Essay for Taekwondo: Part Three

Here's the final installment! Love, Lolo I am most impressed with the children in Sponseller’s Taekwondo Academy. They are agile, smart, and strong! Kudos to parents who give their children the opportunity to take martial arts training to carry with them into adulthood. And kudos to teens and adults who return from an absence to finish training or like me, discovering martial arts later in life. Sponseller’s Taekwondo improved all facets of my life. Personally, taekwondo has helped with my improvement in different ways. My defenses, insecurities, and obsession with perfectionism had to be broken, not unlike the boards we break in class. Then, with an open mind and clear heart, my confidence restored and I could progress through the belts. During my progression, I turned into a happier, more confident, and more patient person. I am also more forgiving of myself when I make mistakes, because that is the taekwondo way. Taekwondo has also helped with my professional life. Soon after I started taking classes, I applied for and received a promotion at my workplace. It was my first professional management position, and I needed the mental strength combined with the physical stamina to handle situations with my patrons, staff, and superiors. My coordinator commented that I handled my first year very well, and I told her about taekwondo. She was pleased and encouraged me to keep taking classes. As I ascend upon the brown belt, I look back and think, wow, I have come so far. But I look ahead, and think there is so much more to learn. But I need to be patient. I recently asked Master Sponseller a question concerning promotion to a higher belt (I believe it was the one from blue to brown) and he responded: "Be still, Grasshopper." And I am. It’s all about the process-- the tips among the belts.