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Gaining Self Confidence and Self Acceptance

Gaining Self Confidence and Self Acceptance
Gaining Self Confidence and Self Acceptance

Gaining Self Confidence and Self Acceptance Mixed Martial Arts isn’t just for fighters, its for anyone who wants to gain self confidence and self acceptance. Mixed Martial Arts isn’t just for fighters. Although, I happen to be an MMA fighter myself, what led me to where I am today wasn’t just because I wanted to be a fighter. It’s more because of my personal fight through life.

Gaining Self Confidence and Self Acceptance

Before MMA, I had very low self esteem and I wasn’t exactly sure where life was going to take me, or even where I wanted to go. I had no direction, no independence and not much self worth. In the last 4 years since I have been a part of this amazing sport, I have learned many new things about myself and life in general. The training has pushed me so hard at times, that there came a point where I had to dig deeper than I was normally comfortable with. It’s a sport where you have to know who you are, be happy with who you are and be very strong minded.

In this, you are forced to pull up things from your past, that you may not want to revisit, but it’s all a part of the letting go process, so that you may excel at your highest level of potential. When you are holding on to hate or regrets, it will hold you back from moving forward and excelling at anything you do, whether that be mixed martial arts or anything at all. I have finally began to be at peace with my past. It will always be a part of me, but it will no longer keep it’s hold on me or control me. I have learned how to use that held in aggression in the right way. I know how to push “past” the pain in my mind and in my heart. If you cannot find out what it is that is holding you back, it makes it almost impossible to move forward.

Martial Arts For Children

As parents, we are the very first ones to teach our children the way of life. What life is all about, and respecting others as well as ourselves. I believe Martial Arts is the perfect way to teach your children some of the most important principles in life. Through training, they grow to be more confident in the gym and at school. They build great focus skills, self acceptance and self esteem to help them deal with many peer pressure issues they face on a day to day basis as well as situations with bullies, which is a growing problem in our society. Through anti-bullying programs so many Martial Arts schools are starting to offer, maybe we can help to significantly lower the number of reported cases on bullying. It’s a great way for the bullies themselves to build enough confidence in themselves, that they do not feel the need to bring others down mentally or physically, because as we all know, bullying stems from issues in itself. When you are intentionally trying to hurt another person, it’s in most occasions because the bully themselves, are insecure. The problem need not only be addressed to the victim, but also to the source. Children will learn so much in the sport about challenging themselves in mind and body and developing a positive attitude for life and to build the skills that they will need for success now and in their future.

Building up victims of Domestic Abuse

Because sadly, victims of Domestic abuse are most often not any longer even in control of their own lives. This brings upon cases of suicide, depression, low self esteem and self acceptance and increased fear on leaving the situation. When you are closed off from contact with family and friends, who are you to turn to except your abuser? The abuser makes sure to keep the victim right where they want them by controlling every aspect of their life and leading them to believe that they are worthless, incapable, weak and even unattractive. Making them think that no one else in the world would want them, so they should feel lucky. And after awhile, these women believe it. They give up on themselves entirely and continue on a downward spiral in all areas of what once was their life. With The Martial Arts being such a great tool towards building self esteem, it’s one of the best things these women could become involved in. Not always, but for the most part a person with a higher respect of themselves, will have the confidence to leave an abusive relationship. In classes they can learn, self defense and self worth and possibly begin feeling more empowered. Like, I am someone, I can do anything. I feel very capable of myself and hopefully have the courage to seek help and get out of the present situation because they are standing so much taller now and they are ridding themselves of the built up hatred for themselves and fear. Even if it changes the life of one victim, mixed martial arts would have been part of making that difference.

In closing, I have seen personal friends of mine completely change through this sport. Perhaps, they just want to train to stay fit, learn how to protect themselves if need be or just because it’s something new to try. It’s a fact, that I have witnessed with my own eyes, that it changes people for the better. Whether it be they started feeling better about their body image, or they learned something new about themselves that got them through a dark time in their life. It made them feel strong and powerful, or they finally felt that they had goals to reach..Or maybe, they decided to actually become a fighter and wanted to submerge themselves in all aspects of the sport. Mixed Martial Arts can change your life…It absolutely changed mine! To continued success in all that you do, remember the world is yours for the taking.

Tisha Rodrigues

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