What is "ownership"?

Oftentimes on TV or social media we see declarations of shiny new vehicles or tech equipment, inexpensive and lavish price tags alike. These posts and commercials are dipped in gold and wrapped in nice ribbon to sell not just a product, but a mindset as well: if your wallet can bear the emptying, you can make all your dreams come true!

But what does "owning" something entail? Does putting love and labor into it count, or does it just mean footing the bill?

What those lucky owners and advertisement companies don't mention is the work these new toys require to maintain. Sure, running your luxury vehicle through the car wash every once in a while and maybe even vacuuming the seats is easy enough, but what about the rest of the work? Will their precious baby still mean as much to them when maintenance is more expensive than its monthly insurance payments?

One May weekend, Mr. Lee made an offhanded observation about our school's windows--as beautiful as they are spanning floor-to-ceiling, they tend to get quite dirty over time. After many Walmart runs without success, a squeegee was finally acquired in the beginning of June and Mr. Lopez got to scrubbing until the exterior glass was crystal-clear and glistening. Our windows looked just like how they looked when we first moved in to start our small business, if not better. Brand-new.

Ownership, Mr. Lee said one night after this ordeal, is taking responsibility for the things in your possession in every state it is; clean or dirty, new or old, etc. We hold the power to travel the easy route and keep the glass dusty, or grit our teeth and clean the dirt off of it. While keeping what we own clean is harder than staying complacent, working hard yields better rewards. Clean house? Happy homeowner! Clean Taekwondo school windows? A more positive impression on passerby and members alike. Plus, it leaves us less work to do later!

Everyday, we at GSH are learning how to better teach our students while bettering ourselves at the same time. This idea of ownership helps us take pride in our school both as instructors and as people. We hope our efforts show and our community can learn this important life lesson as well!