And just like that I found myself down on the floor with a ringing in my ears, and for a brief second, I wasn’t sure where I was.
I had just thrown a switch left kick at my sparring opponent that had been caught, and I didn’t even see the spinning back fist that sent me straight down.
My coach looked at me concerned and told me to take the next couple of rounds off — A small group of us from the Muay Thai gym I train at had made a trip to another local gym to spar with other guys we don’t typically get to spar with. The competition is known for being tougher at this gym.
Not even knowing whether I had gotten a concussion or not, I knew I had to get back in there.
I’m aware that I might be a complete and utter idiot for going back in after getting my head rocked, but part of me also doesn’t care either.
Getting rocked was humbling. The moment shook me more than any other individual moment I’ve had in sparring before — the perfect time to double down and keep my foot on the gas.
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Brave people do this
Part of the reason why I love practicing martial arts so much is that it’s a direct metaphor for life itself. Life will punch you hard sometimes, and you’ll often get shaken and need to take some time to gather yourself after.
There’s always the threat of being hit, and this causes inner tension.
In your day-to-day life, you are faced with countless little moments where this tension arises, and during these moments you always have a choice as to what you will do next.
- You lost an important client — Are you going to give up or keep going and find a new client?
- You fought with your partner — Are you going to give up or keep going and have a difficult conversation?
- You lost a lot of money — Are you going to give up or keep going and figure out a strategy to budget and get that money back?
Life knocked you down. Are you going to lie down or will you keep at it?
Be brave and keep on going.
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What if I feel fear?
The tension that you feel at any given moment can typically be traced back to fear.
- Fear of feeling insignificant and unwanted
- Fear of ending up lonely and desolate
- Fear of not being able to provide for yourself
These are all realities we have to contend with in our lives. It’s not easy. Tension, stress, and fear are never pleasant to experience, but they exist for a reason — they guide us in the right direction.
When you feel fear or tension, it’s probably a good idea for you to pay attention to it. Understand what’s at stake. What happens if you don’t attend to this situation?
You have to act! Make sure you proceed with caution and with discernment, but — Act!
Every time you show up in the face of adversity, you strengthen the courage muscle. The more often you practice courage, the easier it’ll be for you to do so again and again.
Spiritual teacher David Hawkins writes:
“Fear is overcome by walking directly into it until one breaks through to the joy that the fear is blocking. The joy that follows facing any spiritual fear comes from the discovery that it was merely an illusion without basis or reality.”
The choice is simple — take action or don’t. Stop looking for a perfect solution because there is none, but do something.
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It’s a choice
Every day you are faced with a litany of choices to make, most of which are quite mundane such as what will you wear today or what you will have for lunch.
But, as it relates to the overall trajectory of your life, you are faced with other daily choices that will determine your life path — such as choosing to go to training when you’re tired because you want to become a great martial artist.
Choosing to go to training when you don’t feel like it is hard at the moment, but that one little decision gives you so much.
- Better fitness
- More skills
- Mental toughness
- Greater levels of courage
It’s an act of bravery to do hard things. Give yourself credit every time you force yourself to stand in the face of fear, brush it off, and do what will build you into a stronger person.
Bravery is a choice. Weakness is also a choice.
Which do you choose?
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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