The scene will be a familiar one to many of us…

How many mornings we have laid in bed, staring at the ceiling and tense about the day that lies ahead? Like a boxer in the back room before the big fight, we try to visualize the outcome; trying not to get into our own head before we step out and into the ring. The thoughts in our mind, like the muffled roar of the crowd leaves our stomach in knots. We find ourselves in a state of fight or flight as we walk that fine line between crippling fear and heroic confidence. Of course, there are those days where we consider just calling it all off and not even entering the ring; a seemingly wiser choice than being knocked out cold on the canvas.

In reality, our day will likely not end with a mop and bucket; but the unknown outcome pushes us outside of our comfort zone and makes us question our abilities against the opponent who awaits. It’s safe to say we feel like the underdog as we prepare ourselves for the twelve rounds that stands between us and victory.

Each one of us have a unique motivator that get us up. We look at ourselves in the mirror as we lace up; putting our game face on to hide the fear and anxiety we feel inside. Before we know it, our walk out song fills the stadium and we are on our way toward the ring; all eyes on us… or so it seems. As soon as we enter between the ropes and lock eyes with our opponent, the adrenaline kicks in and we know there is no backing out. 

So who is this opponent we are knocking gloves with as the bell rings? If we did our homework well, we should be familiar with the type of fighter we are up against. More than likely though, we are sparring with an enemy we don’t understand; maybe even confuse for others we encounter throughout our day. Sure the driver of the car who cut us off, the co-worker who took a jab during a meeting, or a family member we got into an argument with may seem like the opponent… but they are not. No, we are mistaken, much like a boxer who is dazed by the fifth round and mixes up the ref as his rival. Men, we must take a step back and clearly see who it is we are fighting; this is so critical to our victory.

And speaking of victory, what exactly does that even look like?

As we have all had our share of losses over the years, perhaps victory seems out of reach; maybe even unobtainable. As a result, over time we may have lost some of the fire within. Or maybe, the real problem is just that our expectations are simply not realistic.

Think about it… Aren’t we all looking to land that powerful haymaker to end the fight? To stand over our opponent and have the ring stormed as our arm is lifted high. If this is what we are waiting for, we can expect some disappointing ends to our day. The reality is most of our fights will not be won by a knockout; instead, they will be won…or lost, by the technical scores collected throughout the entire fight. Meaning, our victory lies in the seemingly insignificant moments of our day; yes, the hits landed and hits blocked, but also the ones we took head on, but kept pressing in.

Ultimately, our ability to endure and go the distance will pave our…

Road to Victory