Perfection can never be achieved; however the endless pursuit of perfection is what makes an artist excellent. This is what Grandmaster Soonho Song has been telling me since I was five years old.

I had just started kindergarten when my dad introduced his chubby, uncoordinated son to Tae Kwon Do. I was big for my age and I moved awkwardly. My first few years training in Tae Kwon Do were difficult. It was frustrating to not be as athletic as the other kids. I would fall behind when we were running, lose at tournaments, and suffer from other humiliations constantly. I felt that I wasn't as good as they, but that only made me want to train harder.

I had been training three classes a week, every week for five years and I gotten to the rank of red belt when an older student told me that in order to get my black belt I needed to train a lot harder. I knew that he was right and I set new goals for myself. Without hesitation, the very next day I started to train two classes a day, six days a week. I even started another martial art, Judo.

When I was thirteen years old, I received my black belt. I was overjoyed, but I knew it was only a small step in my training. Master Song had taught me that receiving the black belt is when a student has mastered the basics and can then truly develop as an artist. My journey as a martial artist will never reach an end and I will always pursue perfection.