Because of you, I didn't give up

[sensei8]

This is going to sound a bit corny, but it was my own struggles that kept me motivated. Whether it was a fellow student who told me I couldn't do it, or something my teenage mind decided was tragedy that re-focused my will, it was always pushing through my own short comings that let to my greatest accomplishments. Karate taught me how to do that, and it has translated fantastically into other aspects of my life.

Not corny at all. Noting one's own struggles as motivation to continue is great. And more than likely, you are an inspiration to those around you.

I wholeheartedly concur with both posts!!

[Hawkmoon]

This is going to sound a bit corny, but it was my own struggles that kept me motivated. Whether it was a fellow student who told me I couldn't do it, or something my teenage mind decided was tragedy that re-focused my will, it was always pushing through my own short comings that let to my greatest accomplishments. Karate taught me how to do that, and it has translated fantastically into other aspects of my life.

Not corny at all. Noting one's own struggles as motivation to continue is great. And more than likely, you are an inspiration to those around you.

I wholeheartedly concur with both posts!!

Agreed!

What a great thread seriously!

We're all in here chatting helping guiding each other and the 'browse by' readers on what we do, what we say.... but we get and need guidance, direction and help when we go back to that other world, the physical world and train!

Shihan, he makes me push hard without me realizing until afterwards!

Mr. S, top man pushes me hard lets me explore different things.

Mr. A, top man pushes me encourages me to push harder.

'Nat', a junior! 16 years old, sharp, fast, powerful seeks me out in the dojo every class to fight!

In the dojo I'm the happy guy, the clown to some the friend to all, but these guys really make me feel like one of them!

Its nice to see, I'm long past any fight career, yet I'm included in planning for this or that upcoming event the decision making of how we get there!

Edited April 7, 2016 by Hawkmoon

[bushido_man96]

The kids I work with in our DT club are a huge motivation for me. I need to keep my skills up and fresh so that I can help prepare them for their careers ahead.

[tallgeese]

For me the reason to keep driving on was instilled by my first instructor, Tim. To this day we're friends and he's still a mentor and instructor to me. Also in need of mentioning is Leo, who I trained with during college out of the same organization. He really opened my mind to the idea that cross training and expanding your horizons to other arts was critical. A notion I still carry with me and hopefully instill in others.

[Archangel]

It is the same for me. My own struggles keep me going. It's only been a year for me, so I have a long way to go. I have some "handicaps", if you will. Vision impaired, episodes of vertigo that hit without warning, arthritis in a few places, and much older than most beginners but I know I'm an inspiration to many and it's a test of myself and my own determination and drive to make it to the next goal. I've achieved the goal I set for this time period of 1 year, and that motivates me to keep going as well. One goal at a time.

[Nidan Melbourne]

When things were hard it was several of my students that always made things better.

When I first started teaching I had about 6 or 7 students that when I saw them they just made me smile and feel better along with pushing through the tough times.

I now train with a couple of them, and they make me laugh and smile every single time i get to train with them.

[ashworth]

One person that inspired me through a big part of my training was an instructor called steve, he was a guy in his 50s that was always looking to push our classes to the limits and get involved in the class as much as he could and do it all with us. I wanted to keep going and get better because of the hard work that he put in to give us hard classes like that.

[MasterPain]

For me the reason to keep driving on was instilled by my first instructor, Tim. To this day we're friends and he's still a mentor and instructor to me. Also in need of mentioning is Leo, who I trained with during college out of the same organization. He really opened my mind to the idea that cross training and expanding your horizons to other arts was critical. A notion I still carry with me and hopefully instill in others.

I've had to take some time off, but you and Tim, among others, have given me a standard of discipline and ethics that I carry with me and aspire to.

[CTTKDKing]

Motivational source has varied for me over the years. Initially I started TKD to lose weight so my first inspiration was a friend that was doing TKD, and then I was my own motivator. Then when I started getting better at it, I liked the competition and in that time my peers in the dojang and I would push each other for more and more intensive training.

Since I've moved and also moved dojos about 4.5 years ago, my point of view has shifted and so my motivational sources have also shifted. The style I practice now is rooted strongly in self defense. TKD was about 50/50 self defense and sport respectively in my old school, whereas what I practice now is 90% street applicable defense with traditional aspects woven throughout. Because of this I now find that it's not just generally all of my competing peers but the peers that specifically invoke deep thought when discussing self defense practices, and bunkai behind different movements from forms and whatnot. They and the assistant instructors at my school and I all get along very well and we are constantly pushing each other, challenging one another and learning from one another.

These days, this type of interaction is what intrigues and motivates me most and so we plan 1 day a week where we are all there together so that we can have this give and take. We all train several days in addition to this some together, some not but that 1 day is where it all comes in and that day is what keeps me going most.

That and the other side of it is that karate keeps me sane. Training my 3 times a week in the dojo (plus what I do at home on a daily basis) burns through so much of the stress buildup from the other parts of my life. I work full time with overtime, have a family, go to school online, own a house, and assist in teaching as a sub when some of the karate instructors can't make it in. Busy life, but karate keeps me centered throughout.

[sensei8]

Great responses by all!! I've truly enjoyed reading each and everyone's story!!