I worked harder because I wanted to be the greatest, I wanted to win, I wanted to prove to the world that I could do it and nothing they said could stop me and I did. Each and every month I became better, faster and stronger than my opponents, eventually I reached a state that many would call the end of their journey, I became a BLACK BELT.
As soon as I became a black belt my hard work did not end. I had just entered a new world, a new beginning. I had to start from scratch. I started remastering each and every technique until each movement was engraved into each and every one of my muscles.

“Were there sacrifices?” Of course.
There were days my body would be in pain or days I was not able to sleep but the sacrifices were worth it. After all, winners focus on winning and that was the mindset I had. I was selected to represent my country. I was one of the best of the best, or so I thought.
Looking at the other representatives I realized that my hard work was not enough to compete against them. My hard work could not compare their talent, their skill, or their strength.
I tried to break the barrier, I pushed myself beyond my limit, I pushed myself to the point where I knew that I could now compete against the greatest.
At the time I was unaware that there would be consequences for breaking that barrier and when I finally got to represent my country and myself on the international scene, everything came crumbling down in front of my eyes. I did not win. I was not the greatest. I couldn’t even prove myself or make my mark. I was drained, I was at an all time low. My mind couldn’t handle the strain anymore, my body couldn’t handle the strain either. I overworked myself. My back gave out, my hips gave out, my knees gave out. I was completely useless. I had to quit. What use was I?
But then I slowly began to pick myself up. I began to recover. I began to change into a different person. My attitude changed. I was more motivated than I had ever been. I was more motivated to prove myself.

I restarted my journey. But restarting my journey did not mean I continued participating and competing in martial arts. I had found a new passion and that passion was football (soccer). That passion helped create bonds with my new teammates. Having teammates taught me that I didn’t have to do everything alone. Now I have something new to work towards. I have to be accountable. I have a role to play. I have to work even harder so that I never let my teammates down. My hard work in martial arts and in football have paid off because I can influence and motivate my teammates. Together we have become better, faster, and stronger.