what people say about us

Rick Lees Black Belt 3rd Degree

When I was a 6 year old white belt my life approach was pretty self serving I was more about what I could get for myself than sharing There was an angry poorly controlled temper that appeared quickly when I d get upset I was shy and slow to feel comfortable When I was uncomfortable I d often become mischievous and annoying When I look back on my experiences as a student at IMA I know that they shaped the person I d become There is no way to distinguish my white to black belt journey from the rest of growing up it was fundamental to my growing up Some levels I flew through because I learned quick Some belts I lagged on because I was not athletic and didn t practice I was never the most talented in the room but I did enough to be good enough My natural athleticism didn t show up until I had been training a decade I learned persistence and to progress at my own pace Some classes I was the role model Sometimes I was the goofball who caused mischief More often I was the lackadaisical pre teen and teenager more interested in seeing my friends in class than being laser focused and working my hardest But I learned what it was like to decide to focus and later I learned when to demand that of myself I wanted to quit because I missed my green belt test and to me that meant I was a failure Always my parents supported me and sometimes that meant telling me no I wasn t going to quit I learned that not being perfect is okay I learned that when I failed it didn t mean that it was time to give up When I earned my junior black belt I joined the Storm Team and I learned how to be helpful towards someone else s learning There I learned what it means to be accountable and how to care In some ways training for my third degree blackbelt I have done something special and rare But in many ways I ve gotten there by being extremely normal In over 15 years training with so many people I ve realized that people are people and we all face similar joys and struggles in similar but unique ways I ve learned to embrace the process of living and growing Knowing that it will all be okay and that wherever I am at that is also okay My journey from starting as a white belt to training as a shodan nidan and sandan blackbelt is woven into who I am As much as anything else the lessons I learned about myself have shaped me The friendships I forged here have been the most durable Respect discipline and self control excellence service and integrity exist as principles at my core