algorithm that generates motivational feedback from vital data and other kinds of information, thereby establishing technology that brings out the ability to stimulate dramatic human growth.

Based on the philosophy of founder Kazuma Tateisi, To the machine, the work of the machine; to man, the thrill of further creation, OMRON aims to shape a future that achieves harmony between humans and machines, with the latter bringing out the abilities and creativity of the former through the core technology Sensing & Control + Think. In 2013, the table tennis robot Forpheus was developed in order to introduce harmony between humans and machines by the core technology Sensing & Control + Think in an easy-to-understand manner. Since then, OMRON has evolved its core technology every year to bring out human abilities. Featuring cutting-edge AI, robotics, and sensing & control technologies, the latest 5th-generation FORPHEUS possesses playing skills high enough to maintain a rally with professional players. The robots excellent coaching skills promote the growth of human players by optimizing returns and providing players with personalized tips based on a thorough understanding of each individual person.

Read More: Beyond RPA And Cognitive Document Automation: Intelligent Automation At Scale

Under the framework of this joint research, the two companies aim to develop AI that can realize personalized coaching to enhance each players motivation to play better by combining OMRONs proprietary sensing technology for reading human emotions and ability and Square Enixs AI technology (Meta-AI*) for differentiating how a game unfolds for each player to stimulate an emotional response in them, which the company has fostered through the development of electronic games. As humans communicate with machines equipped with this AI while they play table tennis together, it is hoped that a new relationship between humans and machines machines drawing the best performance out of humans will be made a reality.

The Advanced Technology Division (ATD) at Square Enix has been leading development of Meta-AI technologies, a new mechanic that can automatically learn from a users emotions and then produce unique content based on the data. In the near future, it is expected that a digital game will be playable not only on a display screen but also in real space. Square Enixs Meta-AI will have an important role in realizing the potential of real space play in the future and the companys partnership with the FORPHEUS project will allow Square Enix to advance its technology and contribute to this real-world opportunity.

Read More: AiThority Interview with Adi Kuruganti, GM, Community Cloud and SVP, Products B2B Commerce at Salesforce

Meanwhile, OMRON plans to apply the fruits of this joint technology development to focus on business domains such as factory automation (FA), healthcare and social solutions. One industrial sector in which such technologies may be applied is factory automation, where machines can better motivate operators by offering appropriate support in a way that matches operators skill levels. OMRON believes that this joint research of FORPHEUS will advance its drive to solve social issues to achieve harmony between humans and machines.

OMRON will exhibit its latest generation of FORPHEUS at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) (R) 2020, which will be held inLas Vegas, Nevada, the U.S., onJanuary 7-10, 2020.

*In games, Meta-AI observes the characters, environment and players all together over time, and then uses the information to adapt the general strategies for enemies, non-player characters, terrain, weather and more in the game.

About this joint research Duration: FromDecember 2019toMarch 2020 Objective: Development of an algorithm for motivation-controlling AI for use in a table tennis robot tutor Division of roles: OMRON: Development of a concept and architecture for the table tennis robot, verification of effects, and study of algorithm improvement techniques Square Enix: Development of a concept, designing of architecture for the motivation-controlling AI, setting of evaluation indicators, provision of advice/support for development, and study of algorithm improvement techniques

Read More: Deloitte Announces Flagship Enterprise Safe Passage Program Powered by AWS for SAP Customers

Originally posted here:
OMRON and Square Enix Research on "AI That Helps Motivate Humans" - AiThority

'That gave them motivation and we weren't in the same mental space' - Mike Ross' warning to Leinster ahead of Saints return

Independent.ie

It was one of those unspoken statements that made Leinster realise it would be different this time.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/leinster-rugby/that-gave-them-motivation-and-we-werent-in-the-same-mental-space-mike-ross-warning-to-leinster-ahead-of-saints-return-38784692.html

https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/article30215907.ece/0bd03/AUTOCROP/h342/NWS_2014-04-25_SPO_004_31450186_I3.JPG

It was one of those unspoken statements that made Leinster realise it would be different this time.

Matt O'Connor's men travelled to Franklin's Gardens in December 2013 and humiliated Northampton Saints with a performance for the ages.

The comparison between the back-to-back series' of 2013 and 2019 are eerily similar.

The afterglow of their 40-7 domination carried through into the next week when the Saints came marching straight into the Aviva Stadium with redemption in mind.

Leinster were looking lively, moving the ball into space at will, until a smart set play put Tom Collins away, the wing's chip causing Rob Kearney to impede his line of running, giving away a penalty for obstruction.

This was back in the days when you took what you got, a penalty in this case, and moved on.

This time, there was no debate, no hesitation. Stephen Myler went to the corner in what was clearly a pre-planned scenario, a statement of intent.

Dylan Hartley connected with Christian Day at the 5-metre lineout, Courtney Lawes, Salesi Ma'afu, Tom Wood and Lawes again all drove it up the guts.

Scrum-half Lee Dickson didn't dawdle, fizzing a pass to Luther Burrell and his immediate dispatch to George North caught Luke Fitzgerald out of position.

It also caught Leinster cold in a moment that altered the image of the tie, Northampton having the character to build it into an 18-9 shock, Jamie Elliot's breakaway try putting a seal on a barely conceivable turnaround.

It could all be traced back to that decision to go for broke and Mike Ross knew what it meant.

"It was throwing down the gauntlet wasn't it? We didn't deal with it too well," said the retired Leinster and Ireland tight-head Mike Ross.

"As much as you talk about not being complacent, what happened the week before is there in the back of your mind.

"We knew they must have been frustrated, devastated, angry from what we did to them in front of their supporters.

"That gave them motivation and we weren't in the same mental space as they were."

In fact, captain Dylan Hartley continued the obsessive pursuit of seven points rather than three by insisting on the corner flag whenever the home side transgressed within striking distance.

There was also the unsurprising bating of the boys in Blue by Hartley at scrum time.

"Come on boys, let's go through them," called out the captain.

"We always used to love playing against Dylan. There was a queue of lads lining up to hit him," shared Ross.

"It was just the way he played the game, talking at the scrum as much for the opposition to hear as his teammates."

The controversial England hooker retired this year, leaving behind a career-long trail of indiscretions and achievements.

Whatever else can be said of Hartley, he led from the front as a big, bruising battler. On that evening in 2013, he was the perfect man for the job.

"I felt we restored a bit of faith in the shirt, in the club, the way we conducted ourselves," Hartley reacted then.

"We were physical, played for 80 minutes, defended for our lives, showed it meant something for us.

"The week has been very long. It is a long week, especially when you lose by 40 points."

Leinster have been put on notice.

Saturday, December 14th 2013: Leinster 9 Northampton Saints 18

LEINSTER: Rob Kearney; Dave Kearney (Zane Kirchner 60), Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy (Jimmy Gopperth 78), Luke Fitzgerald; Ian Madigan, Eoin Reddan; Jack McGrath (Michael Bent 56), Sean Cronin, Mike Ross (Martin Moore 60), Devin Toner, Mike McCarthy (Leo Cullen 72), Rhys Ruddock (Kevin McLaughlin 56), Shane Jennings, Jamie Heaslip (capt).

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS: Ken Pisi; Jamie Elliott, George North, Luther Burrell, Tom Collins; Stephen Myler, Lee Dickson (Kan Fotuali'i 52); Alex Waller (Ethan Waller 70), Dylan Hartley (capt, Mikey Haywood 72)), Salesi Ma'afu (Tom Mercey 52), Courtney Lawes (Phil Dowson 72), Christian Day, Calum Clark, Tom Wood, Samu Manoa (Sam Dickinson 67).

Referee: J Garces, France.

Online Editors

Read more:
'That gave them motivation and we weren't in the same mental space' - Mike Ross' warning to Leinster ahead of Saints return - Independent.ie

Opinion

Cath Duhig picks up the Federation of Athletics Murcia Region Master Athlete of the Year award. Picture: Neil Featherby

Archant

Email this article to a friend

To send a link to this page you must be logged in.

However, goals achieved or not, January 1 will be the first day of a new year with new goals and expectations for which that in itself is usually enough inspiration or is it motivation?

With that subject in mind, I had lunch with an old friend earlier this week before going to a presentation at one of my old schools where his dad was a teacher and whereby we not only discussed old school days, we also got on to talking about what is the actual difference between inspiration and motivation.

My friend is very clever and can leave me standing by miles when it comes to such debates, but also amusingly knows that I will always bite on the bait if I have a slight difference of an opinion.

Nevertheless and having known each other since childhood, he has always made it known that he thinks that I am a very focused and driven person be it in sport or business and suggested during our meaningful chat that my drive as he calls it comes from being inspired at an early age when at school.

I agreed, but also said I was more motivated as opposed to being inspired by events of what had happened back then, along with of course other life changing events as I got older.

Whilst I am not proud of it now and as pointed out by my friend, much of my early school years saw me in one scrape or another and whereas when most of my class mates were reading through their school books, I would invariably have a sports book tucked inside mine before getting caught time and again only to be told that I was wasting my time thinking I would be a footballer or indeed good at any other sport.

"You must have been a nightmare to teach, but let's not forget what was probably the defining moment when one of your teachers said you will never ever run a marathon," he said.

It all goes back to when the 1968 Mexico City Olympics Games were taking place and my teacher at the time who was obviously a huge athletics fan would start each day talking so very excitedly about all the sporting events going on in another part of the world.

Whereas my ability to retain attention and focus nowadays might be pretty good, back then it was not the best when it came to classroom lessons. However, this huge passion for athletics and the Olympics which he displayed, really did make me sit up and hang on to his every word.

Two events which I can so vividly remember him talking about were the high jump when Dick Fosberry brought his own style to high jumping with his gold medal winning jumps since referred to as the Fosberry Flop, and the story and the history behind the marathon. He said that only a few people are blessed with enough talent to be able to run such a distance and that the likelihood is that no one in our school would ever be able to do so.

MORE: Love running? Join the Run Anglia Facebook group here

I was absolutely enthralled by it all and put my hand up and said: "I am going to run a marathon."

He just looked at me and said: "I don't think you will."

Hardly encouragement for any young influential child you might think, but those words have stayed with me ever since that day and whilst on the surface you would have to say, his comments were not exactly inspiring, for me they very much triggered something.

Rather than using the word inspired, I would prefer to say that is what very much motivated me to always knowing that one day I would indeed run marathons and I suppose you could say prove him wrong.

Needless to say, there was no point trying to have the last word with my friend so I let him finish with "he inspired you and motivated you. It was the story of the marathon that inspired you and him saying you won't be able to run one which motivated you further."

"Absolutely," I just said and left it there.

At the end of the day, we all need inspiration and motivation if we want to succeed.

I have always tried to encourage people to be the best they can be at anything they want to do and not let anyone tell them otherwise just like my old teacher. I have also at times tried to inspire or is it motivate people into doing things by way of perhaps suggesting they can't or won't do it i.e. what we now call reverse psychology.

As we go through life, lots of things happen to all of us which makes us what we are and why we need to try and achieve things and whereas inspiration certainly does come from the driving forces within us, for most of us, we all at times need a little extra motivation too.

Going into 2020, even though I am well beyond being a competitive athlete, I still have at least one big challenge for next year and whilst I know exactly what the driving forces will be for me, I also know exactly where to go looking during those moments when I might just need a bit of a kick up the back side to give me that extra motivation to keep going.

Fifty-one years on and those words from my old teacher still motivate me. Or is it inspire?

Finally, I have to say a very big well done to former West Norfolk race walker Cath Duhig who now lives out in Spain and has just won the award for being the Federation of Athletics Murcia Region Master Athlete of the year and to her husband and former top Norfolk athlete Peter Duhig who recently celebrated his 70th birthday by running in the Valencia 10k with all his family. They have both for many years epitomised the words inspire and motivate, that I do know.

View post:
Neil Featherby: What's the difference between inspiration and motivation for runners? | Norwich City FC and Norfolk and Suffolk sport - Eastern Daily...

Alabama will play Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on New Years Day and Nick Saban did participated in a teleconference to talk about the matchup.

A quick rundown of his thoughts entering the game in Orlando.

-- Its an honor to play in the Citrus Bowl, Saban said. Its a challenge they look forward to.

-- Our team is disappointed with how the season ended, Saban said, and its an opportunity to get back to the Alabama standard hes mentioned all year.

-- This is about the future, so this game is about establishing that, Saban said.

-- On the topic of players skipping the game for the draft, Saban said guys will make individual decisions based on their situation and circumstances. They will focus on coaching everyone who wants to play. This has been a situation Alabama hasnt faced, but well see how it goes.

-- Saban said those conversations will be had and will let you know when any such decisions are made.

-- On Sabans reevaluation of bowl games in the playoff era: He said its important because of the next game. The questions about playing vs. the NFL draft speak to the difference in players view of bowl games. He noted some can improve their draft stock with a big game.

-- Saban hopes players approach this game with something to prove in a non-playoff bowl situation. Theres a high standard around here and this is an opportunity to fix some of the disappointment.

-- The message to players related to disappointment: We want to get back to playing to the standard, Saban said.

-- Saban said he has a lot of respect for Jim Harbaugh, but he doesnt know him all that well.

-- On the 2010 Capital One Bowl: It was the first step in the right direction after a disappointing season. They played and prepped well for that 49-7 win over Michigan State and it set the table for what we did that next season. They won the next to national championships.

Read more:
Rundown of Nick Saban thoughts on playing Michigan, non-playoff bowl motivation - AL.com

Penn State superfans: Get exclusive, in-depth Nittany Lions news, analysis and recruiting updates every day. Become a PennLive Football Insider. Only $5.99 a month. Learn more.

Todays Penn State football news is headlined by yet another article about who the Lions next offensive coordinator could be, plus some early Cotton Bowl thoughts.

Statecollege.coms Mike Poorman is the latest reporter to chime in with thoughts about who head coach James Franklin might pick, and he suggests that past practices could lead to another internal promotion.

The Joe Moorhead Coaching Tree says it could be Tyler Bowen, Poorman writes.

Those who know Bowen say that his influence on the Penn State running game the past two years has been substantial. That vision may need to be 2020 next season, especially if KJ Hamler departs for the NFL and the Penn State staff is intent on figuring out how to maximize the four-headed back named Ricky Journey Cain Ford.

Bowen played under Franklin at Maryland and was previously the offensive coordinator at Fordham before later becoming the Lions tight ends coach. Poorman also wonders if a co-coordinator situation could involve Bowen and running backs coach JaJuan Seider.

Check out the full reasoning at the link below.

In other news, ESPNs early Cotton Bowl prediction is out about two weeks and change before Penn State battles No. 17 Memphis at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Tex. It includes a few good nuggets to know about the Tigers and also looks at the motivation angle in play for each side.

This is Memphis first New Years Six appearance in program history, so thats incentive enough, Sam Khan Jr. writes.

As for Penn State, Franklin says his team is happy to play in the Cotton Bowl, even though it was no secret that some players and fans were hoping to go to the Rose Bowl. The Cotton is still a prestigious New Years Six game, but will a different destination and a Group of 5 opponent impact the Nittany Lions enthusiasm?

Lancaster Online says Penn State big spending on Franklin shows Penn States priorities are out of whack, and 247Sports reports that Memphis will also be without its defensive coordinator, along with its head coach, in the Cotton Bowl. Both are now at Florida State.

Elsewhere, Roar Lions Roar previews a big recruiting weekend that is on deck, Penn State lost three-star line commit Devin Willock on Thursday night, and Micah Parsons has been recognized as an All-American again.

Those stories and more highlight Fridays headline roundup.

Penn State Footballs Next Offensive Coordinator? The JoeMo RPO Coaching Tree Says it may be Tyler Bowen: Poorman [Statecollege.com]

Penn States Micah Parsons earns more All-American team nods: Pickel [PennLive]

Cotton Bowl preview: Khan Jr. [ESPN]

The Penn State blitz podcast: Cotton Bowl talk, offensive coordinator thoughts, and more: Pickel [PennLive]

Big spending on coach James Franklin shows Penn States priorities are out of whack: Lancaster Online

Latest mock draft has Penn State end Yetur Gross-Matos headed to the AFC south: Associated Press

Adam Fuller will follow Norvell to Florida State: Fowler [247Sports]

Will Ricky Rahne leaving impact Penn State recruiting, and will the offense change? Cotton Bowl motivation, more: Mailbag: Pickel [PennLive]

For the Future (12.12.19): In-Home Visits & Upcoming Official Visit Weekend: Stanley [Roar Lions Roar]

Lions lose 3-star Devin Willock from Class of 2020: Pickel [PennLive]

FREE Nittany Lions news! Sign up now to receive our Penn State Today newsletter in your email inbox every morning. No charge.

Read more here:
Could Penn State promote from within to replace Ricky Rahne? Assessing the Lions bowl motivation, and more - PennLive