Getting Kicked in the Head and Other Life Lessons

When peak performance strategist, Renita Kalhorn, decided to pursue martial arts, it changed her life. "Martial arts training was…a profound source of lessons and references that I could translate into work, music and every aspect of life," says Kalhorn. She shares what she learned:

1. Break down the impossible into the possible. I couldn't imagine ever throwing flamboyant kicks like the higher belts, but I made incremental progress until it was me doing it.

2. Feel the emotion without reacting emotionally. When sparring, anger only clouds your thinking and performance suffers. I learned to process my emotions quickly and not let them dictate my actions or demeanor.

3. Energy starts in the mind. If I was sluggish, when one of the master teachers appeared, I would be miraculously flooded with renewed vigor—proof that the mind controls the body.

4. Persistence pays off in more ways than one. If you don't break a block of five boards, you don't get your black belt. It took me five tries and hours of practice to do it, but the confidence in my ability to persist was priceless.

Read Renita Kalhorn’s entire blog post.