Rewards

Jump for that reward. Society does it all the time.

In school; earn the marks, pass the year, and change grades. Of course, there is learning in there, too, but sometimes it's hard to see.

At work; get that promotion, gain seniority, get a raise, and earn a pension. All very similar a dolphin jumping for a fish.

Martial arts does it better than most. They provide great motivation and yet the visible rewards really have no value at all.

Most have a coloured-belt system. Students train hard, and are tested. If successful, they get to wear a new colour tied around their waist.

It can be funny how effective this is. In Gracie Jiu-Jitsu new people wear a White Belt. As they progress through their training, cute little black stripes are awarded every so often. When a student has reached that point, a tiny ceremony happens after class where their stripe is awarded. The student universally has a big, goofy smile on their face. The funny thing is that the stripe only means that they have attended another 20 lessons. There is no test or anything, and they might well have learned nothing at all. Attend and get stripes and be proud.

I have been ploughing through my White Belt training as quickly as I can. My goal is the first actual test, which earns the student a spiffy Blue Belt.

As a long-time hoop jumper I fully recognize the dangers of motivation for external rewards like belts. I have been training like a lunatic in order to get a Blue Belt not for the belt itself. Reaching that level gains the student access to advanced training. I am after the advanced training, not the belt. Clearly I am beyond all that silly reward chasing.

And I really want that belt.