Self defense is generally thought of as a way to prepare for the worst; a way for one to defend themselves against an attack. But what I learned last Friday was that self-defense is a way to empower yourself. I think people often, especially women, doubt their abilities. We forget to see how strong and powerful we are and overlook all that we are capable of. Society often tells us that we are weak, we need a man to defend us. But what was so powerful about this seminar was that we all  learned that we are capable of great things if we only believe that we can do it. Henry Ford once said “Whether you say you can or you can’t–you’re right.” We are the ones getting in the way of our own true strength.

Last Friday I did something that I never thought in a million years I could do. I broke a board with my knee. It seems so simple and yet it was incredibly rewarding and empowering. I just told myself to go for it, something that fear of embarrassment would of preventing me from doing just a year ago and yet it turned into a highlight of my college career. It meant that by stepping out and trying something new, I wan’t going to fail. Not as long as I believed in myself. Self-defense turned from defending your self to defending against yourself. Something I wished I had realized sooner.