Celebrating the Small Wins

The journey to becoming a blackbelt is a LONG process. It takes years of dedication and hard work. That’s why it is extremely important to celebrate the small wins along the way. It’s easy to get caught up in everything that needs to be done from a white belt to blackbelt, even what it takes to test for your blackbelt alone! But through that process there are so many things to celebrate and be proud of.

Showing up to class:

Step one of getting a blackbelt is showing up to class. It’s that simple. By showing up everyday you are improving your life through fitness, community, and learning new life skills. It’s not easy to commit to such a long journey, but by showing up each day you are on the path to greatness. That’s something to be celebrated. 

Receiving a stripe or new belt:

Earring a new belt is an obvious celebration. When you go from a white belt to a blackbelt, you have to test for a new belt every time you are ready. This means learning new forms, self defense combinations, and even sparring! A smaller victory though is earning stripes. Stripes are giving along your journey as you accomplish new pieces of the belt puzzle. Each stripe is a step towards earning your next belt. This is all about celebrating the small things right? A stripe is a small win for you to be proud of.

Competing in Tournaments:

It takes a lot of bravery to put yourself out there and compete in a tournament. We all know that if you win it’s a huge celebration with receiving a title and a medal. But just showing up is an amazing accomplishment. You trained, put yourself out there, and tried your best to win. It can be scary and take overcoming a lot of fear but you did it and showed up. Now that’s worth celebrating. 

Learning Something New:

The lesson most taken for granted on the journey to a blackbelt is learning something new. Each day that you step into class you are challenging your mind and body to learn new information and apply it not only in class, but in every aspect of your life. The only way to grow is by learning new things, and taekwondo teaches us that there is always more that can be learned. By taking the time to take part in every aspect of training, you are always learning something new. Celebrate that.

It’s easy to overlook the small wins in life but at Mueller’s Martial Arts, we want to celebrate every moment on the journey to a blackbelt. When you finally achieve that goal, you will realize every step along the way it took to get there. Be sure to always celebrate the small wins in taekwondo, but especially in life.