Capturing Your Opportunity

“Look, if you had, one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted-One moment
Would you capture it, or just let it slip?”

~ Lose It, Eminem

Granted, we don’t ever have just one opportunity – I can definitely attest that I have been given MANY opportunities. Some I let slip away…others, I fought tooth and nail for.

What opportunities are you choosing to pass on? What opportunities are you saying Yes to? What are you willing to fight for? Work hard for? What are you willing to do until you make it?

I started Thai Kickboxing in Februaray, 2007. I started it so that Richard, Junior, and I had something to do as a family. My men opted to take a karate type class and I jumped into kickboxing. Our classes were at the same time in different rooms. After the first month, Richard bowed out and made the decision that Junior wasn’t quite responsible with his school work for us to sign a six month contract with the studio for him. But I did. I signed up, signed on, and then spent the next three months piddle farting around getting promoted to my yellow belt.

Eight weeks and eight classes between white and yellow and I took nearly 14 weeks to do it. No excuses. I tested for my yellow belt right before I left for Italy. I returned from vacation and still didn’t committ to the journey. I tooka class here, a class there.

In early July 2007, I found myself at my friend Brad’s funeral. What would Brad have said to me? “Peggy, get off your butt. Make a decision…do YOU want this? Do you want to be a black belt?” From yellow belt to orange belt, I determined to test on time…which meant I started going to class 3 times a week…and I quickly became addicted. It became more than becoming a black belt.

From orange belt to purple belt, I figured out how long it would take me to become a recommended black belt. I set my intention and made the determination that unless I injured myself short of dying, I would promote to every belt by getting in the required classes in theminimum allowed time.

After class tonight, I will two classes left before I test for my recommended black belt…two classes…that’s it. I can taste this with every cell in my body. On September 24th I will have something I’ve wanted for a very long time…and it’s just the beginning…because after this, I’ll have 10 months of required classes and time in the dojo before I’ll be in front of a large crowd of people testing for my first degree black belt.

There’s a sign in the martial arts studio “A Black Belt is a White Belt Who NEVER Quit.” I may have gotten off to a sloppy start in 2007, and there are mornings I wake up to a 45 year old body that groans through stiff, sore, beat up muscles. But here I am 2.5 years later, stronger, leaner, (and a little meaner) and in better shape than I can remember being in.

And why is something like this even important to me? When I was seventeen, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher…only I had no idea what kind of teacher I wanted to be. Early childhood education? Noooooo. I coached middle school soccer. No thank you. High-school? Hell No!

It wasn’t until I found my yoga practice that I figured out the kind of teacher I wanted to become. I got my 200 hour yoga teacher certification last year. I’m working on my 500 hour level certification and my Thai Kickboxing compliments my warrior goddess. I am a Yogini and I will be a Sensei. I am a Teacher…with a capital T.

What are you doing today that gets you one step closer to realizing the opportunity you’ve chosen to take on?