I hear a lot of students who “can’t wait until they are a Black Belt.”
It’s a great goal and one to keep and work hard towards.
I would like you to stop a moment and think of when you started martial arts though. Think how much better you are now than you were then. Please take note of your progress. Be proud of the rank you have already earned, no matter what it is. Take note of how much you have improved before looking ahead to future goals. I bet you have come a lot further than you might think.
Your actual rank means very little compared to the actual effort that you put into your training. A Black belt means nothing if you don’t improve from there. I’ll take a handful of Green Belts who work tirelessly to improve over a room full of Black belts who think the cloth around their waist will get the work done for them. The belt means nothing if there is no effort to back it up.
And I guarantee that if you are one of those hard working Green belts, for example, who improves on something each class, remains coachable, and has patience, you will certainly achieve that goal of a Black Belt.
And I have one other guarantee: once you reach that Black belt, you will realize that it’s just another beginners belt with a completely new set of challenges. It’s another starting point, certainly not the end.
Thank you for your time. Train hard and with intent.
-john g
