Since my first day in your dojo.

That was my answer to Sensei’s question when he asked me how long had I been training for my blackbelt.

That first day was back in January 2019. And to be honest, I didn’t really believe that I would ever get my blackbelt. Not because I didn’t think I could be good enough. But more because it was so far in the future.

And here I am in 2023, still pinching myself. I still can’t quite believe that I am a blackbelt.

Getting to this point has taken a lot of effort and commitment, which all ramped up in March of this year when Sensei confirmed that I would be grading in June.

I had no idea I would be grading that soon. In my head, I thought it would be more like December. So to say I was shocked is an understatement. I assumed I wasn’t ready yet.

For 4 months, I trained hard. Some days were better than others. Some days I knew I could do better and it felt like I was just going through the motions instead of focusing on training and being present. But I also had days where I felt amazing.

I learnt quite a bit about myself and what I am capable of. I also relearnt stuff that I already knew but had conveniently forgotten.

Here are just some of the lessons I learnt whilst training for my blackbelt.

My mind was my biggest obstacle

No surprise really. I know this intellectually but I seriously underestimated how sneaky the mind is. I knew from previous gradings that I needed to ensure that the thought of the grading didn’t scare me so I used visualization daily to see, hear and feel how amazing the grading would be.

The thing I didn’t do was work on my mental agility for the training period! Your mind will conspire to show you the easy option in order to keep you safe. But the easy option is not always helpful.

Mastering your mindset is a continuous practice. It’s not just about the challenge you are facing but also the journey that leads to that moment.

Focusing on enjoying the journey didn’t always help

I know it’s all about enjoying the journey but there were times, especially towards the end, when the journey sucked. The more I tried to focus on the journey, the more I hated it. And the more I focused on hating it, the worse it felt.

Looking back now, I should have taken the time to understand what was going on for me. What was stopping me from enjoying it? Instead of trying to push through it and feeling worse.

I needed to build in more breaks

I was driving myself pretty hard during training and because I’d made a commitment to myself, and to my accountability group, to complete my weekly training schedule there was no way I was going to not do it. To let them down and let myself down. The problem is, when your mind and body are exhausted there is no point in pushing because it does more harm than good.

I was focused on the physical doing whereas I should have given my body time to recover so that I was at my best during training times.

If something is not working, it’s okay to try something different

When I was at my lowest it was because it felt like things were not working. And when things were not working it was because I was at my lowest. A vicious circle. Instead of feeling empowered to try something different, I kept going. I was in the mindset of ‘nothing is going to stop me’.

Fortunately, Sensei could see what was going on and thanks to his intervention I didn’t keep going as he adjusted what I needed to do. The message here is I waited for someone else to say ‘stop, it’s okay’ instead of feeling the freedom to do it for myself.

My support network played a key role in my success

I had a fantastic accountability group around me that kept inspiring me to keep going. They were cheering me on from the beginning until the moment my grading finished. I don’t think they realise how much of an impact their support had on me. 

Never underestimate the power of your supporters. 

I know I talk about being your own cheerleader, however, this is amplified when you have great and genuine people around you. They will lift you up when you are unable and give you the biggest cheer when you reach the summit.