Actually, I could've taken my black belt exam in March. I chickened out at the last minute and pulled out.
I would've very much liked to "chicken out" today as well.
Luckily, the prospect of wasting USD$80 weighed down heavily on me.
Words can't describe my feelings today. I was nervous/excited/scared/calm at the same time.
The session I was most nervous about was the board-breaking session.
I was equally worried about the free sparring session.
I had never been good at sparring. I tended to hop about too much and misjudge distances. Lady luck shone on me today and I managed to come out, unscathed. At least, that's what I think. After a day's rest, I should be able to tell whether or not I've perfectly un-scarred.
As for the breaking..... I DID IT! With some luck, strength and some techniques.
The most important lesson I learnt from this though, was not the fact that I seriously needed to put on more weight, muscle and strength.
Rather, it was learning that to succeed, one must be calm, patient and confident.
Even when you are faced with something you have never broken in previous attempts.
Having confidence is already half the battle won.
The few times I was unsure of my abilities (and scared of the board), I failed to break it on first attempt.
The same goes for life.
Sometimes, we are uncertain about the unknowns in our life. We don't feel confident about something new, something challenging, something that haunts our past.
But feeling like this will NEVER get us anywhere.
We should always try to feel confident and optimistic about life, albeit knowing how unpredictable and surprising life can be.
Even if it happens to slap you in the face like a big, wet fish, let us remain positive and be confident that there will be better days ahead. P.s. we should also feel thankful that it's just a fish, not a 1-inch wooden board.
CONFIDENCE + OPTIMISM + HARD WORK = SUCCESS
Actually, these two boards don't fit. I couldn't find two pieces that fit for a momento.
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