This Is the Most Dangerous Person in the World
Make sure you know who this is - it might even be you.
“There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
— Bruce Lee
Most people know that success is hard. It takes work. There are challenges that will need to be overcome.
But there is another side of achievement. Success has benefits, but also consequences. Most people never see the dangers that come with success — sometimes until it is too late.
Every climb includes a few plateaus. No journey is just straight upward.
It is the achievement that leads to danger. It is success that can be dangerous.
But fortunately, the first step in escaping danger is knowing that it exists.
This is one danger that you need to look for. This person is someone you need to watch out for.
And it might be you.
. . .
Congratulations, You Just Became a Threat to Everyone Around You
“There’s nothing so dangerous as sitting still.”
— Willa Cather
Years ago I practiced martial arts on a daily basis. I remember clearly that my goal was to obtain a black belt — or more precisely, to earn a black belt.
To me, the black belt was the pinnacle achievement. There was no higher goal for me. It was a symbol of success. And it was an internal gauge of whether I was a real martial artist.
As I was climbing the ranks, an older student told me something that still resonates. At the time he had a rank of fifth-degree black belt.
At the time, I had started to hit harder. My muscles and joints had grown accustomed to striking. My punches and kicks had started to become intense enough to inflict some damage to my opponent.
I did not yet have a black belt, but I was certainly on the path.
The older student complimented me on my improvements. But he also told me to push through and keep improving. He thought I would earn my first-degree black belt in less than one year. A first-degree black was the lowest black-belt rank, but it was nonetheless impressive.
Then he said something that surprised me more than anything else.
He said you actually need to practice the most once you obtain the first-degree black belt. Because the first-degree black belt was actually the most dangerous person in martial arts.
Why, if I have been practicing and practicing for years, would I suddenly become more dangerous to the people around me?
Shouldn’t I be less dangerous as I got better?
Shouldn’t I be less of a threat once I became a black belt?
“No,” he said.
. . .
The Milestone Is the Problem
“The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none.”
— Thomas Carlyle
When you are a white belt, you are a complete beginner. You know nothing. You do not have much confidence. You need to learn movements, patterns, and new skills. You need to build strength. You need stronger wrists, toes, knuckles, and ankles.
As you improve and move up the ranks, you start to gain strength and skills. And you also start to build the physical foundations necessary to practice at higher and higher levels.
And by the time you reach first-degree black belt status, you have something else: confidence.
The reason why a first-degree black belt is dangerous is that you have newly-developed strength, skills, flexibility, and power. But you may not yet have the control needed to practice safely.
You may be able to strike, kick, and punch ‒ without injuring yourself. But often you will not have enough control to not hurt someone else. It is not that you are dangerous to yourself. But you may be dangerous to other people.
The elder student mentioned that he is always most careful when practicing with first-degree black belts, for that very reason. When he practiced with third-, fourth-, fifth-degree black belts and above, his experience was that they had enough control to avoid hurting their partners. But not so with first-degree black belts. He often told those students to not use all of their strength until they developed enough control. They might have the knowledge, strength, and awareness, but not the necessary skills to practice safely. They have to work towards that. This did not apply in every case, but certainly often enough to tell me about it.
Sometimes our confidence from reaching an awesome milestone can derail us from our own success.
. . .
It is Not Just Black Belts That Are Not Dangerous
“Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light.”
— Bruce Lee
Certainly, not all black belts are dangerous. But some are.
And obviously, this applies to more than just black belts or martial artists.
So who are the dangerous people?
They are the people who have achieved something significant but have not yet achieved mastery.
They are the people who have not yet become exceptional but still have had some success.
I have previously written about the unique release that we all get when we accomplish something.
The reality is that wearing a certain color belt can be a significant milestone. But it does not mean we have reached the end of the journey.
The same is true with anything else.
Watch out for the big victory. It is exciting, exhilarating, and important.
But it can also blind us. And hide dangers.
Don’t get stuck at being just good. We need people who move toward great. We need people who want to be exceptional.
The most dangerous person in the world is the person who has just reached one of the first big milestones of success.
You might listen to them. I might listen to them. I might even give their opinions more weight than others.
But should I?
Should you?
That’s the question.
Be careful.
My plan is to push through the big milestone. Keep improving. Keep growing. Don’t stop. Good might not be enough. People need more from us. Move to the next milestone.
Let’s go together.
. . .
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