“The secret to a perfect life is not just making money or possessing luxury objects, but is simply developing your inner self.” My Martial Arts instructor rambled on while my eyes grew teary and sleepiness began to overcome me. Little did I know that his quote about developing one’s inner self would cause such a profound impact in my life.

When I was 12 years old, I joined a Martial Arts school. When I first joined, I never fully understood the connection between performing the arduous moves to the real world. I simply thought of Martial Arts as a way to learn cool moves shown throughout karate movies at the time. But as I progressed slowly – yet steadily – in my education in Martial Arts, I began to grasp the covert message.

Practice. Patience. Persistence. These three values are the most important lessons Martial Arts have taught me. By practicing the punches and kicks continuously, my body begins to wear out and the thought of giving up becomes more appealing by the second. Yet I emerge persistent. By being persistent, I learn to not only endure the difficult workout in the Martial Arts, but also endure any future hardships.
With practice, I have grown confident and strong, both mentally and physically. With the values that Martial Arts taught me, I will learned to be instrumental in my pursuit in learning different things in academics and in various cultures. I also learned the covert message to a perfect life: “developing my inner