Black Belt Testing tomorrow puts me in a place of reflection and looking at standards, looking at progress, and looking at future. So I must vent if thats alright. Are we on track? (review your progress/renew your goals) Are we as a family/school pushing each other toward our potential physically, mentally, and spiritually? Each and every student plays a roll in this. Do we, as a school (Instructors, parents, and students), have an attitude/expectation of excellence? Is that expectation too high and unrealistic? Or is it not enough and we should expect more? As the head of Leadership Academy, I have a clear understanding of what I expect of students. I have a high standard and expect excellence... during black belt testing, out in the community, at school, at home, and in life. Thats what black belt is, its about excellence and leadership both on the mat and off. ...and now to vent... There is nothing more disappointing to me to find parents and students showing blatant disrespect toward me, my wife, and my school. This disrespect has come recently from parents using disrespectful explicit language at Leadership Academy, some people breaking in to Leadership Academy without permission, students not showing up to belt testing, graduation or Black Belt Testing because you have nothing to gain by doing so... or because its not my turn to test... or because I already made plans... AGH!! Black Belt Testing Day should be a day of really acting like a family, pushing each other, challenging each other, expecting excellence from each other, caring about each other, helping each other, being there for each other (short of a legit excuse for not being able to be at graduations and testings, there will obviously be some reasons that someone just could not make it, its the avoidable excuses that bother me). I thought this was expected... I thought everyone knew that but Ive found that I need to say it more often. Ill carry that on my shoulders and work to be a better communicator. Ill even look at the parent speaking so disrespectfully with empathy and understand the pressure that they are under. Ill carry that forward and work to earn back that respect that i obviously dont have with this person. Ill look at the people who have been breaking into the school without permission and have empathy that they obviously werent doing it to hurt anyone but were just being irresponsible. And finally, as a very busy martial artist, father, entrepreneur, student, and family man, I can understand that schedules are tough and that missing an event from time to time is understandable and acceptable. Ill simply have to excuse their absence and hope to build the expectation of high attendance regardless of personal gain. In closing - Black Belt Testing is tomorrow... Saturday... the pressure is on... for one day... to perform... to demonstrate that excellence... that preparation... those years of training... those hours of sweating and those moments of making the right choices. Ill be watching with a very close attention to detail. Ill be watching for much more than great technique. Ill be watching for the attitude of a black belt, of a winner, of a leader. Ill be watching for that moment when quitting is an option that was ignored. Ill be watching for the struggle, the frustration, the fear, the disappointment, and the ability to rise above. Ill be looking for Black Belts.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 03:18:23 +0000
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