Tonight, the Martial Arts Association I’m a part of hosted a try-out tournament for first-timers and beginners.
As I was watching one of my younger students perform his pattern of moves, 7 years old maybe, I saw him turn towards the audience, notice his dad, and freeze.
Ready for moments like this, I took a breath, and just as I was about to call out what the name of the next move was to help him out, I saw him point to his eye…
Then to his chest…
…Then to his dad.
And then pick up right where he left off and finish the last few moves with full power, take a bow to the judges, and walk off stage nonchalantly.
…As if that wasn’t the most correct incorrect series of moves ever done in a form before.
It’s so easy to forget, but we don’t do tournaments—or competitions of any kind for that matter—so that we can show others a pattern of moves… we do it for the life experience.
And tonight, both that young boy and dad had an experience in that moment that was worth more than any trophy or medal. Just as every other student who walked out of that tournament with a boost in confidence, a strengthened resolve, an improved self-image, a renewed sense of motivation, or a new focus for their training… walked away with far more than a trophy and a medal, too.
The real prize is never the prize itself.
The real prize is who we become in pursuit of the prizes themselves.