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Martial Arts is NOT about........
Martial Arts is NOT about kicking ass. It's not about having
the highest kick, the best push-ups or the highest belt ranking.
It's not about showing up the student next to you by performing
your poomse much better or kicking faster. It's about besting
YOURSELF. Martial Arts is about YOU and nobody else. It's about
you working through your fears, your insecurities, your inflated
(or deflated) ego and disciplining yourself hard enough to empower
your eternal self. Sooner, or later the body ages, breaks down
or perhaps suffers some bizarre obstacle, but NOT your eternal
self. When the eternal self is trained in the way of the warrior
via Martial Arts, your empowered spirit lives on forever.
But the journey is not always easy. Sooner or later each of
us are faced with obstacles that make us want to give up the
task. Did you know that out of 10000 students that sign up for
Taekwondo, only 3 will make it to Black Belt? The ones that
continue on never gave up. They had their obstacles, illnesses,
injuries and distractions. But their goal to finish what they
started was constantly in front of them. THEY NEVER GAVE UP.
History is filled with stories of warriors who refused to relinquish
their destiny in the face of grave adversity. Now, we find ourselves
in a time that offers MUCH adversity. AND, in the times we find
ourselves in, we are witnessing new warriors who will stay the
course regardless of odds. We need these warriors on our planet
now.
Maybe you are one of these warriors. I always think I know which
of you will make the entire journey, but as so MANY times I've
been wrong, its really hard to say. Your heart knows better
than my years of teaching and practicing martial arts. Its not
the strongest, the fittest, the most talented...well, maybe
sometimes. Most of the time its the humble soul that just has
it in them to see their journey to the end. Its their destiny.
Its ALWAYS been their destiny. Many students hear the voice
that says, "You can do this" but most of them don't
believe it. Believe it!!
Every time our Dojang receives a new black belt, our hearts
sing. We know how hard the journey is. We NEVER forget the adversities
we ourselves had to face. We NEVER forget the sense of accomplishment
we felt the day our Master handed us our black belt. We were
tired, fatigued and exhausted. Not just from the test, but from
years of persevering. Receiving our black belt re-energized
us to continue the path. And we became instructors. Now, every
time one of our students receives a black belt, we also relive
the energy of success and triumph.
Martial Arts is NOT about victory....its about greatness. And
every one of you that receives a black belt is GREAT in my book.
It never gets old.
Master Kathryn Kiffmann
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