Nearly two years ago, I had reached a crossroads in my life when it came to my fitness.
I had been in and out of local gyms for a few years. While I did regularly go to the gym, I was not putting in the effort and it showed.
A local martial school that teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muy Thai Kick Boxing was offering a deal. Anyone who was interested in their classes, could, for a small fee take a one on one introductory class with one of the instructors. If the potential student did not feel that the school was a good fit, they could walk away. But if the potential student felt that it was a good fit, they could take more classes and determine if this martial arts school was something they wanted to join.
That was me in May of 2013. I came in, just looking for a new way to work out. The transformation is incredible. I was a size 14 when I started taking classes. I am now a size 6. I have made friends, gained a huge amount of confidence and I have learned a very useful skill. Most importantly, I have a life goal that I would have never imagined having two years ago at this time: becoming a black belt in Muy Thai Kick Boxing.
Stepping onto the mat for the first class was intimidating, not to mention being a huge challenge. Even now, when I can predict within a certain degree of how the class will go, it is still a challenge.
The path to black belt is not easy. It is fraught with challenges and potholes. But so is life. But I still attend classes regularly and I still strive to be the best person I can be every day.
Earlier tonight, I received my purple/brown belt. It is a huge accomplishment to have gotten this far. I will keep going until I reach black belt. Life is hard, it sometimes requires us to dig deep and push ourselves when we think we cannot go any farther. The reward may not be a colorful belt, but what we receive in return for the hard work.
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