This weekend is the National Championship and selection for the next World Championship in Ireland. Although it is not a date booked in my calendar this year, it is for many of my past teammates, and new athletes that are trying to qualify for their first time. Just thinking about it brings back such amazing memories.
I am so grateful for TKD, what it has taught me, and how it has shaped me as a person. Extra-curricular activities are SO important for kids, teens and adults. The benefits of working towards a goal in something you love, are endless and limitless. This year especially, I felt a great deal of appreciation for everything that TKD taught me.
I just finished my 3rd year of University at Carleton, in the Marketing program, and it was my best year yet. I will admit, I probably did not sleep as much as I should have, but I don’t regret a single late night, early morning, or stressful day that made me want to pull my hair out.
I went into the school year with a goal of raising my GPA a specific amount which in reality seemed perhaps a little steep, given my grades of my first 2 years. Nonetheless, I shot for the stars!
I am proud to say, that I achieved more than I was expecting. Not only did I raise my GPA to where I wanted it, but I also earned back my entry scholarship, as well as made Deans List this year! I never thought academically I would achieve something like that, so when I read the email for the university I was shocked.
Toward the end of the year, I also had one of my professors ask me to be her TA (teaching assistant) this summer for a second year marketing class. So far, it has been an amazing experience and I am really enjoying it. Again, not something I thought I would ever have the confidence to do.
After I stopped Training TKD, I knew that I wanted to focus all my energy into my new chapter. I always said that I knew that everything I learned from competing, training, and practicing TKD would follow me through life, but this year, I gained an even more profound appreciation for TKD and everything it has brought me.
Its funny, I thought that my confidence gained from being a world champion would just follow me around, and translate into anything I decided to do. Which is true, to a certain degree, but starting school in a program that I felt I wasn’t smart enough for, was a new journey for me. It took 3 years, a lot of hard work, a couple retaken classes, some sparks of courage, a new found passion, and some positive momentum to build my confidence. I realized that if I believed that I was smart, and worked twice as hard as everybody else, the results would follow.
Interesting, that was the rule I lived by training for world championships.
Thank you TKD, and thank you to my friends and family for supporting me! ❤