Small steps lead to big results
Bruce lee once said, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." If you want mastery in any skill, it takes time. Your habits shape you. If you want to achieve something constant movement towards your goals are the way to go. It doesn't matter if you took a giant leap in progress if you end up slacking off the rest of the time. Building your base and slowing moving towards your goal will give you much better results. Consistency is key. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" - Lao Tzu
I understood violence
When you have the opportunity to practice a martial art that allows you to spar perhaps 75% and above, you start to understand the implications of violence. It can be over quickly with deadly consequences. You can get hurt. The other person can get hurt. Other people get involved. The philosophy I live by was masterfully put by Miyamoto Musashi who once wrote, "the ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them."
The mind was strengthened
Strengthening your body is an obvious outcome - it becomes stronger, faster, and more flexible. You gain more control of your body. But forging and developing a mind of fortitude is often overlooked when it is what is more important. You see, not only do you understand the first point, but you learn self-discipline. I would accredit martial arts for me learning to hone my mind. It's why I have the self-drive to train, invest, do the thing I sometimes don't want to. I've been able to power through things I didn't feel like doing for the sake of self-improvement.
Learning true courage
Before I learned martial arts, I was bullied. When I learned martial arts, I never sought to use it for the sake of putting the bullies in their place. True courage is walking away and being the bigger man if trouble happens. That doesn't mean walking away from every single inconvenience. Know which battles can be fought, which can be won without fighting, and which ones to walk away from.
