What Does it Mean to be an EMPOWERED Martial Artist?
What does it mean to be Empowered?
The word ‘Empower’ literally means ‘TO GIVE POWER TO’ and nothing quite matches the feeling of living an empowered life.
It has taken me awhile to get to the place in my life where I indeed feel empowered. Maybe you’re still working on it, and that’s okay. After all, we, human beings are all a continual work in progress. Each experience, whether it be positive or negative, gives us the opportunity to better ourselves.
We want all of our students to be empowered Martial artists and confident human beings. However, it’s not so easy. We provide encouragement and a challenge. We work to motivate and inspire. In the end, the student must choose to give power to themselves. They must choose to be empowered.
There was a simple little viral video that circulated following Halloween 2017. A little boy about the age of 9 was filmed through a video doorbell system as he was walking up to the doorstep of a home for Trick-or-Treat. The child notices that there wasn’t any candy in the bowl and can be seen walking off. A few seconds later, he returned to put a few pieces in the bowl as if to spare other kids that might find themselves in this predicament. A simple little video, indeed, but one that serves as a parable for having an empowered life.
One can go through the motions of life wondering, “Why me?” or they can make the best out of the worst of circumstances taking control. No one told this young man to step up. He gave power to himself. This is empowerment at the most basic and everyday level of practice.
So many people that we train have it “in them”. They possess the strength, but to be empowered not only means to be strong, but to feel strong. When you feel strong, you do not bully. You don’t put people down. In fact, it’s the opposite. When you live an empowered life, you want others to partake. It is too wonderous not to share.
