My Taekwondo instructor (a very philosophical person in his own right) said something very interesting recently.

He suggested that we do not suddenly achieve a new level of success, such as a change in belt colour. As we work on our goals, learn new things and achieve new skills we are progressively achieving that new level. Over time, if we use the analogy of a martial arts belt, our imaginary belt starts to obtain the new colour. In my case, my Red Belt is beginning to fade from red to black as I gain the skill required to eventually permanently change it’s colour.

This way of thinking is very in line with the concept of perseverance. Perseverance is the key attribute needed to achieve anything complex and difficult whether is be in learning, music, art or sport. Constant perseverance inevitably leads to growth, only the speed of progress is unknown. By default, even if the amount of black seeping into my belt is miniscule, it is still more than the day before, or the month before, or six months before when my belt was blue, changing to red.

This mindset is comforting and motivating. Every time I practice I am rewarded with the mental image of my belt colour changing. I feel satisfied that I have changed my state, I have made progress, I have achieved.

Regardless of when I actually take the next test and mark a milestone on my journey, the journey itself continues.

Published by the lean minimalist

Donna Sherriff is a New Zealand based improvement and operations management specialist. Seeing a need for simple, no fuss, improvement advice she started The Lean Minimalist blog in 2017. Donna writes articles offering advice and tips for rapid and sustainable business improvement based on over 15 years in Senior Management roles. Passionate about sharing the lessons of over 20 years on the high performance track Donna offers coaching services to professionals. She also writes about her own personal improvement journey, minimalism, and her life long struggle against the tyranny of cookies and sugar which she overcame in 2020. These days, Donna is pursuing a journey to earn her black belt in Taekwondo after a long hiatus of 16 years away from training. On the side she is an amateur but passionate musician and poet. View all posts by the lean minimalist