By Rochelle Brenner
On Dec. 11, 2021, Action Karate Mt. Airy awarded new black belts along with hundreds of others across the Action Karate family. Each candidate was required to write a brief summary of their Black Belt journey. Here are exact quotes from their stories:
“My journey to karate did not begin smoothly. It was everything I wasn’t.” – Tiffany
“First of all I am a grandmother and great grandmother. I will be 69 this month. I never thought I would ever be in the martial arts field.” - Ms. Keen
“I didn’t want to continue and with the pressure of college … I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it. I felt obligated to continue.” - Eva
“My first class I felt like a stranger in a strange world. It was tough work at the time and I mostly wanted to quit.” - Nadim
“On my first time getting the white belt I struggled with my combinations. I got extra help and passed the test.” - Ishmael
“What got me into it really started when I started making friends. That’s very odd why did it take making friends to really enjoy it?”- Jaden
That awkward moment when I realized all the Black Belts wanted to quit. This is just a small sample of the glowing reviews for martial arts, but remember all these stories end with success. They learned grit, perseverance and accomplished more than they thought they could.
These sentiments are not uncommon – rather they are expected. They used their initial hesitation as future motivation. They found joy and excitement and accomplishment. They overcame the kind thoughts that go through our minds every time we try something tough or challenging or new. If I could do a bracket of guessing who would make it to Black Belt, I would never correctly predict who makes it all the way. Everyone has challenges and skills and setbacks and enthusiasm. The ones who make it all the way represent one quarter of one percent of the population. Everyone has the potential to make it to Black Belt.
Please use this blog as validation for your own questions and doubt, as a reminder that you can keep going and earn your Black Belt.
