Self Discipline and Meaning of Black Belt to me

Todya's cell.. go back and think about something that you need help to maintain the discipline in.. Mine has got to be self control of the mind.. not to let me be in control.. but God to be in Control.. if i'm in control , i'll be dead.. like jade's analogy that i always remember.. who is driving the car of your life and mind? or is God in the back seat?

Took an extract of my essay on what black belt meant to me.. it's an essay that by right we have to hand in to my instructor but I never got round.. think to be fair to those who are not in the quest.. it's hard to appreciate and understand the journey.. and I should and have been thankful for those in class who train and sweat with me.. for my close friends and family who see me put in the hours, sacrifice the time with them, and understand and give me space...

".... On a personal level, it brings to mind the hours of training that is being put in. It brings to mind the effort sacrificed in coming for training and the other constant reason that I have to give in missing up appointments with friends and loved ones. It brings to mind all the bafflement that is shown by the people around me why one is willing to spend so much money and effort in getting myself injured and “beaten up” in class.
It’s about showing that you had gone all out for the passion, to preserve in reaching the first milestone of this passion, knowing that it does not come to pass from just an ad-hoc training.

Attaining the black belt also definitely does not mean that I’ve developed to be one of the best fighter or martial artist around. On the contrary, it meant discovering myself and my abilities and developing the best of them. Different people have different abilities and talents. For me, it signifies a journey of self discovery and developing a unique passion in a way that matches my own pace and ability. There are those who would want to hurry along their pace of training in order to attain the black belt in the fastest time, but there are those who want to develop slowly so that they can really experience and go ahead when they are fully ready. For myself, the discovery of myself via the black belt is also really about knowing myself and focusing on what is best for me.

.....The black belt in Taekwondo meant that childhood dreams can be fulfilled. It gives one the self confidence in life because of the assurance that I can actually fulfill the goals that I had set out for myself.

As the saying goes, attaining a black belt does not mean the end of the journey; on the contrary, it just meant that the journey has just started. And my fun has just started. "