There are many important lessons that I, regrettably, didn't learn until later in my life. There are definitely some that I still have not learned. This is a story about how I learned that not everything is as horrible as it seems. My worry doesn’t always make things better; however, I soon learned my lesson. Sometimes you just have to try your best and trust that everything will work out. The story of how I learned such a significant lesson can be told through the beginning, middle, and the end.

When I was in second grade, I started learning karate. Apparently, my karate class always has a fundraiser for St. Jude in the fall. So, when the time came for me to compete in the tournament, I was extremely nervous. This was a mandatory event, so there was no way that I was getting out of it. It was stated that you could only skip the fundraiser if you absolutely could not come that day. Unfortunately, there was no way I was getting out of it. I would have to perform a kata, or a complicated series of punches and kicks, in front of three judges. They would each hold up a number, 1-10, and they would add the numbers together to get my score. As an orange belt, I would be competing against other people around my rank and age. 

Even as a seven year old, I got incredibly nervous over the smallest things. So when I was forced to compete in a tournament in front of a bunch of people, I became even more apprehensive. As the days crept by, I was hoping more and more for my parents to decide to go on an unplanned vacation. Every karate class, we would work on our form, technique, and how to approach the judges. There was a different type of floor, or mat, that we would be doing the kata on. We had to stand up, bow, walk around the floor, bow again, step forward, bow, address the judges, state our name and kata, then bow and begin. When we were done, we had to bow and say, “Judges,” then walk backwards off the floor. We slowly got better, remembering more of our speech every time. Soon it was the day before the tournament. I was so scared that I almost asked if we could pretend to be on vacation to get out of it. All day, the tournament was all I could think about. Finally, it was time to get it over with. As I walked through the door, I heard the shouts and soft murmuring of the contestants and the audience. It was so crowded that me and my family could hardly get through. There were cookies and fruit for those who were finished with the tournament. A group of younger children had just gone before us. Eventually, we were called to come sit on the side of the floor. It was so loud I could hardly hear what they were saying. I sat there and the time crept by so slowly as we watched the others compete. At long last, it was my turn. 

“Tsai, Anastasia,” the judges called out to the side. I walked around the mat, bowing at all the right places. When I got up, I was so anxious that I could hardly address the judges.

“Judges. My name is Annelise Tsai. I will be doing Fukyugata Ni. With your permission, may I begin?” They nodded, and I started. I couldn’t hear anyone else talking. I was completely focused on my punches, kicks, and blocks. When I was done, I stood and said, “Judges.” They held up their numbers. I wasn’t able to tell if it was good or bad.  When everyone was done, they called me and another girl up. I thought I was in trouble, but I didn't know why.

“Which one do you think should win?” one asked, too quietly for me to hear. Two of them pointed at me, and one at the other girl. I went back to my parents, and they both were smiling. I had no idea why. After a couple moments, I realized that I had won. When the two judges had pointed at me, they had been deciding who would get the gold medal. I went back up and got my medal. 

Although I was exceedingly nervous, it did nothing to help me during the tournament. I learned that day that worrying only makes things worse for me. This is a lesson that I wish I had learned earlier in my life. However, I am still lucky to have learned it at all. 

In the end, I learned a critical lesson. I had to learn through an experience that, although it wasn’t my favorite, taught me one of the most crucial lessons ever.