Just a few more months to go to the test. To date I have done thousands of push-ups and sit-ups, hundreds of pull ups, countless kicks, punches and form repetitions. But what is it all worth….
· A black belt around my waist…
· Another board broken….
· Another repetition completed…
NO! I have to remind myself that this test is about so much more;
1. It is about first learning to care for myself: martial arts is a way for me (us) to optimize our health. Without our health…. nothing else matters. By optimizing our health I am (we are) defending ourselves against the things that will really KILL us in life… HEART ATACK, CANCER and DIABEETES! Optimizing our health allows us to enjoy life to the fullest.
2. It is about learning to care for my family: My kids are with me every step of the way, with every kick and punch! My hope is that they will learn through my example that we must all find our passion life and follow it! NEVER FOLLOW THE CROWD!
3. It is about learning to care for my community: All those kicks and punches have got to be good for something more then breaking boards! The focus, concentration, self-discipline, determination and perseverance must be put to good use. I will do everything I can every day to make a difference in my community not just through large projects like the 200 Smiles Project but through small daily actions.
4. It is about learning to care for my world: “People are People” there is to much us versus them and not enough of “We are all in this together”. I will strive every day to set an example for my own kids and extended family at the school that we can make a difference, not only in our own lives and the lives of those around us but in the lives of people half way across the world whom we will never meet!
So to me this test and martial arts in general is not only about kicking, punching and blocking. It is about learning to care for myself, my family, my community and my world!
Yours in Black Belt Mastery!
Bryan Klein
No comments:
Post a Comment