Have you ever wondered why the martial arts are so effective and popular?  Here are a few reasons...

• There's a clear structure that delineates progression from belt to belt.
   
• The end goal is also clear: Black belt.
   
• There's no separation between theory and action—students can only progress though actions that demonstrate their mastery (i.e. break a board). 
   
• There's an understanding that the journey from white to black belt is a transformative, empowering process, giving one skills that last a lifetime.

My thought is this:  Why can't we borrow the karate infrastructure to challenge students to develop internally and to progress from belt to belt by mastering inner capabilities? Certainly, our internal powers rival and even surpass any external punches, kicks, or forms we can master.

So I've founded a new martial arts that I call MentalKarate. Students will go from white to yellow to green to brown to black belts by developing basic competence in, respectively, initiative, discipline, contribution, courage, and awareness.

For example, to earn their white belt, students must demonstrate a basic mastery of initiative. To demonstrate their mastery, students must identify five substantial ways that they can take initiative and document themselves taking those five actions.

Green Belt is about contribution—the concept that our own successes must be tied to the success of our community. Students are pushed to contribute in four specific ways before they earn their green belt. And so forth with the other belts.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Visit www.MentalKarate.com for more information.