Last year I traveled halfway across the world to see the ancient lost city of Petra in the country of Jordan. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. After hours of flying and taking buses on scary desert roads I finally reached my destination. I knew it was going to be a long day and a long hike, but I wanted to see it all. After three hours in the hot sun, four people in my group went back to the hotel. I kept going. After climbing hundreds of steps up a mountain, three more people turned around. I kept going. The guide asked if anyone wanted to continue on. I raised my hand. We started as a group of 18 and only 5 of us finished the hike. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, but also the most rewarding. I’ll never forget it. I’m so glad I never gave up.
There have been times I have given up. I used to compete in tournaments all across the country. My favorite was musical forms. At one point I noticed all of my competition started doing flips and all kinds of crazy acrobatic kicks in the air. It looked so cool! I knew I wanted to be able to do the same. I went to a gymnastics school and practiced and practiced, but I could just never get it right. I guess I gave up. If I kept going I know now I would have been doing 720 kicks and backflips at my next tournament. I think about that all the time and I’ve pushed through everything else ever since. Giving up on a postive goal or dream will never produce a positive result.
Martial Arts teaches us to persevere. At times things can get tough. Sometimes it may seem there’s no possible way that you’re going to win or reach your next rank. You may think to yourself that it would be much easier to just move on. DON’T! Never, never, never give up.