"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.