With the recent black belt grading it reminded me that many may think that the black belt is the end of the road. This is far from the truth.

We will start with a question

How long does it take the average person to earn a blackbelt?

The black belt is a fantastic goal to have and is achievable for anyone that perseveres. The whole MAC team is very proud to have so many more students achieve the goal of black belt, I know I certainly am.

If you have recently achieved the rank of black belt you may have come to some realisations

• Those years of training were worth it in multiple ways
• You know more than you thought
• You never realised you could push yourself so much and feel great
• You have more of a journey ahead of you

The black belt is proof to you that you can achieve what you put your mind to. It’s a personal achievement.

“A blackbelt is a white belt that never gave up”

A simple statement but very true. A blackbelt shows someone who can persevere, someone who knows what they want and how they can achieve it. This of course crosses over to other aspects in life whether it be school, work, family or whatever else you wish to achieve in life. You are the same person but now you know you have the qualities of an achiever.

When you started your journey, that very first click of the mouse, your first step in the door, or the first time someone mentioned MAC to you (it may very well have been me), did you actually think you would feel this different? We can all take a guess at what the future holds, but that’s all it is, a guess. There is no one I know that says they are worse off by achieving their blackbelt. It is quite the opposite, every blackbelt I have spoken to in MAC has seen and felt the change in their life, the change for the better.

This is why it is confusing why anyone would choose to give that up. Why actively choose to turn away from something that has a positive impact on your life? Many see the blackbelt as the end, and usually the end means no more to venture forward into. So maybe you should instead actively choose to think different and realise the journey is a long rewarding one that doesn’t finish at a particular belt.

So, after reading the blog you may know the answer to the question at the start, the answer being

The average person doesn’t earn a blackbelt