from the October, 2014 issue of Kiai!

Are You Up to the Challenge?

 

By Senpai Barry Moltz
1st Degree Black Belt

One of the many things that I have always loved about Thousand Waves is that Sei Shihan Nancy and Jun Shihan Sarah get me to do things I never thought were physically or mentally possible. They have helped me meet challenges I did not believe I could achieve. These included earning my black belt, breaking boards, jumping over stacked mats and sparring with someone over six feet tall.


Tabitha and Senpai Barry celebrate completion of the Fit in50 Challenge.

Being a problem solver, I have simultaneously loved and feared challenges all my life. I am excited about every new one, but also fear failing miserably at it. On the surface, most big challenges seem overwhelming. How could I ever get my black belt? How could I write a 250-page book? How could I run a marathon? Raise a family? I learned to meet all these challenges by breaking them down into very small steps so they don’t seem so overwhelming. To get my black belt, I focused on each class. For the books I wrote, I created an outline then wrote one hour a day. In 1984, when I ran the Chicago Marathon, I built up from running a single mile. When my children were young, well, I took one day at a time.

One way that our dojo engages us is the annual Spirit Challenge. It marries individual and group challenges for ourselves with raising money for our dojo. I was disappointed that I could not participate this year since I was out of town all week. This sparked my idea for the Fit in 50 Challenge. I was very impressed by the first Seido-wide activity where people completed 60 classes in 60 days. Since I only do 10 to 15 classes a month, this seemed unattainable. Yet, I wanted to take this challenge one step further. With all of the classes offered at Thousand Waves, could one student complete 50 classes in a single month in exchange for a $1,000 donation to our school?

I have always been a big fan of Tabitha Balakumar.  I love the dedication she and her children have to the art and the dojo community. Knowing that Tabitha had done the 60 Classes in 60 Days challenge, I asked her if she was interested in taking my fundraising challenge. I was so happy when she accepted! In this way, we have teamed together to benefit Thousand Waves.

How did Tabitha complete 50 classes in a month? One at a time! In fact, she marked them off by coloring in leaves on a tree at the dojo to mark her progress.

Many of the things we want to achieve are on the other side of fear. I don’t believe we should try to get rid of our fears, but instead permit ourselves to be afraid, but go ahead and do it anyway. Break the challenge down into its smallest components and take the first step. Then take another one as you slowly march toward the goal.
Got a challenge you want to meet? Ask someone to put some money on it to donate to the dojo! It may be the additional incentive you need to go out and achieve it!

Read Tabitha’s account of how she met the Fit in 50 Challenge.