As a martial arts instructor, I have to swiftly solve problems throughout the day, as they arise. In order to do this quickly and efficiently, I have to demonstrate complex thinking skills. Every day that I am working, there is at least one conflict between two students. In order to prevent the situation from escalating, I have to think quickly and come up with the most effective way to de-escalate the situation. This does not always mean, simply, separating the two students and putting them on a time-out. Sometimes, to solve the issue, while also preventing further future conflicts, this means helping the students figure out where the issue stemmed from and why the confrontation had to turn into a screaming match rather than a civil conversation. Thus, part of successfully using complex thinking skills means solving conflicts in different ways depending on the situation. Additionally, not only solving the conflict in the present, but rather, preventing it from happening in the future aswell.

Another part of complex thinking means understanding who you are communicating with. This means understanding that each person interprets and learns information in different ways. Sometimes, a student will learn how to do their front kick by listening to the description of how to do it. Meanwhile, other students need a visual representation of how to correctly execute the kick, and the words would hardly benefit them at all. Additionally, some students are more sensitive than others and need more reassurance and motivation that they are improving in order to stay interested and continue their training. Whereas, other students like to be corrected and constantly want to be told ways to improve their skills. It is important to understand the differences in each student to ensure that I can teach each student to the best of my abilities so they can reach their full potential.

A major part of being a successful martial artist is knowing how to persevere if you want to reach your full potential. Meaning, a quality advanced kick will take many attempts and failures before it looks as it should, which can ultimately become rather frustrating. However, when it gets challenging and frustrating, is when you need to keep continuing to practice it, or else you will not have perserverance. Perserverence is one of the key elements of taekwondo, and without it, you will never reach your full potential for that kick or any other technique not just in taekwondo, but in life.

To strive for the best quality production of work, and to achieve all of my future goals and dreams, I will continue to use the complex thinking skills and perserverance that I have learned from my martial arts journey.

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