Training our students to Black Belt

We just promoted seven new students to First degree Black Belt. During the last few months we put them through lots of training, enduring the physical parts of the training but also feeling the emotional and mental stress of this achievement.

Some nights after these classes I occasionally felt like we may have been too tough. Yes, there were the usual bumps bruises and dings. Sometimes some tears and frustration too. I came across this story and thought it would be appropriate to pass it on here.


The cocoon story
A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat transfixed for several hours as the moth struggled to force its body through that little hole.

But it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could go. It just seemed to be stuck. So the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily.
Unfortunately it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and become able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not anticipate was that the restriction of the cocoon and the moth's struggle to get free were a necessary preparation for life outside the cocoon.

Freedom and flight could only come after that struggle.

By depriving the moth of its struggle, he deprived the moth of its chance to thrive.
Sometimes struggles are what we need in our lives too. Avoiding the opportunity to overcome our struggles just might cripple us too.

Work hard, keep your motivation high, focus on the fun parts- don't give up!

MB