Change Yourself, Change the World

George, a small nerdy boy is sitting at his desk in school, watching the clock tick, not paying attention to the lesson, but simply counting the minutes. He is focused on grabbing his books and running out to the school bus before the bullies get to him in the yard.

Sometimes though, he gets delayed, and that means that some older boy would spit on his backpack, call him names, or worse, beat up on him. But even if he makes it to the bus unscathed, he may also get beat up there, or embarrassed, like when another kid pulled George's pants down in front of everyone to see and laugh.

One day, with a black eye on his face, George finally admitted to his dad that he was being bullied in school. So his father took him to the local karate school, where he found a place where he finally belonged. A place where his efforts and talents were recognized and developed. He learned to stand up tall, even if small. To look at people in the eye and give a firm handshake. His demeanor changed from trying to hide in the crowd, to standing tall and proud of himself.

That was the day when George's life changed. He had found in himself, the potential that was hidden. The bullies tried again to bring him down, but he would not hide or run anymore. He finally stood up for himself, and in time, the bullies did not mess with him ever again. In a few years George earned his black belt in Karate, and became unstoppable. The rest… is history.

If you follow the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), you may know him as George (RUSH) St-Pierre, a legend of the sport for his achievements and fighting style. Not to mention the financial success. He is not only an exceptional fighter, but also a gentleman, which I credit to his family and Karate upbringing.

A few years ago, a panhandler approached George's car in the streets of Quebec, and he recognized the shabby guy as the old school bully. The guy hesitated at seeing him, then apologized for what he did as a kid. George forgave him and gave him whatever money he had on him. He held no resentment toward the old time bully, but life had come full circle for them. George St-Pierre did not overcome the bullies by beating them up with his Karate. He overcame them by improving himself. He beat them by becoming successful in life. Karate had given him the tools to become a better version of himself and succeed.

In a recent documentary about his journey from being a bullied child to becoming a champion, George gives us the answer to defeating the bullies. He reflects: "You do not overcome the bully by changing the bully. You overcome them by changing yourself. Before you can change the world, you must change yourself, then the world will change by itself after." And so, I hope we all endeavor to do likewise for ourselves and for our children.