A Black Belt - It's Only the Beginning...

I have long heard what I always took to be a joke: "The Black Belt, it's only the beginning". And I use to laugh.

Well, excooooose me. Rembering that:

When a door closes, look for the window that opens. - anonymous

Life is about setting goals that are personally meaningful to you. And then achieving them. - Dad (mine)

S.M.A.R.T Goals - Goals we set are goals we Get - Kyoshi

There has to be a morning after... - Some Barbara Streisand Song

Yes, I got my black belt. I think I look good in my new red gi with my new belt. Don't you agree?

But now that a month has past and I've taken a lot of high fives and congrats and even a few hugs and I've hosted a party for all the new black belts and I've caught up on my personal and professional life (in short, I've been a busy bee), I'm turning to the questions of:

• how does the martial arts fit into my life?


• what are my goals going forward?


• can I really balance a training schedule, increasingly demanding professional life, and rich personal life?


• and most importantly, what am I going to do about this blog? It started as a way to keep track of the katas (as my memory in my very late 40s isn't what it used to be. Or at least, my memory isn't what I think my memory used to be). And now, this blog actually has some readers and some potential....

As it turns out, I have answers emerging for all these questions. And alot more. So stay tuned. (some hints on my direction. I'm writing this before going for a Sunday morning run. And last night, I went the local amateur fights - Warriors Collide 3 - and watched one of my teachers show everyone, including herself, just how good she is).

Lastly, notice that I'm ending my post with questions to be answered......

This is an effort to create a storyline and to end this episode with a cliff-hanger.... As I mentioned, stay tuned....

PS - In response to requests this week, I added a video of Long One, Short Three, and White Belt Appreciation Form. I corrected some glaring omissions in bookset and I'm actively looking for a good video of the bookset kata.