If you ask 90% of new karate students what their ultimate goal of their karate training is, they'll say that it's getting a black belt. While that is a great long term goal to strive towards, I think we should take a moment to understand what that really means.
The first thing to realize is that getting your black belt is not the end of your training. Out of the 21 years that I have studied Shobayashi-Ryu, eight of them have been spent as a black belt. My learning and development as a martial artist hasn't stopped or even slowed down since becoming a black belt. I am learning more than ever. Getting your black belt isn't the end. It's a new beginning.
Another thing to think about is that karate really goes by the old saying, "It's about the journey, not the destination." The act of training and studying the martial arts is what makes you develop.
Ask yourself these questions. What does it mean to be a black belt? How does a black belt act/behave?
Being a black belt is not easy. That's why so many people who try karate don't make it to black belt. As Grand Master Shimabukuro said, "On Okinawa it's easy to get your black belt, but sometimes it's almost impossible to be a black belt."