Having respect is a lot like having patience, in that before you can respect others, you must first respect yourself. This self respect can be learned in a Martial Arts class in many ways. First you develop respect for yourself by learning what an incredible tool your body is. You then very quickly develop a since of gratitude towards your instructors for helping you make this discovery. For this discovery will introduce you to your body in ways you never thought possible. You will begin to see what an incredible weapon it can instantly become. Through this process you will learn what your strong points are, as well as your limitations. Once you discover these strong points, you will develop a higher respect for yourself and may choose not to participate in things that are unhealthy, such as smoking or eating junk food.

Upon making such a great discovery about your body and yourself your attitude will change for the better. You learn to respect those individuals that helped you along the way, because it was through their combination of skill, character, and discipline that they helped you make this self discovery. This change in attitude in self respect spills over into every thing you do in and out of the class room. With this respect comes, confidence, control and discipline.

Aristotle once “that discipline is doing something you don’t want in order to achieve the greater good.” Once an individual has grasped this concept, he or she will learn self respect and his/her discovery will be complete.