How Kung Fu Has Changed My Life

How Kung Fu Has Changed My Life

What did you want to do when you were a kid?

I wanted to learn kung fu.

I grew up watching Kung Fu and seeing Kung Fu movies on TV from Hong Kong.

I loved how they could stand for their principles – Fight and defeat those who suppressed others and how they were noble, strong and very wise.

 

Before I jumped into learning Kung Fu, I was not very confident in my body…

…and I also did not feel very powerful.

I had principles that I believed in however I would sometimes get ridiculed for them.

Since I was smart as a child and moved around between different towns a lot, I was different from most of the people I met.

I had difficulty figuring out who I was and enjoying myself as a person.

I began learning Kung Fu after I graduated from college and spent a year in Taipei learning Chinese.

I moved to Tainan, Taiwan and found a fellow student who was going to take Tai Chi lessons.

I remember seeing our teacher, she was a student in the college we were at and she demonstrated this simple kick to us.

It was so powerful you could hear a crack in the air.

I was in shock.

I had no idea that anyone, let alone a woman, could be that powerful.

I practiced with her and then we were adopted into her team and learned under her teacher.

I learned to take myself seriously and to practice and become stronger and more focused.

I remember the first time the elder kung fu brothers and sisters asked me to demonstrate a kick to our newer students…and to see the awe in their faces.

I had learned how to harness that same power.

Now I understand that true power exists in all of us, and it doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman or a child.

There is a force that we all have inside, that all we need to do is acknowledge that it’s there and take the time and care to bring it out.

Whenever times seem hard and difficult, I always know deep down inside that I know the way out.

…and that I am a force to be reckoned with…

…and when others doubt me or themselves…

…I know that I will achieve what I set out to do…

…and I know that when you study under the right people, you can learn what you want to know…

…and that dreams are attainable as long as you go for it!

There’s so much that I learned from my Kung Fu brothers and sisters that sometimes I think writing about the experiences could never do it justice.

What about you?

Has there been some powerful or meaningful experience in your life that taught you something?

Do you also practice Kung Fu or martial arts?

I would love to hear your stories!

Please contact me with your stories =)

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6 Replies to “How Kung Fu Has Changed My Life”

  1. thanks for sharing this inspiring story Meylysa, as you very rightly said we all have that force inside and its just a matter of time till we get it out

    1. Hi Azam, thanks for the comment! I like how you put it, on how it’s only a matter of time before we get that force that’s inside out =)

  2. I love your blog! I have written many books and some of those are regarding my life’s experiences. I used to practice Tai Chi and after battling Breast Cancer, I am contemplating doing it again. I loved it. Your health and your mind have to be in harmony and there are so many things which make that happen, such as Kung Fu and Tai Chi. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Hi Tami, thanks for the comment and your inspiring story about Taichi and your Breast Cancer…maybe we should all get back into our kung fu routines =)

  3. Very interesting post Meylysa! It’s amazing what different fighting techniques can teach us about ourselves. It can be very life changing in fact. I used to take up taekwando. I went pretty far but didn’t follow through with it. Right now, I’d love to learn something new!

    Thanks for sharing! Keep it up! 🙂

    1. Hi Pj, I feel like everyone has learned some kind of martial arts these days! I’m glad you enjoyed your Taekwando even though you didn’t pursue it =)