Thousands of people screaming. Music blaring. My team giving support. My partner giving me the nod to go. I step back, ready, my eye on the thick board held out before me. The bass drops. Aiyah! I jump and spin to kick and I realize how far I’ve come.

Ten years earlier I stood behind my mom’s legs, unwilling to attempt to hit the bag. I didn’t want to try another sport, but I was tired of being in something everyone else was in. Out of all the sports, I decided to give karate a try because my friend said he loved it and I might too. I put little effort into what I was doing but somehow I ended up committing to it.

My first belt, white, went by, then my second, yellow, and so on. During the time I trained with each belt, I had to earn strips to show that I had learned the “standard” for this belt or that belt. All mine had at least ten because I knew what I was doing. Well most of the time. Usually students earn their mixed belts before solid colored belts. I didn’t have to go through all that because I put forth the extra effort and wanted to go above the rest of my peers. I wanted to prove to myself that I had the confidence, the motivation, the ability to succeed. My instructors were quite impressed with my abilities; they saw me as a potential Black Belt Club candidate.

I soon joined the Demo Team around my brown belt. I learned more advanced forms and weapons. I was trusting my fellow classmates when we had a “fight scene” for a crowd not to hit or drop me and to come in at the right time. I had to train extra days for weeks to make sure we had the best performance we could. A few months later I achieved my first black belt and I joined the Leadership Team. Now I was teaching class and being a judge for graduation. Now I was helping others succeed as well.

Crack! The board splits in three pieces which makes the crowd go completely nuts. I never thought I, a shy person, one who was not as outgoing as some of my friends, one who isn’t comfortable in front of people, would ever put ten years into a sport, earn three black belts, end up breaking boards, spinning wooden nunchuks, flipping through the air, or become the person I am today. It just goes to show that when I put forth the effort into something I might not have expected, I can be genuinely amazed.