Earn a black belt in a martial art.

“Now that I’ve taken the Black Belt Test I can add more to this answer. The weekend I went through helped me not only find out who I wanted to be, but who I was, and how to accept that person. I’ve always had a self image problem. Through three days of sweat (gallons of it) and tears (not as much as sweat) and no make up (the longest I’ve gone in years) I felt totally cleansed and pure. I looked at my pale, beat up face and thought, “I am pretty. Not the make up.”

“From the second I stepped inside the Traverse City dojo I never looked back. I was nervous. But the black belts were nice. Had just enough confidence from that first martial arts experience to try the group class the following Tuesday evening. Taekwondo became a regular routine for me. A positive healthy habit. I became more flexible. The strength gains I began to notice next. Then came the increased cardio and lastly the confidence from knowing I had precious life skills to be able to protect myself.”