Over the years I’ve had to overcome difficult obstacles on the way to reaching my goals, and am currently writing a short guide to help others raise the bar, so to speak, on what kind of life they want to live. This guide will be called First Steps Toward Becoming Heroic, and I hope folks will find it helpful. Watch this site for news about its release.
But I also wanted give a concrete example of goal setting. Having taken many courses in college, and having taught there myself, I’ve always been a bit skeptical of teachers who had the book knowledge but weren’t able to provide real examples or weren’t able to do the things themselves they were teaching. I’ve found that having real, concrete examples and solving real problems helps reinforce concepts taught from the books.
So I’m going to set, right now, a lofty goal for myself, and over time on this site, through blog posts and other updates, I’ll track my progress towards that goal. You’ll be able to follow along, through all the ups and downs. Hopefully from this example at least one person will be be motivated to set their own challenging goal, work toward it, and achieve it.
Let’s get to it then. Here’s my new goal: earn my black belt in martial arts.
Why is this a significant goal for me? Well, earning a black belt is, in general, a challenge for almost everyone. Many estimate that only 1% of the white belts—those who are just starting their martial arts training—ever earn their black belt. Add to that the fact that I’m getting on in years and am starting my training after a mostly sedentary life, sitting behind a computer as an engineer and researcher, and standing in front of the chalkboard as a professor. Plus, I have family and job obligations, as well as live physically far from any training sites, factors which limit my training opportunities.
But earning a black belt is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve traveled frequently in my life, and everywhere I’d land, I’d find some martial art to try out. A little karate here, a little tae kwon do there, some Japanese jujutsu for a bit one summer, Shindo Muso Ryu Jodo, fencing—even dueling sabre. When I had to move and stop training in one system, I always told myself that I had time still to earn a black belt in something—I’d find a new martial art to practice in my new location and start all over.
Well, many years later, I realized that the infinite time I thought I had in my youth is indeed running out. I need to settle down, commit myself to one system, and focus.
So that’s what I’m doing, right now.
I’ve written before about how to choose a martial art and a dojo to train in. I’ve now found a dojo and a great set of instructors, I’ve taken some initial lessons, and I’m ready to commit. The martial art I’ve chosen is Muay Thai, and the gym is The Edge Martial Arts and Tumbling.
No, earning a black belt is not something that is done overnight. This is a lofty goal that will take much time, effort, dedication, training, and discipline to achieve. Everything considered, there’s a good chance I’ll fail. Moreover, because I’m documenting everything on this website, it will be a public failure. But then, if there was no risk, if there was no challenge, if the obstacles I faced weren’t terrifying, then it wouldn’t be a goal worth setting.
Now that I’ve declared my goal, I can see it, far off, like the top of a distant mountain. The job ahead of me is to make sure that each day I take at least one step toward that mountain. I might be thrown off my path by unseen obstacles or monsters, but if I find myself off the path I need to look back up toward that mountain top and head for it once again.
Never stop, never give up.
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This is also a good time for you to set and declare your own goal. Feel free to keep it to yourself, or post it below. We’ll be starting on a grand adventure together. Or if you have some words of advice or encouragement for me as I progress toward my goal, I’d love to hear them.
They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with that first step, and I’m taking mine right now. Here we go…