In the interview she admits that she struggled with weight at a young age. She says that by the age of 12, she weighed upwards of 175 lbs. “Oh, my God, it was pure hell,” she recalls. “I spent all of eighth grade in my classroom because God forbid I ever left. I was terrorized. And karate saved my life. It all stopped the day I broke two boards with a kick.”
A Recipe for Confidence
Confidence or lack of effects everything in our life, our social network, friends, family, school work are all effected by our level of confidence. Bullies and criminals unanimously target people whom lack confidence which is demonstrated by poor posture, eye focus and weakness in speech.
Polls and research shows that victims of bullying typically have poor eye contact when speaking. This is almost always followed by bad posture and weak speech patterns.
So our recipe for confidence is demonstrating our inner strength through our eyes (Shi Sun) voice (Ki Hap) and posture (Ja she). Adopting this practice in EVERYTHING you do be it martial arts techniques, shaking hands, or walking in a parking lot will dramatically decrease your chances of attracting bullies and criminals. Not only that it will INCREASE the positive way people view and feel about you.
Here are some simple ways to put the Confidence recipe into practice:
- Look people in the eye when you talk to them or are listening to them.
- Practice keeping a straight posture throughout your day (sitting and standing)
- Speak confidently, don’t talk to fast or too slow. In class respond to questions with a loud clear voice (‘Yes Sir/Mam’) this will strengthen your vocal cords so they don’t tighten when you become nervous.
- Volunteer - practice getting out of your comfort zone. Put yourself on the line more often, it will become second nature and dramatically increase your confidence.