There once was a young boy who lived up North in a middle class family in the 1950’s. He was always second tier to his older brother, who his parents did everything for. They bought the older brother a car, paid for his college and intended for him to be the successful one of the two boys. His father told the younger boy that he should aspire to work for the post office as his main goal in life.
Even though his parents loved him, they didn’t believe he was capable of much and was destined to make it by at best, or probably just be a complete failure.
In order to shake the failure attitude his father was unknowingly trying to impose upon him and to perhaps reverse the lack of belief his family had in him, he decided to go to a little gym downtown called the CYO. That’s where he started the journey to change his life. This wasn’t just any gym. This was a place where teenage boys went to learn the art of Boxing.
To this boy, it was a chance to become everything his father wasn’t; brave, tough and fearless. He would become a fighter in the ring and use what he learned as a tool to become a better fighter in life. But it wasn’t an easy journey. On the night of his first fight, his father told him, “Don’t worry son, I have the address of the nearest Hospital”. Not exactly the type of support you want when you are about to go head to head in the ring for the first time. It was moments like these that truly changed his life. The most profound one came a little later in his Amatuer Boxing Career…
When he was in the midst of one of his most challenging and competitive fights, he was dropped with a punch to his skull. This punch brought him down to the canvas, and the ref began the count. While he was down, he looked over at his Father who said “Stay down, stay down!” and waved for him to give up and cower from the challenge that was before him in that ring. The young man thought to himself, “Stay down?… and be like YOU for the rest of my life?!… NO!” This lit a fire in him which enabled him to finish the fight and put him in a powerful mindset to achieve far greater success than either one of his parents could ever imagine.
Boxing gave him the discipline, courage and will to go from being a poor student in school, to getting a PHD in neuroscience. He used his degree to become a Clinical Psychologist and went on to become nationally renowned for the treatment he provided his patients.
I am proud to say that this boy, who became a man through the challenges he faced in and out of The Ring, is my Father. He turned adversity into fuel which drove him to make something of himself when no one thought he could. He used Boxing as a way to resist complacency, to build his character and his life. He has told me many times that everything he has ever done was easy compared to those challenges in The Ring. Once you have strengthened yourself and done battle in The Ring, everything else in life can certainly be easier in comparison.
Now, what about you? Are you the type of person that likes to take on challenges? Are you adventurous? Do you enjoy building yourself to become stronger and more resilient? If this sounds like you, then this might be the right time to try something new and exciting. If this doesn’t sound like you, then it’s DEFINITELY the right time to step out of your comfort zone and see what you are really capable of!
If you live around Athens GA and you want to learn something new, grow yourself, become more fit and develop deep reserves of confidence and power, then now is the time to begin training Boxing. It is key that you make sure you train in a safe and supportive environment that will also challenge you at the same time.
It’s easy to just walk into a gym and go through the motions. That will help you a little, but what will really impact you is when you go to a real Boxing Gym. Think about it, when you’re at the end of your life and you’re reflecting upon the great things you have done, wouldn’t it be nice to say, “I was a Boxer”?