You can be both mighty and humble.

One thing I’ve been learning through jiujitsu lately is: true power isn’t about controlling others—it’s about mastering yourself. That’s where real strength is.

You can be powerful without needing to overpower anyone or anything. In fact, redefining what it means to be mighty is a necessary inquiry for all people, regardless of gender, background, or class.

So what does it mean to be mighty?

From my experience, overpowering others simply because you can—or to prove a point—rarely brings peace or a sense of justice. Yes, earning a submission on the mat is a technical win. But if the intention behind it is rooted in ego or harm, then it becomes a kind of loss.

Which leads me to ask: How does a person become both mighty and humble?

There’s a report that someone once asked Jesus (peace be upon him), “With whom shall we sit, O Spirit of God?” He replied, “With one whose presence reminds you of God; whose speech increases you in knowledge; and whose actions make you desire the next world.”

Perhaps martial arts, then, is less about domination and more about submission—not just of the opponent, but of the self.

Real growth in this practice requires a deeper kind of submission: to one’s limitations, to the noise of the mind, to the gaps in our knowledge and ego. When we can submit to those inner forces—not in defeat, but in awareness—we open the path toward mastery.

And with that comes the real test: not just rising through the ranks, but doing so with humility, patience, and obedience to the craft and the journey itself.