yes, sensei!
My friend Jen got me involved with Martial Arts. In passing one day, we discussed taking Taekwan Do. She found the Villari's school in Royal Palm Beach and signed up after meeting with the owner, Master Ken Smith. She got me to sign up so we could go together. For this, I will never be able to thank her enough.
Meeting Master Ken, and the rest of the Black Belts, was truly inspiring. That people of all shapes and sizes could achieve such high goals was really motivating. At first, I thought Black Belt was such an impossible goal. When I was a White Belt, all I wanted to do was be able to keep up with the rest of the class with punches or sit-ups. Now, two and a half years later, I'm LEADING other classes in their warm-ups, and people cannot keep up with me.
Studying the Martial Arts has given me more than a few lost pounds. I've found a real sense of sanctuary at the dojo. I've discovered things about myself that I had forgotten were there, and other things I never would have believed about myself. I have a newfound confidence and a renewed sense of self. I have slowly left behind that girl who goes along with the crowd so that they will like her. Now, I tend to lead the charge. It has allowed me to discover the self-confidence to stand up for myself and live my life on my terms.
I have made some of the most important discoveries about myself in the past two and a half years. I have made some of the best friends I'd ever hoped to make in this same time. I have had experiences, discussions, and ah-ha moments I never would have dreamed possible. I stand up tall, now. I look people in the eye now. I speak with a voice that I trust. All of these things came from my study of the Martial Arts.
With all this progress so far, I cannot wait to see what the next two and a half years have in store for me. By then, I will have my Black Belt and will be honored to help other people discover the hidden mysteries that lie beneath their surface.