Always Try Your Best

“Do your best and hope for the rest.” A common quote that most of us have heard at some point in our lives, but how much sense does it really make in a world where people have managed to foolishly convince themselves that they can all achieve the same levels of success? The answer is “not much.” Sadly, this is the world our children are also growing up in. The pressure on them to fit in and be as good as or better than the other person, to earn more, have more, go more, and so on is an unfortunate mainstay in our consumerism driven society.

Each child is unique

The cold, hard truth is that all of us do not have the same talents or qualities. In the whole mixed and segmented mass of humanity throughout our existence, it is amazing to know that each of us is unique and special in our own way. Each beloved child is unique as well, and has his or her own potential and capabilities. Some are smart, some are artistic, and some are athletic.

The key to your finding and unlocking their area of excellence is two-fold: first, to allow them to try different things throughout their formative years, from little ones to maturing teens. Until they try, they will never really know what they’re good at! Secondly, we must acknowledge and fulfill our role as the provider of those opportunities (to experiment in diverse hobbies and activities) as well as the subtle guide, teacher, supporter, and straight- shooter for them along the way.

If we attempt to force our children into be successful at everything they do, the inevitable result is stress, resentment, and a dislike for everything they’re forced to try. We must help them find opportunities, resources, and time to dabble and sample, to mess up and start over, to find their true passions through trial and error. Once an area of interest and potential has been discovered in them, it is our responsibility as parents and teachers to give them as many chances as possible to learn, grow, and perform at their peak ability levels.

Test their capabilities through karate

Enrolling your child for karate classes is a fantastic way to expand your child’s capabilities, interests, character traits, and positive outlook. Karate isn’t just a proven way to defend yourself from bullies and bad guys, though it certainly is that! Karate works on the principles of self-discipline, focus, concentration, patience, and achieving goals. The focus here is not for your child to master the art of karate, but to probe his or her true potential and gain new self-confidence and respect through perseverance and good attitude. Training year-round in a martial art is shown to better their performance in other sports and academics as well!

One of the five core ethics of karate philosophy is “to strive for the perfection of character.” The word ‘strive’ implies that we can only “try” being perfect at something but never really achieve it. However, the greater control of our bodies and minds that we develop, the closer we come to reaching that ultimate goal. It is only when we try our best that we come to know our limits – and set new ones!