Nine years of continual Taekwondo practice has done wonders for my health, mindset, and well-being. It’s a martial art that I’ve found sustained value and enjoyment in, and a pursuit I enthusiastically recommend to others seeking a committed path to building resilience and continual self-improvement.
What the journey of training with amazing peers and masters, competing in regional tournaments, and achieving three Taekwondo black belts has taught me:
1. Every ounce of effort I can summon is worth it.
The opportunity to regularly push myself to new limits has been invaluable and truly transformative for me. This lesson in continual growth has permeated all areas of my life and helped me build a relentless, driven, undaunted mindset.
2. I have potentials I’m unaware of.
The purpose of training is to show us how to reach deeper and access previously unknown capabilities within ourselves. The demands of Taekwondo training have helped me rein in and focus a restless and too often reflexive and reactive mind, brought me more deliberate control of my movements and intentions, and has shown me an enduring love of running and challenging cardio training that I never imagined I’d find.
3. The training is the test, and the journey is the reward.
Particularly during the intensive weeks of elevated preparation that lead up to each black belt test: Every day and training session is a chance to grapple with current limitations and push beyond them, and the repetition inevitably brings tangible advances in capability. Each inner battle you fight and win brings you one step closer to readiness.
There is nothing like the satisfaction of seeing measurable progress in oneself firsthand: feeling the exercises getting easier and being able to endure longer sessions and higher reps. It is rare and wonderful to experience such profound enjoyment from working so hard.
To train relentlessly, consistently, and with dedication is to become, at the end, fully prepared. Follow the path, and you will come to testing in top physical condition and ready to perform better than ever, supported by all the gains achieved and lessons learned along the way.
4. Injuries are temporary and can be overcome.
All my setbacks in training have thankfully turned out to be surmountable: I just needed to learn new techniques to fix them. Bouts of tendonitis and plantar fasciitis seemed like obstacles at the time, but with patient persistence and the proper attention to healing, I was able to push through each and return to training with no limitations, 100% injury-free.
5. There is always more to learn.
The moment I achieved 3rd Dan last weekend, my gradual journey to 4th Dan began. Taekwondo is a lifetime calling with endless potential for growth — one that I am grateful to have found and intend to continue indefinitely for the abundance it has given me in return.
6. Treasure the guidance and mentorship that are available to you.
I’m profoundly grateful for and indebted to the rare and wonderful school I’ve found in Elite Martial Arts of Franklin Lakes, and all that headmaster James Lee, our expert poomse coach Master Ji Hun Sim, and all my past instructors have worked patiently to teach me – for their devoted mentorship through class after class, for their unwavering support in the ring and on the poomse mat at tournaments, and for their caring and generous spirit in showing me the path to growth and success. Find a school that suits and support you, and give it the commitment it deserves. You’re likely to find rewards beyond your current capacity to imagine.
Posted with deep thanks to my masters, instructors, peers, and family for their unyielding support in this amazing, profoundly rewarding, and ongoing journey that I’m excited to continue!
