November 21, 2025
Should I...?
This week was my 3rd degree black belt test. It was a 4-hour affair that capped a 12-week intensive candidate training period that I only became eligible for after three years of in-class practice, twice a week, 50 weeks a year.
I took the test with one other 3rd dan candidate and two 2nd dan candidates. The test was administered by the owner of the school (6th degree black belt, Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee) and the program manager (4th degree black belt Taekwondo, 1st degree black belt Hapkido).
The instructors were assisted by ten or so other 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree black belts who were mostly there to attack us with various objects and hold boards for us to break.
All this to say...
It was kind of intense 😉
I’m happy to report that all four of us passed the test, and it turned out that we were all prepared well enough that, in spite of the gruelling nature of such a thing, we enjoyed the experience immensely.
It was extraordinarily satisfying and I know each of us is very much looking forward to having that next gold stripe embroidered onto (our increasing threadbare) belts.
Here’s the thing...
After passing my 3rd degree test, almost everyone asked me the same question:
"Are you going to test for fourth?"
It’s a big question.
On the one hand, it’d be easy to excitedly holler, “Heck yeah!” Martial arts is a very big part of my life; it’s amazing and I love it.
But...
To be eligible to test for 4th, I’d have to practice at least twice a week for the next four years, go through another 12-weeks of candidate training, and participate in another gruelling 4-hour test of my mind, body and spirit.
If everything went perfectly on schedule (i.e., no major injuries or other delays), I’d be testing about a month before my 61st birthday, which is at least twice as old as most people who would normally be taking such a test.
I like to think that I’m capable of anything I put my mind to, but I also pride myself on being pragmatic.
Could I earn my 4th degree black belt at the age of sixty if I put my mind to it?
Yes, short of a serious injury or illness, I would give myself good odds of success.
The real question is:
“Do I want to put my mind to it?”
If I decide “Yes”, it raises the concept of opportunity cost. In other words, if I do this, it means I can’t do something else. Is there something else I’d rather do with that time?
Tough to say.
If I decide “No, I’m never going to test for 4th,” what will it do to my motivation? My status in the school? Will I end up losing interest and quitting martial arts completely? It’s entirely possible. What would I do instead in the free time? Would the new thing be better for me or worse for me?
Tough to say.
. . . . .
Okay, why am I sharing this story with you?
Because you have to make decisions just like this as a business owner.
For example...
At some point, you’ll be faced with a big question, like:
- “Should I build a team?”
- “Should I double my prices?”
- “Should I fire my whale client?”
- “Should I kill my flagship course?”
- “Should I pivot to advisory services?”
- “Should I sell my business?”
- “Should I give up and get a job?”
Questions like these demand a decision, even if the decision is to do nothing (i.e., stay the course).
You might dearly wish that you had enough data to make an informed decision.
A decision you were sure was the right one.
But you don’t have the data.
Because it doesn’t exist.
The data you’d need to make the “right” decision only exists in the future.
So you have no choice but to make the decision without enough data.
This can be terrifying in the moment.
But I hope it will help to know that it’s not just you.
This is how it is for everyone.
It’s just part of the game.
Yours,
—J