How My Shaolin Kung Fu Training Helped Me Conquer Self-Doubt

Photo by Lukasz Duszak on Unsplash

When I was 32 years old, I was filled with crippling self-doubt.

I had no reason for feeling this way. Sure, I had been bullied in high school, but that was well over a decade ago. Still, I would go home every day ruminating about how I was unworthy of my blessings in life. Every night, I would lie in bed mouthing prophecies about how my girlfriend would leave me.

When my relationship did end, I quickly decided I had to change something in my life. I told myself — somewhat naively — I needed to train in martial arts. I had to toughen up, and I wanted someone to beat the self-doubt out of me. I believed what the titular Kung Fu Panda had said in the first movie,

“[The training] could never hurt more than it did every day of my life just being me.” — Po, Kung Fu Panda

So in February of 2015, I signed up to the Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute Downtown Toronto School and started training under Master Dao Shi, a 35th generation Shaolin disciple.

I’m happy to report the kung fu training worked. While I have yet to start a new romantic relationship, virtually every other aspect of my life has improved. Within a few months of joining STQI, I found the confidence to negotiate for what I wanted at work and eventually changed employers when I felt it was right. I grew increasingly comfortable in leadership positions inside and outside of the office. I even became a natural public speaker. Here’s a picture of me emceeing a kung fu performance during the 2018 Toronto Chinatown Festival.

I overcame my self-doubt not because I endured any military-style corporal punishment — Master Dao is actually quite easygoing — but because Shaolin training has changed my relationship with myself and the world at large.

To learn more Andrew's experiences and the 'mindset changes' that worked for him, please go to the original post at Medium:

https://medium.com/the-ascent/how-my-shaolin-kung-fu-training-helped-me-conquer-self-doubt-7f2b07e2ec9b