As I ascended the stairs, I noticed I was feeling a littletense. The sting of Tiger balm quickly filled my nostrils along with the smell ofsweat-stained clothes and gym gear. I’d been here before but somehow, this feltdifferent. I was about to undergo a test, a challenge, something I’d beenworking toward for a couple of years now. All the training, learning, hard workand discipline would be evaluated over the next 2 hours. I would have to demonstratemy knowledge, my fitness, my physical ability and to top it all off, fight!

To those that are familiar with martial arts, they canreadily appreciate the nervousness one feels before are grading but equally identifywith the knowledge that what they are about to do has been done by many beforethem. On the path to obtaining a black belt, you discover that the destination,while significant and important, becomes less of a focus. For me, the gradingthat I just experienced held more significance than others because itrepresents the halfway milestone, the transition from a ‘junior belt’ to a ‘seniorbelt’ and in many ways, where the level of intensity (both physical and mental)begins to increase.

For everyone out there right now weighing up if the timing is right to start that ‘thing’ you’ve always wanted to start….let me answer the question for you…IT IS!

I look back two and a half years when I was watching othersfrom the sidelines secretly admiring their determination, tenacity, discipline,courage, and consistency. Through challenging myself, hard-work, a few injuries,and setbacks, I’ve fallen in love with the process and deeply trust it willenable me to continue to progress.

Like education, careers, growing a business, raising afamily or investing in a relationship, martial arts has taught me that whilethe challenge that it presents is real and the pain one experiences can beextreme, none of it is as painful or crippling as not doing anything at all.

For everyone out there right now weighing up if the timingis right to start that ‘thing’ you’ve always wanted to start….let me answer thequestion for you…IT IS! Take a leap of faith, break through a barrier,challenge your fear. You most likely won’t change the world but at least you’llexperience the inevitable growth that comes with challenging what you previouslythought wasn’t possible.