April 23

Fighting Back! A guest blog that will inspire and motivate. A must read.

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Hi

Wow what a great response from my last blog. I have had so many positive comments from so many people and thank you it is very much appreciated.

Trust me the next post will push the boundaries even further for people. It will make people feel very uncomfortable and force them to ask themselves a lot of questions about their training, however that will be coming soon. The idea of this blog is to cause discussion, motivate and become a platform for my views and opinions. I started it because I got so fed up with the total rubbish that was generally being written and sold as self defence products. Self defence is an unregulated industry, this means that anyone can sell anything without any comeback at all. Without any testing and without any basis in reality.

I keep saying that a self defence revolution is on its way. We need to look at violence for the answers to violence, not martial arts. Martial arts are a tool box to draw from, they are not a guide book, they do not have all the answers. Yes they are fun, they are very useful, but they are martial arts. The criminal has no respect for them, he has no respect for you! They will think nothing about your training when they pick up a glass and smash it into your face, they will not consider rules when a group of  men and women stamp and kick you repeatedly in your head for no reason other than they want to. These and far worse things can happen. Is your training geared to deal with them?

A change in perception can change everything, people once thought the earth was at the centre of the universe!

For today’s post we have a very special guest. Michelle from Michelle Fighting Back.co.uk.  She is an inspirational person who has a film due out soon based on her experiences. At the end of the blog there is video showing this lady talking, its a very good watch. However please check out her guest article. Its a fantastic read that will inspire and motivate us all to achieve our goals and fight back against overwhelming odds. Here it is:

Moving Forward

Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Michelle and over the last year I have set up a website called Michelle Fighting Back. I do motivational talks in the hope to inspire others. I realised that by telling my own story I could help many people, motivate them and give hope to people that had been through a difficult time in their life.

I was raped at knifepoint when I was 14 years old. I wanted to show people that we all go through difficult and traumatic times, but it is still possible to lead a happy life, so I decided to tell people my story. Through my website I have spoken to people from all walks of life. Men and women have kindly and bravely shared their stories with me. I would never tell someone how to live their lives and where possible I have passed on the details of fully trained organisations. For example CRASAC or I have suggested services such as counselling. I tell people how I have dealt with my own attack and the issues within my life that my attack created. I have been very open and honest. I have noticed that many of the messages I receive from people have the same word that crops up, time and time again. Everyone’s experiences are different, but this particular word seems to creep into everyone’s lives …Guilt. It’s hard to believe that such a small, simple word can cause such devastation, destroy lives and at times even end lives…

After my own attack I had the attitude that my attacker would not ruin my life. 20 years ago I made a very big decision that would affect my whole future and my attitude to life. In my mind I had two choices, either I could beat my attacker or he could beat me. To me it was that simple. I really don’t like the term ‘Victim’. I’ve never been a victim and refuse point blank to become one. As far as I’m concerned the word victim suggests that a person has been beaten, that the attacker has won in some way. I decided my attacker could only win if i allowed him to destroy me, if i gave him that power and if i allowed him to defeat me. Over the last 20 years I have been a very determined young lady. I have used my attack in a positive way by pushing myself to reach my goals, to have adventures and to fulfil my dreams. We are all unique and different. Each one of us deals with situations in our own way. There is no right or wrong way, just our own way. I have had messages from people asking ‘Why didn’t I deal with my attack in the same way you have dealt with yours?’ I cannot answer that question, I can only share my strategies that I have used to be the person I am today. I always encourage people and give support where ever I can.

I have had messages from people who are living a daily battle due to their experiences. Many of them have mentioned that they feel guilty, as if they are to blame in some way for what has happened to them. They feel guilt towards family members. They feel guilt because of the way it has affected their lives. They feel guilty because they can’t move forward in life and they are living in the past. The guilt they feel is endless… In my view you should never feel guilty for someone else’s actions. We need to work towards accepting that we have done nothing wrong, we didn’t deserve to be attacked. Guilt can eat you up inside. It can ruin relationships, destroy lives and leave people living in fear. No one should lock away that guilt. Another person’s actions should not determine your whole life. I am happy to say that some of the people that I have spoken to and I am in regular contact with in some cases have taken giant steps in their lives to move forward. They are facing their issues, learning to let go of the guilt and they are also fighting back. Whether it is mentally or physically, they are taking control over their lives. Sometimes just being able to talk through your
problems with someone, who has a bit of understanding, can make such a huge difference. If you would like to talk to me I am just an email away, you don’t have to suffer in silence.

Always remember your own happiness lies within yourself.
Big Hugs

Michelle x
Michellefightingback.co.uk

What a great article, be sure to check out her site and the video below. Until next time keep safe and train hard

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXi8R20xvaw?rel=0]


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