How would you feel if your black belt were only worth a quarter? What if someone sold it to a complete stranger so their kids could play ninja warrior with it? Or, how about if they used it to tie something together they were transporting on the back of their truck? Are all of your years of effort forgotten because the single symbol that represented your martial art livelihood the most, was handed over to a complete stranger for a mere 25 cents?  Has it’s worth diminished dramatically because it is no longer yours?

This past weekend, I was out running errands with my family when we noticed an estate sale. We stopped and were surprised to see that everything was being sold, all the contents of the house, right down to the clothes and shoes of the individual who lived there. It was as if she just got up and walked away from everything. The person selling the items could be heard saying, “that’s a quarter,” meaning a mere 25 cents to purchase one of the items that belonged to homeowner.

A quarter? What item could be worth so little? Even used, I couldn’t imagine why the cost was so low, for what appeared high-end merchandise.

Later, I listened, as the woman collecting the money explained what had happened. Her forty-year old daughter was the owner of the house. She was highly successful and had many material possessions. She was out for an evening with friends when the driver of a vehicle swerved to miss hitting group of people on one side of the road, and struck her instead, and killed her. He was not drunk. It was an unfortunate accident and misfortune.

The mother had the dreadful task of selling all of her daughter’s possessions. How sad, to practically give away everything for which someone had worked so hard. What once seemed so valuable, now drown in insignificance, when compared to what was really important. A woman’s life was cut short, her  family was left to mourn, and her earthly possessions were slowly sold off,  a quarter at a time.

It was sad, but also a good lesson, or reminder, on many levels. The importance and value of every moment should never be underestimated. The time we are given cannot be measured. Do we make the most of it, or do we only pay attention to its importance a mere quarter of the time? Do we only put forth only a quarter of our effort, or only notice only a quarter of the goodness that surrounds us?

If martial arts accepted a diminished quarter of effort from its practitioners, there would be no black belts. A quarter, heads or tails, is not enough. I’ve learned the hard way that if you only put a quarter of your effort into a kick or punch, it does not work. If you only half-way attempt anything, you lose sight of your power or strength. Many times, it’s all or nothing. If you had to defend yourself in a situation, how much effort and force would you use? Could you save yourself with anything less than 100%?

Sometimes, you need to think your actions through all the way, 100%, before making a rash judgment that could compromise your value or worth. The other evening I had a flat tire on the side of a rural two-lane highway. I was upset with myself for not knowing how to change it. I thought, “I can do many things, why don’t I know how to do this?” When my son came to help, I watched intently and learned what to do.

When I thought about it further, though, I realized that if I had gotten out of the car, and started to change the tire, that surely some unexpected person would stop to help. A woman, alone, on the side of the road changing a tire, would have made me only a quarter aware of my surroundings.  I would have been at risk of something possibly bad happening. Awareness, in a vulnerable situation, needs to be at 100%. I know how to change the tire now, but I also know that I cannot compromise safety just because I want to prove something. A quarter simply is not worth it.

Many times in my life, I have questioned my own opinions, or felt insecure about sharing them. The writing that I do now is often opinion-based, or philosophical, about martial arts and life. Because I only partially believed in myself in the past, barely a  quarter of how much I should have, I delayed sharing great positive messages for a long time. Finally, when I established a full confidence in myself, I began to share my life lessons and philosophies about martial arts without limiting myself.

The woman, whose life was unexpectedly taken, and whose treasures were being depleted one by one a quarter at a time, seemed to deserve more. Yet, I understood her mother’s intent and effort in trying to put the home up for sale as quickly as possible. I’m sure in a quiet moment she labored intensely to pull the most valuable items from the house, the special things that she would cherish forever about her daughter. I didn’t see the tears or the pain that incapacitated her, as she stumbled through these valuable mementos .

Everything in life must be weighed. Your level of effort and the output you expect may come from two different calculations. From your perspective, then, where are you on the spectrum? Are the important moments in your life allotted 100%, or have you lessened your effort? Are you in a vulnerable situation because of your decreased effort or awareness? Do you understand the value of every moment? Material things, compared to life, are worth very little, yet parceling out the belongings of a love one a quarter at a time, breaks a heart.

The next time you forget to give or do 100%, think of that shiny quarter some stranger placed in the hand of a mother, for one of her daughter’s possessions. Something that is quartered into pieces, will never be enough. The mother didn’t get what she deserved for her daughter’s possessions, but her love for her daughter was overflowing, and clearly brimming at 100%. The calculations must be taken in context when a mother is  parceling out love, a quarter at a time.

My black belt represents full effort, and today I am more thankful than ever that I gave significantly more than a small, quarter percentage of effort. Today, use this message to your benefit. Look beyond your twenty-five percent, and your quarters, to find the silver lining. Look beyond the black belt that graciously sits around your waist and ask yourself if you are a martial artist, through and through, whether or not the black piece of cloth is physically by your side.

Beneath every difficulty or disaster, and above every achievement, is the chance to continue to grow and learn. If someone sold your most valuable possession for a quarter, it does not decrease your worth. Rather, it is a reminder that you are worth more than any possession that you own. Your value never toggles below 100%.

Andrea

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