“Even if we are the most sincere, non-belt-collector martial artist, we wanted a black belt and we wanted to BE a black belt. We get nervous for black belt tests because we respect the rank!”
I was recently reading a book, The Power of Discipline, and the last chapter was just the author congratulating the reader on completing the book (Walter 130)!
I was very confused at first, but then the Author, Daniel Walter, explained that the whole idea of me completing the book was living proof that I had the ability to complete something that I started. The act of finishing a 150 page book is an accomplishment for some people. I know a lot of people that have not touched a book in years. Walter attempted to draw a comparison of goal completion to something tangible. With some insight from Chuck Norris, I will do the same.
In his book, The Secret Power Within: Zen Solutions to Real Problems, Chuck Norris mentions that if anything, reaching the rank of black belt is evidence that we as black belts past and present have the ability to set a goal of some significance and reach it (Norris 111). Whether we continue as martial artists or not, we have gained the ability to complete significant goals in any aspect of our lives!
Norris continues to mention that the black belt practitioner needs to develop and manifest two qualities along the way: Discipline and Respect (Norris 88). The discipline part is clear, but a lot of us that have reached black belt take the respect part for granted. Every black belt was at one point in awe of people that held the rank before them. It is something that we wanted. Even if we are the most sincere, non-belt-collector martial artist, we wanted a black belt and we wanted to BE a black belt. We get nervous for black belt tests because we respect the rank!
This virtue of respect goes well beyond martial arts. Walter’s micro example of completing a book is not a fair comparison to black belt. Instead a college degree would be a more comparable achievement both in time and in rigor.
If you are a college graduate reading this, you might recall a classmate that dropped out because they did not take the program seriously and did poorly as a result. They did not respect the process nor the achievement as much as you did, certainly. Lack of respect is the root of a lot of discipline issues, and one cannot respect without understanding!
Once someone understands and respects the difficulty and effort of being in shape, they can begin to lose the weight that they wanted to in the first place by eating healthy and going to the gym regularly! The same can be said about saving money. Once people understand what it takes to own a nice car or a nice condo, they may start to live more under their means and possibly work a second job.
Sure we can be respectful people with manners, but do we have the respect for what we want?
Is there something that you want in life?
Do you understand what you need to get to that goal?
Sometimes we think we do, and we have good intentions, but we are never quite there! There is always something that we did not expect or something that we took for granted. In the end, if we learn with humility and respect we will still reach our black belt goals in life.
Sources
Walter, Daniel. The Power of Discipline: How to Use Self Control and Mental Toughness to Achieve Your Goals. Pristine Publishing, 2020.
Norris, Chuck. The Secret Power within: Zen Solutions to Real Problems. Broadway Books, 1997.
