The reason behind my continuation of Taekwondo is fairly straightforward. It gives me the sanctum of relief, trust and safety. Taekwondo is also a family. You can confide something to someone you can trust. When I come home from school it gives me the sense of relief that I'm going to a place where we all have one thing in common, that is to learn Taekwondo. Taekwondo taught me a lot of discipline when I first started up till now. I started to develop the passion for this type of art and it gave me the equivalent passion of Track and Field. Taekwondo has taught me the five theories of power. It has taught me breath control when I'm on the track. It helped me performed better knowing how to breath in a certain amount of time. Taekwondo has also taught me balance and speed. Without balance, I wouldn't be able to gain enough speed. I've learned to stay on my feet and run consistently. Lastly, Taekwondo has taught me reaction force. When I'm on the track lined up in my blocks, I've learned that by pushing off and giving enough power will help increase my chance of an advantage ahead of the race. To conclude this, my reasons fit my needs of why I've chosen to continue Taekwondo.
I do hope to continue onto Taekwondo. Leaving a legacy behind or just helping little by little for others will give someone and me more confidence to do something they love. Like I've said in the beginning it has started to become a passion I truly love to do. There are times where I do have other things to focus on outside of Taekwondo, but that doesn't stop me coming to a few classes here and there. For me, it's about not quitting but to finish something until I feel satisfied that I've actually completed something in my life and really valued doing it.
In many aspects, Taekwondo has changed me. It gave me some thoughts about how I treat life before. There's more to life then what you really expect. Taekwondo has taught me the real meanings of this through the tenets of Taekwondo. First, courtesy is about respect. I want respect from others. When I show respect to others, I in turn want to be equally respected back. In life, not everybody will always live up to your standards. I've always noticed the looks people gives me. They look down on you, making you regret your decisions. For example, my parents always get on me for almost everything. I know they mean well, but to put it this way, is it truly acceptable to hide the real world to your own children? Parents have the desire to protect you and nurture the way they want you to be because of their parental nature. One day, I will face all the hardships on my own if my parents let me. I want to be able to experience every situation out there possible. I want to learn the possibilities of making everything better. All of my life, I've learn the do's and don'ts. I know what's beneficial to me and what isn't. When it comes down to it, if people choose to respect my decisions and me I will respect their being.
Integrity is being honest to others and to oneself. It would be hypocritical of me if I were to say I've been honest to everyone I've talked to. A lot of people have told a few white lies to get out of trouble and I've done it on my part also. We lie to ourselves everyday even if we don't realize it. I make it up most of the time if the guilt starts to eat me alive inside.
Perseverance is being able to keep on moving and never give up. When someone doubts you it gives you more reasons to keep on pushing ahead. The outcome in the end is like a treat. Everyone deserves a treat for his or her accomplishments. This is how Taekwondo has taught me the meaning of perseverance. I was once a white belt and fighting through the obstacles for three years has made me earn something that I thought would only be a figment of my imagination. I've finally become a black belt. I've always imagined that one day I will be a black belt and here I am testing for my 2nd Dan. I could suddenly burst into tears and thank everyone and myself who believe that I would accomplish this much, but it wouldn't be an appropriate time right now.
I have many goals whether they're short or long-term. Overall, they all become my big dream. My goals will never be simplistic or easy. Soon, I want to be able to achieve of becoming the best cardiovascular surgeon anyone has ever seen. The idea of scrubbing into the OR and being able to hold a heart amazes me. You hold life in your hands whether you're a mother, doctor or even both. The definition of life is all so surreal. There's a new start of life and there are some ending. One way or another, you can change someone's life by the grip of his or her heart. Therefore, being a cardiovascular surgeon can give me an appreciation of my support for other's lives. This lead's me to my next goal.
If I were successful enough on my dream career, I would share my glory with others out there. I resent the idea that somewhere else; someone is suffering and needs help. One small effort can always make a big difference. On my part, I would want to donate my earnings towards charities and organizations. Even though I am a little greedy, maybe a lot, I still hope to end someone's suffering and help him or her with my success.
My last goal, will hopefully give others some encouragement to make your goals happen. I've probably mentioned this goal in my last essay. I want to open up my own Taekwondo School. Then when I have a family, I want to be able to persuade them to learn Taekwondo. I want my children or any other of my disciples to have that fire in them to achieve anything and even surpass me. Thinking about how I would change someone's life through my knowledge given from my instructors, gave me the confidence that one day I will also surpass them also. What I hope to accomplish out of this goal is to have that repetition of letting my teachings from my experience to my students who will one day teach their own philosophy of taekwondo to their students.
To conclude this, Taekwondo has taught me many of its characteristics. It has given me the real reason of why I'm truly continuing Taekwondo, how it has change my life and how I was able to set goals for myself. Without Taekwondo, I wouldn't be the person I am today or thinking about my life the way I wanted it to be. Taekwondo has influenced me to start growing up, be more mature and start thinking about what I want in life. It's given me everything in a way I never thought would be possible, which is being myself.
