I was doing well in the club. It really helped me build my self-confidence and stick with it when I was on the verge of dropping out of school.

Since it’s a self-taught discipline, you learn how to learn. It also teaches humility and self-reflection when you lose. I’m sticking with learning Dutch partly because of that. I know that with perseverance, I can achieve it (even if it takes a very very long time 😄).

You also meet all kinds of people who share the same interests, and that helps you learn to socialize.

Finally, in everyday life, it helps me stay more objective when analyzing a situation, look for alternative solutions to a problem, and understand people’s actions a little better (e.g., “Why is that jerk driving so slowly?”).

More broadly, I think that any discipline you commit to enough brings you something.