Our Little Sunshines: Orange Belt

Yesterday Cassidy tested for her orange belt. She had to show mastery of Forms 1, 2, and 3, the basic ten steps, and basic kicks, blocks, and punches. She also had to break a board...a 1-inch board.

I saw two important life lessons taught yesterday. First, yesterday's test was more than just about whether or not you had memorized some karate moves. It required discipline and focus. Nothing the students had done in class prepared them for how the test was structured and administered. Commands were given faster and groups moved through the forms more quickly than in class. Discipline and complete focus were required to be successful. These are character qualities that will serve these students well in all aspects of their lives.

Second lesson - to quote Glennon on Momastery - "We can do hard things." Cassidy had never broken a board before. They hadn't practiced proper technique in class or even discussed how to do it. Like many things in life it wasn't easy, it was a little bit scary, and there was some pain involved. But, also like many things in life it was mostly a mental battle. Are you going to turn tail and run? Are you going to quit when things get tough, when they hurt? Or are you going to get tough, push through the pain, and emerge on the other side? Yesterday, Cassidy chose to fight...and she broke that board. She learned that she CAN do hard things. She learned that she's stronger than she thought she was. She learned what it feels like NOT to quit. And she learned how good that feels. She also got to hear the roar of the crowd as family, friends, and complete strangers exploded into applause and cheers as we all celebrated her success...and that felt pretty good too!