Issue 22 - Professional Unification of Martial Arts

PLANET P.U.M.A.
Adult Winning Essay (October 2011 grading):
What makes you continue practicing your art
By Jim Thomas, Crediton Taekwon-Do
In a word, “opportunities”. For me,
Taekwon-Do offers so many opportunities
that it keeps me coming back
for more when so many other things
have left me uninspired after a very
short space of time. That would be
the first opportunity right there, an
opportunity to persevere; handy
then that this one ties in nicely with
the tenets of Taekwon-Do!
Perseverance has always been a
problem of mine. Some would say
that I am blessed in that I am able to
turn my hand to most things with a
reasonable degree of immediate success,
but I would argue that it is
more of a curse when things come
easy. Why apply yourself to one
thing, especially when to do so
means having to dig deep when the
going gets tough? Surely it is easier
to move on to something else where
you can enjoy the quick returns of
beginner’s luck, or whatever it is?
Taekwon-Do is the first thing in my
life, outside of my family, that has
inspired me to persevere when the
going gets tough.
But this is just the beginning; Taekwon-Do gives me the opportunity to spend time sharing a common interest
with my children. OK, so sometimes their motivation to train can be less than inspiring, especially
when they just want to sit around watching films or playing computer games and more than once we
have had to have a battle of wills about getting ready to train, but I always ask them afterwards if they
have enjoyed themselves and the answer is rarely no. Not only do I get to spend this time with my children,
but we get to do so doing something that helps us all develop worthwhile skills and helps keep us
healthy. That’s the next great opportunity; the opportunity to do something that helps keep me healthy.
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