My awakening began after I had run myself and my most important relationships into a ditch.
I had no choice but to reach for help. One day, a life coach I had hired decided I needed to work on the “body-mind connection.”
This made sense. I had lost touch with what I was feeling and the inner fire that drove me around the racetrack day after day. But I was a bit skeptical of my coach’s solution: martial arts.
Had racehorse Allen’s brilliant career come down to “wax on, wax off” with Mr. Miyagi? Yet, trading my starched white shirt and cuff links for a simple karate uniform brought me a sense of fun and freedom. I felt like a 6-year-old kid again.
The bare feet helped. So did the fact that, in class, we were all anonymous. That meant I had no one to impress, no one with whom to exchange business cards. The safe, affirming atmosphere energized me to try new things.
Soon, I wondered if it would be possible to advance through the 10 levels to become a black belt by the time I turned 50. But that was just 16 months away. Was my goal even possible?
My sensei sounded encouraging but set high expectations. I would need to train one to two hours a day for six days a week. I threw myself into my new “business.” Slowly I built strength, breaking through one mental barrier after another.
I proceeded through nine belt levels, but the first-degree black belt test required 100 push-ups in under 2 minutes. I told my teachers my body could only do 60. However, with their training and encouragement, I worked my way up to 100 within a minute and 16 seconds — proving I could do what previously I knew for a fact I could not.
Many years and four black belts later, I became a Tae Kwon Do Master — because I was having fun and connected to my passion.
As we begin the new year, I encourage you to write down or express to a close friend what your passion is, and what your purpose is. Maybe you need to rediscover both. If so, I’d love to help. Explore more in my book, All In.