The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. – Muhammad Ali
Fight, fight, fight, the crowd chant.
Reluctantly, you drag your feet to the ring. Standing mightily inside, with a hateful gaze, the opponent eagerly awaits his prey. As you carry yourself through the rope, he starts rushing at you.
A rain of fists.
Little did you know that the gong has long sounded. The battle has long started. Before you await your destiny in the cold room. Before you hit the gym. Even before you run the miles.
Unfortunately, there is no KO in this ring.
The only way to get out of it is when the gong is sounded for the second time.
A battle for glory. A battle for honor. A battle for love. A battle for happiness.
It is a battle against oneself.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. - Mohandas Gandhi
For Gandhi, “they” is the British Imperialism.
For many of us however, “they” is none other than ourselves.
First you ignore your feelings, then you question your abilities, then you fight against your own plans.
Misery, pain, loneliness, hopelessness, discomfort, dream, faith, love, dignity, courage.
This is the ring of life.
Sometimes we will fall. Sometimes we will wish to give up.
But just like the boxers that came before us, we will get back up, and we will endure, and we will fight back, and we shall be victorious.
The goal?
To be a warrior. To be someone we can be proud of. To be victorious.
Author’s Note: This is the first post in my 10 Personal Commandments series, inspired by Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project and Jeffrey Tang of The Art Of Great Things. In each post, I’ll share with you one of my personal commandments for living an awesome life.
Photo Credit: Polina Sergeva
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Fight… or how I call it, persistence. I think a lot of people stop fighting exactly at the point when results start showing. It’s usually hard for us to tolerate failure, social pressure, uncertainty. But if you stick in there long enough and learn from mistakes, then we come out victorious.
Eduard
Ideas With A Kick´s last blog ..Personal development readers vs. personal development doers
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True that Eduard. I find the same thing happened. To be honest, I’m guilty at times as well, especially when it comes to courtship. I hate spending too much effort in it and often give up when results start showing.
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Wow! Loved the post Nik – powerful and inspiring! Should be a great series, cannot wait for the next one.
Lana – DreamFollowers Blog´s last blog ..Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work
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Karlil Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 8:50 am
I’m glad you like the post Lana. I hope you find the music energizing. That’s my fight song.
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Great perspective! sooo true and great analogy!
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Thanks for the comment Sharlene.
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Great job! I believe this article spoke to the warrior within us all. Thanks so much.
Nea | Self Improvement Saga´s last blog ..Are You Journaling for Self Development Success or Failure?
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The pleasure is mine Nea. Thanks for the awesome comment.
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Hi Nik, great article. I have to say I don’t like your choice of photo for this post..
Steven Aitchison´s last blog ..The Art Of Writing Great Blog Posts
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Karlil Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Hi Steven. I was prepared for the fact that there’s blood in the picture, some people would find it inappropriate. But as I would like to suggest to the readers through the picture that life is very much a struggle, the picture fits perfectly with what I have in mind. Thanks for the comment Steven. I’m really glad you voice your opinion in regards to the picture. I always love feedback. Positive and negative alike.
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The article is very good, but, as Steven suggested, the photo implies defeat, not victory. Defeat is on the path to victory, I agree with that, but pointing it so boldly will overemphasize it.
Other than that, yes, I know how important victory is in life.
Dragos Roua´s last blog ..39 Things
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Hi Dragos. From the picture, the eyes of the person is very much alive. I wouldn’t say the picture implies defeat. I felt it implies struggle and having the will to win even though the circumstances are against him.
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Hey Karlil, I loved this post. On a related note I still have to be my fist competition in chinese kickboxing but I know what you mean when you say that the is won (or lost) far away from the ring.
Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..How to Beat the Fear of Change
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Karlil Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Hey Oscar. Glad you like the article. Good luck in the competition btw. You’re doing Sanda right?
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Hi Nik, that was succinct, moving and powerful. I really enjoyed it.
Miche´s last blog ..Accepting Suffering and A Call for Compassion
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I’m really glad to hear that Miche. Thanks for the wonderful comment.
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Hey Karlil,
Persistence is good. I love the saying “Little did you know that the gong has long sounded. The battle has long started. Before you await your destiny in the cold room. Before you hit the gym. Even before you run the miles.”
The fight is won or lost before entering the ring. I’m going to put that on my facebook status!
Amit Sodha – The Power Of Choice´s last blog ..How To Be Single And Enjoy Every Second
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Great post Karlil.
A good start to the your series of Ten Commandments. I liked the short sharp sentences and phrases. It kind of went will with the punchy topic.
Like Steve and Dragos above, I did not like the photograph. I have never liked of approved of boxing so that’s just me.
I never saw the sense or sport in 2 grown men hitting each other.
But as you say, our fight is not against anyone else but within us.
Arvind Devalia´s last blog ..How to Suffer Excruciating Pain and Live Again
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This is a very inspirational article Karlil. And the song fits perfectly with it. I’m really glad I came across your site.
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Krlil,
A very good post, which I think is open to several interpretations. For example, rather that the life as struggle, I was struck with the idea that in any undertaking, you need to be prepared. When you step into the ring– whether a literal boxing ring or “the ring of life” you need to be prepared. The outcome will be largely (maybe entirely) determined by how well prepared you are. That’s so true!
Madeleine´s last blog ..Who Says Old People Don’t Use Computers?
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Hey, Karlil, A thousand apologies. I made a typo on your name. So sorry.
Madeleine´s last blog ..Who Says Old People Don’t Use Computers?
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