“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
Students, parents, cheerleaders, and instructors of CHTA:
I want to let everyone know just how proud I am of every member of the CHTA family. I’m having trouble putting this into words so please bear with me. This is a long one, but I hope it’s worth it.
Today was a good day – but I do not want to celebrate our results. Today I want to celebrate everyone’s effort, perseverance, resilience, and attitude.
Not everyone passed testing and that is okay. Failure is a positive experience when you learn from it. The most successful individuals often credit failures as their major inspiration to start working even harder at their goals. I’m sure you’ve heard these all before but Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school’s basketball team, Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, and Walt Disney was told he lacked creativity.
What failures offer us is an opportunity to process our loss, think through our mistakes, and figure out how to fix them in the future. Once we’ve done that, failure pushes us to approach our challenges with a sense of purpose. And that it a very positive thing!
Our school’s motto is “χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά”. Literally translated it means “naught without labor” or, simply, beautiful things are hard to obtain. I chose that motto because I believe the struggle is what makes earning your ranks special. If all you want is a black belt with your name on it then ordering one online and get it embroidered would be a lot easier than having to put in the work to earn one. But what would it mean to you? Personally, I don’t think it would mean much.
Whether you passed today or not, you know you earned the belt around your waist. It wasn’t given to you. You earned every stitch, every stripe, and every sweat mark. And that’s why it’s special. That’s why you’re part of the CHTA family, because you are tough enough to earn you ranks. If you didn’t get the results you wanted today then you’ve got two months to get ready to try again. Two months to evaluate where you can improve and grow as a martial artist.
Thank you for being part of my school. #chtarocks
Mr. Anderson
P.S. Parents, Your dedication to helping your kids learn to persevere will be a huge part of their success. Learning to overcome obstacles now, when the stakes aren’t so high, is helping build tenacity, grit, and strength that will benefit them as grow up and encounter bigger challenges with higher stakes. Thank you for helping them in this journey and thank you for including me and our school on your team.
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