The Difference Between Persistence and Mastery
…one only gets you so far
Original title of this column was, “Why You Never Should Compliment with a BUT”
Let me tell you a story.
Recently Daniel Kraus proudly displayed his son George’s achievement of black belt in Taekwondo. I was proud of George and Daniel because I realize the commitment that both had made for the last probably 4+ years.
So I wrote…
“Great achievement… but it is important to remember that the Black belt is just a start of the journey. A point where you know the basics and are ready to start learning the advanced techniques. I hope he continues the journey.”
What a cruel bastard!!!
With one hand I compliment and with the other I instruct that it is just the beginning. I wrote that and kept thinking about it for a couple of days.
Maybe I could have phrased it better? Maybe a bit softer?
I have seen this often. Kids that could become great martial artists work so hard to get to the black belt and then just stop. They feel like they have arrived and know it all. They have arrived.
There is a big difference in persistence and mastery. Yes, George has displayed persistence to move from one belt to another. Yes, George has shown patience to continuously learn and work through 3–6 month periods between tests. ( I recently learned of a coworker who is studying Brazilian Jiujitsu for 6 years and he is only a middle rank and probably years away from black belt)
Martial art schools are wonderful places to learn the arts. They provide instruction AND in order for them to provide that instruction they have to operate like a business. Every month they instruct and collect a fee. Every 3 or 6 months they test the student and charge a fee. Every 3–6 month there is a tournament that the students compete in and they pay a fee. They have an incentive to move the student along.
With the good there is bad and the bad is that many students get to a level of black belt with very poor technique. Some don’t even know how to properly tie their belt.
Guess what I checked in the picture? George’s belt was tied very tight and properly positioned.
Again, there is no perfect system but the student with time and persistence gets to a level of black belt. My note refers to the period after the black belt.
Visualize each belt test as being followed by a plateau. In theory, as you get closer and closer to black belt the plateaus become longer and longer. And after you reach the black belt they definitely don’t occur every 3–6 months. The journey of mastery is a lifelong journey.
It is important to remember that every master started out as a disaster. Now it looks easy. Now it looks good and fast. It did not always look that way.
Even though I have not stepped in a martial arts school for many years, I still practice. Almost every day, I close my eyes and visualize myself performing a kata or testing an idea. Most of my work is done through reading or visualization. Not the same as physical contact BUT enough for me. There is more than a physical dimension to the arts.
I hope George sticks with it for a lifetime. I hope he becomes a grandmaster one day. I hope he achieves mastery. Mastery in one thing teaches you what it takes to reach it in other areas. It is not guaranteed to translate BUT the path is the similar. It is full of persistence and working through the plateaus.
If this topic resonated with you, please get the book Mastery by George Leonard. It explains the ideas I touched on here in more detail.
By the way: TKD preaches these values: Honor, Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, Courage, Community, Strength, Humility and Knowledge. All these values help you become a person worthy of reaching the mastery level.
Enjoy your path to mastery.
