Here it is: I am writing to encourage all karate students, especially the youth. My friends have said to me, “You have your black belt, why don’t you quit?” Karate is not about getting a certain colored belt. Many people stay with karate just to get a certain belt, whether it is green, purple, brown or black. Once they get that belt, they quit. Anybody can buy any colored belt they want from a martial arts distributor, but not everybody can stick with karate. As Sempai Sydney Shimabokuro said in his article, “Once you get you black belt, you realize how little you really know.” Instead of focusing on the color of your belt, it's better to focus on learning. Never let yourself get bored. Always try to learn something from each class. Give each class your all. Someone pays your tuition, whether it be you or your parents. For every class you take that you don’t give your all and learn something, the money you or your parents paid has been wasted. When I went to Japan and trained with Seto Sensei, I noticed that there were no colored belts until green. His students remained at white belt for 2 or 3 years! This was humbling because when I first started, I was very concerned with what color my belt was. It took me a long time to realized that karate is more about learning than what color your belt is. I think I finally learned this lesson after I became black belt. Right after I earned a black belt, I became bored with karate. But lately I have realized how learning is much more important than advancing. Even though I cannot advance in rank at all for at least 2 more years, karate is more interesting than ever. Good luck to you in your karate practice. Osu!