Cotton, Polyester, Silk, & Dye...

...are what a black belt is made of. Often, there are 10-12 lines of stitching to reinforce the long strip of cloth, which makes the belt somewhat thicker since most belts have 6-8 lines of stitching. Sometimes, a base layer of fabric is woven with an additional layer in order to make a longer-lasting belt. In a few cases, black belts contain a touch of silk for extra polish.

All of this signifies absolutely nothing.

Thousands of hours of training, hundreds of classes, countless bumps and bruises = one black belt. (That came from a t-shirt. $19.95 online, plus tax and S&H. Yay for Google!)

Whatever. Showing up to sweat and collect battle scars doesn't make a black belt. Bare-knuckle it, wrestle all you want, swing weapons and throw shuriken. Now you're an assassin...or a masochist.

Physical, mental, and spiritual growth? Mere snapshots in time. Strength and fitness can be lost, techniques and theories forgotten, character and integrity tarnished and thrown away. Now you're a has-been.

Years of study, self-reflection, and inner peace? Congratulations. Now you're a monk. It's not a guarantee that you're a black belt.

What makes a Black Belt is what is left after all of this has been taken away, all the way past the cotton, polyester, silk, & dye. Find what that is, and begin growing from there.

Now you're really training.