Black Belt Exam redux

As part of my 2nd Pum/1st Dan grading I had to write another written assessment on the topic: What is the most important thing Taekwondo has taught me. Here’s what I wrote …

Taekwondo has taught me a number of things. One significant insight I’ve learnt (or reinforced) is persistence. When I first started doing taekwondo, there were many others starting off. Everyone was a little apprehensive. Some seemed like naturals and looked really good after just a few classes, others (like me) were still feeling a little bit silly and awkward. However, as time passed and gradings went by, I felt less and less clumsy and started to find me feet, but I also noticed the class size getting smaller and smaller.

By the time I did my black-belt grading there were only two of us left from that original group. Both of us achieved something the others did not — we both reached our goals to become black belts. We did so not because we were the best, or smartest, or got distinction marks, but because we stuck with it, made sacrifices and persisted until we achieved our aim.

I think this is an important lesson in life, and no matter what the goal, whether it be your black belt, a University degree or some other pursuit, to achieve your goals you have to make a personal commitment and be willing to make sacrifices. And above all you have persist, even in the face of adversity or your own doubts and fears.

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