So after my latest karate competition this weekend I got to thinking about a fortune I got last week in my fortune cookie at dinner and how it applied to me.  Most the time my fortunes seem silly, meaningless and out of the box but this one was different to me.

A little over a year ago I decided to take up a new “sport”.  A new direction in my life.  It was scary and I was sure that people would laugh at me but that didn’t stop me.  I had been coming to my boys karate classes for a couple months and loved their instructor, Mrs. Cupples.  I loved her encouraging and positive way of dealing with the kids.  She has a great outlook on life and pushes the kids to do the best THEY can not what everyone else can do.  When she decided that she wanted to offer the same training for adults, I thought sure, I’ll give it a try.  What was the worst that was going to happen?  I would do it for a couple months and decide it wasn’t for me?  Or better yet, try it and love it and continue on for as long as the journey will take me?  Well that is exactly what happened but the journey is not over yet.  It’s only just begun.  Despite the occasional laugh or “why are you doing THAT?” comments I’ve gotten, I’ve stuck with it.  Now look at me.  I’ve made it all the way to green belt (the first novice belt), won several medals and just today started helping Mrs. Cupples teach in her 5 year old class.  I’m proud to say that I train in karate and it has become a VERY important part of my life.

So I’ll bet you are wondering what my fortune was that night at dinner.  Here is what it said . . . “All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs”.  I was immediately taken by that comment because it is so true.  Because of Mrs. Cupples, Community Karate Clubs, Family Karate Center, Kyoshi Haynes and my new karate family, I believe more in myself than I ever have.  I believe that I can do things that before I couldn’t.  I have an amazing positive support system around me that encourages me to do MY very best in EVERYTHING I do.  It is much easier most days for me to let things go and realize there are more important things in life to worry about.  Don’t get me wrong though, I still have my days but then I think about my new journey and it helps me put my life back in perspective.  I can not thank Mrs. Cupples enough for believing in me and seeing things in me that I don’t always see at first.  Some days she is that positive strength in my life that I need.  It is her belief in me that helped me come to the realization that “I CAN do this” or “I AM that tough”.  Mostly that I don’t need to be pushed around by anybody.

She has helped Rob and I see strength in each other too.  I have the chance to get to train with him each and every week.  It makes my day on Monday and Wednesday to get to share that time with him.  Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than that, a few months ago Mrs. Cupples decided to change the adult only class to a family class.  It is wonderful because now I get to not only train with my sweetheart but also get to train next to my own kids.  This is one of the things that CKC is all about . . . family.  I am honored everyday that I get to train with my sweetie and my boys and be taught by someone that I look up to as a mentor and great friend.  I hope someday that I am able to pass on what she has taught me to others either by helping her in her school or by having a school of my own.  I can’t wait till the day that I am able to join the ranks of my fellow black belt friends and say with honor that I trained under Mrs. Cupples.  She is an amazing teacher and a strong woman.  If the day comes in the future, it will be fun to compete against her at a tournament.  She will be a tough opponent but I have faith in my training that I will do the very best that I can do because of the positive and supportive training that I received from such a wonderful mentor.

Thank you Mrs. Cupples for making our community better.  Thank you for believing in us all.  Thank you for showing us how the little things can make such a difference in someones day.   You know exactly when to give us positive words of encouragement and praise to brighten our day.  Thank you for caring for each an every one of us.  I am proud to say I am a Community Karate Club student.  Thank you to all my new friends that I have made this past year, young and old.  You teach me something every time we compete and train together and working with my new littlest friends is going to show me a whole new side to something I already love.  Thank you Rob for joining me on this new journey in my life.  I couldn’t think of someone I’d rather share it with that with you.  Thank you to my boys for being so supportive and encouraging also.  It is fun to have something that we can both learn together and teach each other new things along the way.  I love learning from you. Finally, I also would like to thank Mr. Cupples for all he does for CKC.  You are a great teacher.  I love learning from you.  It is fun to have a different perspective on things and it I feel honored when I get to have you judge me at competitions or when you get to come watch us take our belt tests.

My personal breakthroughs have most certainly began with a change in believing in myself.  Here’s to a long journey on this wonderful road of life.

I also decided to try kumite (sparring) at the tournament. I was REALLY nervous about fighting since I never had done it before but I’ve been going to sparring classes for a couple months so I at least felt better prepared. I was bracketed with my friend Amanda from my class, a brown belt and a purple belt. I got to fight against the brown belt and we fought first in our division. The match was really close and as time went on I was feeling more and more confident about my ability to fight. We went back and forth most the match and time expired before either of us reached eight points so we went into sudden victory overtime. A minute or so into overtime and she scored just a split second before I did and won the match. I ended up taking a bronze medal but I am not at all disappointed about it. In my eyes it was a gold. I accomplished exactly what I wanted to at the tournament and hope to try it again the next time I compete.

The day was really fun and I walked away feeling very accomplished. It is the best I’ve ever competed and I’ve decided to compete in a bigger tournament in December and possibly in the State Games of America this summer. I never would have guessed that I would have this much fun doing karate. I can’t wait to be a black belt and compete against my black belt friends and my instructor.  Oh, one more thing . . . I just want to congratulate all of my Community Karate Club friends who competed. I was especially proud of my friends who competed for the first time. Can’t wait to see how you do in your next tournament. Hope you enjoy the videos. Please leave me feedback on what you think. I love to hear what others think of what they see.

Video of Heian Shodan at the 11/15/08 Tournament

Video of my very first Heian Shodan competition on 6/21/08