As each of us closes out 2024, I am sure we will all take time to reflect on the many challenges we encountered throughout the year. Some we overcame easily, while others we had to struggle through. Each of these moments taught us lessons about ourselves and helped us build strategies for the future.
I find myself considering a time, many years ago, when I chose to take on a challenge as a charity event. The money we were able to raise was truly remarkable, but the lessons I learned about myself have remained ever since.
On my 50th birthday, I thought it would be a rewarding gift to myself if I could spend the day sparring 50 kickboxing rounds and have people donate money to a charity that is near and dear to me (American Cancer Society). My goal was to raise awareness and money for this very important cause, but inwardly it was a challenge to myself to see whether I had what it would take to last 50, 2 minute rounds with a fresh opponent each round.
For the majority of the event, I sparred various instructors from various disciplines (taekwondo, Muay Thai, boxing, etc). I, of course, peppered the field with friends and family members who wanted to be part of this birthday celebration.
Taking on such an event, a smarter person would have physically prepared for months. As a comparison, a boxer entering the ring for a 10 round fight, will box and train several hours a day, every day, for 6 weeks. For some reason, which I still can’t put logic to, I trained for 4 weeks sporadically… not really understanding that I was setting myself up for failure.
On the day of my 50th birthday, I drove up to my studio woefully ill prepared. I had all my well-skilled opponents, students and family who wanted to watch as well as two members of the press, waiting for me. I was happy to be doing the event and oblivious to the fact that I was about to learn something about myself.
As the event began, I moved and worked fairly well for the first six rounds when it suddenly hit me that I was starting to gas. My wind was nowhere near ready for this and as early fatigue started to set in, I was quietly panicking that I was not going to be able to finish. My mind was racing trying to figure out strategies on how to maintain energy while still engaging in battle.
I managed to last another few rounds when, in the 11th round, my boxing coach stepped in front of me as the opponent. We agreed that, for the first time that he and I were going to spar, it would stay boxing. I was a little relieved because the kicking was adding to my exhaustion quicker than throwing punches. We worked fairly hard as he kept me very busy throwing fast combinations and making sure to move me around the gym as any good opponent would do. As the round was coming to an end, I made the rookie mistake of taking my eyes off my opponent and glancing at the clock to see how much time was left in this 2-minute round. With literally 8 seconds left, he realized that I was not focused and he threw an overhand right that caught me completely off guard and landed directly on my nose. Having been caught flush, my feet flew out from under me and I hit the floor, nose crunchy and bleeding, right as the bell rang.
The rules of the event were that I was only to be given one minute off between rounds. All my staff and friends rushed to my side and yelled to stop the clock so that I could have time to recover. I insisted that the clock continue and that I only have 60 seconds to get myself back and ready for round 12. It was at this moment that I learned my greatest lesson about myself.
I was so embarrassed and angry at myself for having been caught off guard and literally dropped in front of all these people, that my mind shifted to an entirely different gear. I may have been bloodied and tired, but at that moment, I promised myself that I would not allow myself to fall again! Two rounds earlier, I didn’t know how I was going to continue. As of that moment, I was determined that I was not going to stop. That overhand right reset my thinking and gave me the strength and determination to finish the event, regardless of how I felt.
I’m proud to say that I completed the 50 rounds and we raised over $7,000 for cancer research. To this day, it is my most rewarding moment as a martial artist.
What I learned about myself is that the mind controls the body and that if I’m going through a challenge of any kind, my mindset will dictate the outcome. Not saying that it was easy or that the challenge didn’t have its ups and downs, but I do believe you can elevate yourself if you believe in yourself.
That is the lesson I carry with me to this day.
For those of you who follow me on social media, you know I post inspirational memes every day. Some might think I’m trying to motivate others, and if I do, that’s great! What I’m secretly doing is reminding myself that self-determination and self-care are the fundamental roots for self-advancement.
As we enter 2025, I will take that message forward as the year brings its new challenges. I encourage you to do the same. There’s nothing that cannot be handled if you set your mind to it. Let’s make this next year a year of self-belief and see what we can accomplish together.
Wishing each of you a safe, blessed and happy New Year.
