December 14, 2013
“You can’t do that. You’re not good enough. You’ll never be able to do that. Just give it up, you’ll never be good enough.” These are the words that we are all faced to hear at some point in our lives. It may not be quite that clear, but underneath all of the glamor on top, that’s what is being said to you. For me, one of those moments was when I told people that I was in Tae Kwon Do. I thought that it was cool,and was excited to be doing something like that, but when I expressed it to other people,they just shot me down. Saying things like I would never become a black belt. So I just simply stopped telling people about it.
As my involvement in Tae Kwon Do faded in and out, it never fully left me. Even though we didn’t consistently go all the time, I still found myself thinking about it. The hurtful words of all the other people were still in my head. I was kind of embarrassed to tell people that I was in it or that I even liked it. People are so negative toward everything. If they aren’t doing it, or don’t have it, it must not be very good. That’s how it was for me. Even kids in my class said things like it was stupid and why would you want to do that. They would make fun of it and for me being in it. I wasn’t sure how to take this, so I would just put on a forged little smile and a little laugh.
Now, as I am testing for my first degree black belt, I am so glad that I didn’t listen to all of the negative things that were being thrown at me. If I would have, I would have missed out on a wonderful event that Tae Kwon DO is. Not only Tae Kwon Do itself, but all of what I have learned from being in it. The experience is unforgettable, and I plan to have many more memorable times with it. The people that I have met and continue to meet are amazing and all have different stories to share. It has also taken me to some pretty compelling places as well. A few years ago, I got the chance to go to Grand Master Jung’s cabin in Colorado. The experiences that I had while there are unforgetable. Such as being able to sit down with Grandmaster Jung and Master Wood, and being able to listen to them talk about tae kwon do, and all of their experiences with it. Also going to tournaments, big and small are always enjoyable. I recently went to a tournament in Louisville, and had a once in a lifetime experience. There were people from many different places,and all knew many different things. It was cool to see so many people in one place all for Tae Kwon Do.
With anything great that comes to us, there is hard work and determination behind it. That is indeed the case with getting my black belt. I faced pessimism,and discouragement, but never gave it up. If you like something well enough, you won’t let others influence your decisions toward it. Now, when classmates see pictures of me in Tae Kwon Do, or having a trophy and medals in my hand, they aren't so negative toward it anymore. If you tell me I can’t do something, I will try my hardest to prove them wrong. Now I am proving all of who said I couldn’t do it wrong.
If you want something bad enough, do whatever you have to to get it. When someone walks into a dojang for the first time and has the goal of becoming a black belt, that’s great. Goals are a great asset to have, but a goal isn’t worth as much if you don’t do anything to reach it. If you don’t want to put in the hard work of becoming a black belt, you might as well forget about it, because it won’t be given to you. Hard hard will pay off in the end, you just have to give it enough time.
