When you start out as a white belt all you can think about is getting that yellow. Go to the class, learn the moves, pass the test, and you’re on your way. It’s all about the ascent. That black belt calls to you. But as you move through the color wheel it gets harder. The classes, the moves, and the time…it’s an incredible amount of work to get to get the brown belt and you’re finally you’re one shade away from black. You keep showing up and doing the work…but it’s still brown.
And after a while you’re the one in the gym with the faded and frayed brown belt.
Everyone can see it. And more than that…you see it. So much wear and tear on the brown belt without ever reaching the final color.
It’s likely one of two realities set in…
You’re bitter and resentful of your tapered ascent. You keep showing up so you can tell the others how unjust the world is, how there are unfair shenanigans going on, how if you had just started a couple years earlier, how the system is rigged against you getting to black. And you probably don’t say all those things but it’s right there in the middle of everything you say. You are ruled by the idea of the black belt.
Or…
You take a deep breath and begin replacing your value system of ascent through the colors with something else. Replacing it with level of contribution, consistency, connection, inspiration, joy. The black belt might not be in your future so if you’re going to keep showing up it’s worth changing the reason for doing so.
