Four Grand Masters Share Their Secrets to Becoming More Confident by Instructor Ma

Four Grand Masters Share Their Secrets to Becoming More Confident by Instructor Ma

From an early age, I was always the girl who was really introverted and shy. I was not noticeably confident, so I had some trouble with my social skills. I felt awkward in every social situation. Even in a small group meeting of just 10 persons. I was always the one who sat at the corner so that no one will notice me and ask me questions.

I was finally fed up with my constant lack of confidence. I wanted to have the courage to go after my dreams and be naturally confident. So I began martial arts training as a way to feel courageous and have confidence. I also read some books on self-esteem and I did research on how to be confident. Today, I can meet anyone and talk to anyone in a working environment or social event. I can now speak up about my projects and business ideas in front of a group of people with unwavering confidence.

I’m going to share with you four easy ways to be confident that Grand Masters use in martial arts training that you can start practicing right away.

1. Smile

General Qiu, President of the World Martial Arts Congress says: “If you are nervous, force a smile on your face. A smile tells your brain to be happy, even if you weren’t. If you have been accepted into a good traditional martial arts school then the other students and members treat you like family so you should have no fear of social rejection. Just let yourself feel the warmth of their sincere friendship and caring and it will be easy to keep a smile on your face.”

2. A Power Stance

The President of the Korea Hapkido Federation HaeMuKwan, KwanJangNim Richard Hackworth says that while studying the use body language that you can tell yourself to be more confident. If you assume a power stance (standing tall, chest out and hands on your hips) for 2 minutes, your body releases testosterone and you will feel more confident.

3. Self-affirmation

If you spend time practicing self-affirmation, then instead of trying to talk yourself out of it, your subconscious mind literally remind you to be strong and you will feel instantly uplifted. Soke Michael McGann says that self-affirmations and visualization techniques have been proven to work in studies at Stanford University. He recommends using that with positive affirmations. Visualization and positive mantras will help program the mind for success.

4. Take Actions

Learning how to be confident is like learning any other skill – it can be trained. Even if you are afraid, do it afraid. There is no magic way. The key is repetition, repetition and repetition. Hanshi Carl Stone says that you got to fake it until you make it. Never let fear slow you down. As you take action and succeed your confidence will grow by leaps and bounds.

Your confidence has an impact on your chances for success and I hope these tips help you =)

About the author: Xiao Ma is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in the Korean self-defense art of Hapkido and a 2nd Dan in Traditional Taekwondo. She is a professional sports and fitness model and full time Nursing student. She is the language, culture, and leadership development teacher for the World Martial Arts Congress. www.worldmartialartscongress.com