By Allie Alberigo

Many, many years ago there was a man who lived his life in a temple training in the Martial Arts.  At one point his teacher and all of the elders at the temple decided to send this man on a quest.  They gathered in a room and invited him there to tell him the news.  Upon being summoned, the student was both elated and fearful as he appeared before the elders.   The instructors were clear on the instructions and told the student that he must travel across the world to a temple in a far-off foreign land to complete the rest of his training.  They told him this would be the quest for knowledge and when he arrived at the far-away temple the teachers there would share with him all their secrets.

As you can imagine, this student was very excited.  He prepared and went on his way.  His travels were filled with many trials and tribulations; he battled many vagabonds, warriors, gypsies and street thugs along his way.  After almost one year on foot he finally arrived at the distant temple, tattered, weathered, but a different man.  He was greeted as a champion and was led directly into the chamber of elders.

He was instructed to sit while the rest of the elders gathered and came to the room.  Once everyone was in attendance he was handed a beautiful, leather-bound book with the title “The Book of Knowledge.”  The warrior took a deep breath, looked around, and smiled as he opened the book.  The book had only one page which was a mirror.  The warrior looked at it, and saw only himself.  He became frustrated and asked “Is this a joke?”  The elders said “You are the only one besides us who has made the journey and survived.  You are the living example; you can now take our place as the elder and run the temple so we can leave.”  The warrior was very frustrated and threw the book to the ground, breaking the mirror.  Loudly he said, “I am happy to be able to have lived the lessons, but I will not waste my time in this jail when so many things are still to be learned.”   He then got up and left.

This story is a fine example of the quest for Martial Arts training.  In the 21^st century, students are not as patient as they once were and they do not realize that lessons are not always as evident as they would like.  The lessons are in the time spent, the experiences, the failures, the losses, the successes, the bumps and bruises, the pain, the frustration, the confusion and the trust in their teachers.  They also lie in perception – whether a struggle, a confrontation or a situation is taken as a lesson or dismissed as something other then that.  Lessons are constantly presented to us, if we chose to learn.  In our modern society we are accustomed to finding information at the click of a keyboard and getting the information in a nano-second.  It is amazing that any of the actual physical skills are still around.  The road to success is paved in sweat, hard work and determination.  A very wise man once told me, “The only thing worth anything is something you worked hard for.”  If something comes easy it is not all that valuable.  Trust in your teacher, but work hard and live the lessons – train to live – live to train.  Be the example – live the Black Belt, don’t just tie it around your waste.

Effort is one of the most important qualities of a successful martial arts practitioner. Both in class and at home, students must put forth 110% in their practice. Achieving the level of Black Belt is a very physically and mentally challenging task but will be extremely rewarding. To get there, a student must understand what it means to give their best. To achieve a level of excellence, you must persevere through setbacks and put forth your greatest effort. If the effort is put forth, I guarantee it will be worth it.

Here are some tips to help you put forth your best effort while training in the Martial Arts:

1. Stretch daily. Your muscles need to be flexible to withstand consistent training. Most Martial Arts injuries occur when muscles are strained beyond their reach.
2. Exercise regularly. You should exercise your legs, abs, arms, and heart daily to build the strength necessary to maintain speed and agility.
3. Practice your breathing. It is necessary to breathe properly while you are performing your Martial Arts. If you do not know how to breathe right then you will get tired quickly.
4. Eat healthfully. Fruits and vegetables give you energy. Fast food and junk food make you tire faster.
5. Get lots of sleep. You need about eight hours of sleep each night to keep your brain on point and your body strong. Memory fails when your brain is tired. Muscles fail when they are tired.

Whether you are a Black Belt already or are still reaching towards that goal, your training can reach great heights by following the tips above. Nobody has a bigger impact on your life than you, yourself. If you can teach yourself how to give all your activities your best effort, you can accomplish your dreams and goals.

Imagine what life would be like if we approached each important task with discipline and focus; if we always did our best; if we persevered even when things became difficult or discouraging. What you are “imagining” is the characteristic of diligence, and is a quality that can help us become the best people we possibly can be.

Having diligence is a potent force in our lives. It enables us to achieve ambitious goals despite encountering setbacks. People who are diligent understand that the biggest setbacks in life are often caused by our own fears and inaction. Being diligent keeps us on track, and eliminates unnecessary obstacles.

Are you a diligent person? Below is a survey to see if you are.

Answer the following questions true or false:

1. I always strive to do my best at home, at work, and during my training.
2. I am willing to risk failure to achieve a worthy goal.
3. I make sure to learn from my mistakes and failures.
4. I am self-disciplined to follow through on my responsibilities.
5. I see the big picture and think long-term.
6. I don’t give up when things get difficult.
7. I don’t procrastinate.
8. I set goals and stay focused.

Did you answer “false” to any of the questions above?  You must work to make all of your answers “true.”

It takes diligence to earn a promotion, earn your black belt, and fulfill your dreams. Think about your biggest dreams. What is preventing your from making them come true? If you are diligent then you can achieve your dreams. It may not be overnight, but being diligent means that you will work hard for however long it takes to accomplish your goals.

Think about how diligence can make a difference in your life. Write out ways that diligence has helped you accomplish goals in the past. Then, write out ways that lack of diligence has kept you from achieving a goal. Finally, write out a goal that you wish to accomplish and how diligence will help you get there.

The next time you are on the verge of quitting, think about diligence and the positive power that it has on your life.  You will be surprised at what you can achieve once you practice having a diligent attitude.

Do you know what your true talents are? Many people do not. The reason is that they do not let their imaginations soar. The key to great talent is having a powerful imagination.

Many of the world’s greatest artists began with mediocre talents. It was their consistent effort in utilizing their imaginations that made them great.  Over time, they were able to make their imaginations stronger and stronger. A great example is the White Belt who dreams of being a Black Belt.

Having a powerful imagination does not come naturally for everyone. However, all of us can build our imaginations.   It takes practice, just like anything else one masters. The more you practice using your imagination, the more powerful it will become.

Here are a few tips to help you build a powerful imagination:

1. Think big- Have a great vision of something spectacular.
2. Make time- Set aside time each week, or better yet, each day, to create and let your imagination run wild.
3. Get to work- Write, draw, paint, train, play music; whatever your mind enjoys.  Let your imagination do the rest.
4. Do not judge or criticize yourself right away- When you first begin to write, paint, play music, or do whatever your heart desires, do not criticize your beginning work.  Just patiently let your imagination grow.  Over time you will naturally become better.
5. Pat yourself on the back- Each time you complete a poem, a piece of art, a song, or whatever your imagination creates, take a moment to pat yourself on the back for giving your imagination the time to soar.

Remember, great things begin with a vision. You will not have the perfect answer or a polished creation right away. If you allow your imagination the time to develop, it will become more and more powerful. Great achievements will result from your soaring imagination, if only you give it a chance.

"A Black Belt is a White Belt that never quit."  What makes this phrase so special? It puts into perspective the power of following through. Those students who persevere through obstacles, challenges, and pressure are the ones who reach the distinctive level of black belt.

Becoming a black belt is a great accomplishment. It takes much effort and continuous follow through to achieve. Reaching the level of black belt is not an easy task, but receiving a black belt makes it worthwhile. By understanding what rewards wait on the other side of the mountain you can complete even the most difficult tasks. Knowing that your hard work will pay off, you gain the strength to follow through.

The power of following through is not limited to achieving goals such as black belt. Successful businesses heavily rely on this power to acquire new customers. By following through and asking for referrals, a small business can flourish. By following through on your promises, you can earn the respect of the people to whom you made the promises.   The opportunities are endless, and the world opens up even more once you understand how powerful following through can be.

Next time you are in class, at school, or at your job, seek out ways that you can follow through. For class, you may want to follow through after your session and ask your instructor if there is anything you can work on at home to improve your skills. If you are in school, you can follow through with your teacher to see if there is anything you can study to improve your learning curve. At your job, you can follow through with your boss to see if there are new skills that you can work on to help improve your performance. You are limiting your achievements until you take action and follow through to constantly find new ways in which you can reach your potential.

Following through can also be very powerful in your personal life. By following through with friends and families by saying “thank you” for gifts or special gestures, you can improve your relationships. When you make mistakes that affect others, you can follow through by taking the opportunity to correct those mistakes. It shows that you are a person with genuine respect for others and that you care. Following through in all areas of your life can amplify your success and happiness. Next time you are stressed or under pressure, have the power to follow through and enjoy the success that comes along with it.

Did you know that many years ago martial arts was taught in secrecy? Martial arts schools as we know them today did not exist. Students trained solely for self-defense and meditation. Unknown at that time were the multitude of benefits of martial arts training that would appeal to millions of people of all ages in the future.

Some students wore a special white uniform that allowed easy freedom of movement for the practitioner. A white belt tied around the waist completed the ensemble. These first martial artists trained hard, sometimes hours a day, learning to fight and to defend using their hands and feet as weapons. After months and years of practicing, the student’s belt, which was never washed, became soiled and noticeably darker in color. This became a visual sign of the amount of training and experience the student had and why the black belt symbolized an expert in the arts.

Most modern day martial arts schools use some form of progressive ranking system to indicate the student’s level of experience. Beginner students typically wear a white belt (or sash) and expert students wear a black belt. However, since students train indoors in a facility, belts are not exposed to elements that would automatically darken the belt with training experience. Therefore to appropriately distinguish students based on skill level, many martial arts organizations adopted a color belt system between white and black. Imitating the soiled progression of light to dark, beginner colors are usually light such as yellow and orange; intermediate colors, blue and green; advanced colors, purple and brown.

The order of colors are by no means a standard. In some styles for example, the red belt, not black, is the highest rank in the system while in others, red may precede black. Although ranking systems may differ from school to school, the function of the system remains consistent: Each belt rank represents the culmination of knowledge the student has learned and also clearly defines the information that is to be learned to achieve future ranks.