Months Ago, Grandmaster Asked Me One Question…

The Question That Changed Everything

 

Today, I earned my Orange Belt.

But that’s not really what happened today.

 

Today, for the very first time…

I believed that I will become a black belt one day.

 

One achievement was visible.

The other happened quietly inside me.

 

I remember the conversation like it was yesterday.

 

It was shortly after our new headquarters opened. I had only been training a few weeks and was still a brand-new white belt. I was sitting on the bench waiting for class when Grandmaster Del Castillo walked into the lobby.

 

I assumed he was stopping to make small talk.

 

Instead, he asked me a question no one had ever really asked me before.

“Are you going to be a black belt one day?”

 

Without thinking, I answered…

“I’d like to.”

 

It sounded innocent enough.

 

But the moment those words left my mouth, I had no idea that Grandmaster had just begun teaching me a lesson that would take months for me to truly understand.

 

Grandmaster looked at me and explained something that has stayed with me ever since.

By saying I’d like to, I had already negotiated with my future failure.

I had unknowingly given myself permission to quit before I had even begun my journey.

 

Then he shared something he said he tells his instructors.

“Students don’t quit if they want this badly enough.”

 

Those words stayed with me.

Not because they hurt…

But because they exposed something I had never admitted to myself.

 

I didn’t actually believe I would become a black belt.

 

I wanted it.

 

But wanting something and believing you’re capable of achieving it are two completely different things.

 

Over the last several months since, I thought about that conversation.

 

If Grandmaster had asked me that same question a hundred more times…

My answer would have been exactly the same.

 

Not because I didn’t care.

But because somewhere deep inside, I wasn’t convinced that person could ever be me.

 

Today changed that.

Today was the first day of a new month…

and, as it turns out…

the first day of a new mindset.

 

Today, several of my fellow yellow belts and I were honored with the opportunity to participate in Grandmaster’s Elite Training Course, a class typically made up of black belts.

 

Our training today became part of our evaluation to determine whether we had earned our orange belts.

 

I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

 

Within the first part of class…

I honestly thought I might throw up.

The pace was relentless.

There were moments when I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath.

Moments when every part of me wanted to stop.

 

But I didn’t.

 

Something incredible happened.

 

Every few minutes I was paired with another black belt.

One after another.

 

Each one coached me.

Encouraged me.

Corrected me.

Believed in me.

 

When I felt like I had nothing left…

they somehow found a way to pull more out of me.

 

Not with yelling.

Not with pressure.

With leadership.

With patience.

With belief.

 

Somewhere in the middle of all that exhaustion…

something changed.

 

I stopped thinking about how hard everything was.

 

I simply kept moving.

I kept fighting.

I kept learning.

 

And before I realized it…

I was doing things I honestly didn’t think I could do.

 

For the first time…

I felt strong.

Not physically.

 

Internally.

 

After training, Grandmaster gathered everyone into a giant circle.

Then something happened that I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

 

One by one, the black belts entered the middle of the circle for stress testing.

 

Multiple attackers.

Rubber knives.

Training firearms.

Chaos.

Pressure.

Speed.

 

What we witnessed wasn’t choreography.

 

It was years of disciplined training coming alive under stress.

 

It was incredible!

 

Watching black belts of every age calmly handle attack after attack was inspiring enough.

 

But one moment especially stayed with me.

Watching a smaller female black belt confidently defend herself against multiple attackers was nothing short of amazing.

 

She wasn’t the biggest person in the room.

She wasn’t trying to prove anything.

She simply knew what to do.

 

There was confidence.

Precision.

Control.

 

I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

 

Apparently…

 

My reaction hadn’t gone unnoticed.

 

Afterward, Grandmaster told us he had noticed something about my face.

He said he wished someone had been taking photographs because of the expression I wore through the entire thing.

 

Ironically…

I’m KMMA’s photographer.

 

Then he asked me a simple question.

“What were you thinking as you watched this?”

 

Without hesitation, I answered…

“I could see what I’ll be able to do in the future.”

 

And for the first time, that future included me as a black belt.

 

The words surprised even me!

 

Because for the first time…

I believed them.

 

Not because someone told me to.

Not because I was trying to sound confident.

 

Because I finally saw it.

 

I saw what years of consistent effort can accomplish.

I saw black belt leaders who embodied everything they had worked so hard to become.

 

I saw what was possible.

 

And for the first time…

I included myself in that picture.

 

Grandmaster…

Thank you.

Thank you for your leadership, your wisdom, and for creating an environment where students can discover strengths they didn’t know or believe they possessed.

 

Thank you for pushing us harder than we thought we could go.

Thank you for surrounding us with black belt leaders whose encouragement was every bit as powerful as their skill.

 

Thank you for ending today’s training the way you did.

 

It wasn’t just a demonstration.

 

It was a vision.

 

You gave us the opportunity to see what our future could become if we continue to work hard, persevere, and never give up.

 

Only now do I understand what happened during that conversation months ago.

 

You weren’t asking me whether I wanted a black belt.

 

You were asking whether I believed I was the kind of person who would become one.

 

Back then…

I wasn’t.

 

Today…

I am.

 

Today, our yellow belt class earned our orange belts.

 

But I think I walked away with something even greater.

 

A new belief.

 

And Grandmaster, if you ask me that question again-

“Are you going to be a black belt one day?”

 

My answer is no longer…

“I’d like to.”

 

My answer is…“Yes.”

 

Christine Holtzman
Marketing Director
KMMA
813-948-4844