Happy
New Year 2001! - May it become your best year ever.
As
a New Year begins, it is a perfect time to renew our goals, and to map out
where we stand on our Taekwondo path.
Black
Belt Excellence
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Black
Belt Excellence has little to do with being a Black Belt. More
appropriately, it describes the attitudes that Taekwondo training
develops. The benefits of these attitudes carry over into every
aspect of our daily lives. The following are the five basic traits
of Black Belt excellence.
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How
do you stack up?
1. Happy
but not satisfied.
There
is an old Zen proverb that says “before enlightenment chop wood and carry
water – after enlightenment chop wood and carry water”. Interpreted it could mean to have a goal and constantly
striving to achieve it; do not to concentrate so much on the goal that you
forget the path.
We
know many Taekwondo students who are happy with their progress and
improvement. We have yet to meet a Taekwondo Master who is satisfied with
his/her present level. You see, with the awareness of improvements come not
only a sense of fulfillment, but also an awareness of other areas to be
improved.
2.
Compare
yourself – Not with others – but with your own potential.
Comparison
of self to others makes one feel either incompetent or overconfident. Not every Black Belt (or student) is equal in skill. In fact,
all students are dissimilar in skill level.
Although there is a certain level of skill required to progress to a
new rank (belt), everyone has different strengths and weaknesses.
Comparing
yourself to your own potential helps you set realistic goals. It is the only
comparison that generates reliable feedback.
3. Keeping emotions in balance.
During training the Taekwondo
student experiences many emotions on the path toward Black Belt.
Learning to recognize our emotions and face our fears is only one
portion of Taekwondo training. Emotions
are our allies if they are channeled in constructive ways.
They are the driving force in the accomplishment of all worthy tasks.
4. Developing self-discipline.
A
disciplined person is a person who knows what to do and then does it. Someone
without self-discipline knows what he or she should do, is not able to carry
out the task.
Discipline,
like a muscle, is developed with use. In Taekwondo training the student is
encouraged to work through difficult movements. As the students gradually
progress through belt ranks, they
become self-motivated, maintaining their focus and concentration.
5. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
The philosophies taught in Taekwondo encourage
students to look for the good in every situation, and then make the most of
it. Instead of saying, “Why is this happening to me?” they say, “What is
good about this, and how can it benefit me?”
With this attitude everything becomes a learning experience, and we are
able to cope with the day-to-day challenges that life rewards us with.
If
you feel you demonstrate these 5 traits, congratulations!
You’ve
got Black Belt Excellence.
