The Black Belt Club of America is the original and foremost organization in the United States designed to enhance the character development of martial artist. It is a Boy Scout like program in which the best performing Spivey Karate members work to achieve the American Eagle Award, similar to the Eagle Scout. Participates submit monthly assignments for subjects such as Family Helping Hand, School Helping Hand, Parent Appreciation, Academic Achievement, martial arts improvement & essays on subjects such as courtesy, attitude & determination.
Here is an essay on determination written by 13 year old Cherish Fields.
Determination
Determination is a mental disposition and process which is influenced by past experiences and current situations. Past experiences influence determination based the successes and failures. If you failed at a task or activity in the past, you will have less confidence and need more determination to continue or to try again. More determination is needed for something you don’t particularly want to do. On the other hand, a high amount of determination is not needed for tasks that come easily. For example, I don’t have to have determination on things I want to do such as going to the water park, creating art, or practicing Kata. I need determination for things that are difficult for me such practicing spelling words.
It is easy to focus on things that come easy, and then make excuses and push aside things that are difficult. Sometimes your mind will make excuses for why you are not good at something and this will make it easy to give up. This is the reason determination is necessary. For example, someone in Karate might be really good at test-taking and remembering the Katas, but may not be as good at sparring. It might be easy to make an excuse saying, “Sparring is hard, or sparring just isn’t my thing.” This is an example of why determination is important. You have to decide to keep trying; keep working to improve. Determination will help you persevere so that you can improve your skills.
Reflecting on your experiences is needed so that you can see what needs to be improved and where you need more determination. Every time you make the decision to be determined, you are improving your mental habits. Unlike a physical habit, a mental habit is not easily recognized. Habits of mind are just as important. Some people have habits of making excuses, blaming others, or quitting. As with any habit, it can be hard to break. Thinking about your decision making process can help to break old habits and make new ones. Making a habit of determination is important if you plan to go through life with the idea that you can always improve. This will help you to make less excuses and better decisions.