Shadow Boxing is lonely and not very much fun. It teaches us to be better while we seemingly imagine our opponent encased in the boundaries of our own shadow as it is projected onto the wall in front of us. No matter how hard we work we cannot overcome, defeat, or outdo our own shadows. Of course, this is precisely the reason we do the shadow boxing. It causes us to reach deep to beat the beast in front of us.
The reality of our training motivates us to overcome the very things that drag at us and cause us to be less than we can be. Let’s start with Genetics. The first thing we face as men and women is that our body size and our shapes are all different. We are instantly intimidated because all of us sees our own body as less than perfect. Our body image throws us backward and tells us we cannot do what others do nor can we look as good as others. Self Image is paramount in our ability to believe we can be better. We have to beat the negative self image of who we are and what we look like. Next up is the fact that genetically we don’t all possess a standard amount of muscle, reflexes, and strength. We are all different but none of these things can/should hold us back unless we let them determine who we are and how far we can go. Overcoming these genetic markers is tough. Being too short doesn’t eliminate you from the battle. Only we can surrender the determination to use that we have and become the bestt here ever was.
Next up are the people we know or sometimes don’t know that do not want us to be the best. For some obscure reason there are people who just cannot stand to see somebody else excel and be the champion. They won’t do the work, they won’t spend some time imagining what it would be like to be a winner. So, rather than get into the game of life and excellence they spend their time dragging others down with their constant criticism, belittling, undermining, and downright denigration of true competitors in life. It’s best to defriend these naysayers. Three people in life you should never listen to: 1.) Close Friends. 2.) Relatives. 3.) and Knuckleheads. Bottom Line: Stay away from them and let them stew in their own juice.
Doubts are inevitable. Don’t listen to the negative voices inside you. An exercise I use when I prepping for a show is to go for long walks and try to focus on the feeling of exhilaration I will have on stage. Focus on the routine. Let the sound of the crowd fill your head as you do the music routine. Make this whole experience about you and winning. Doubts seem to go away as you imagine the great moments to come.
Excuses are a dime a dozen. When things are not going well—-blame something or somebody else. It feels good to shift the blame and reduce the effort. Excuses gives you an out. It says to yourself and the audience that you are really good but the path of least resistance must go through the land of “Excuses” in order to qualify for an easy path despite their being no reward. The lack of a trophy is explained away by the athlete as unfortunate but—-better luck next time!
Competition is the ultimate hurdle. It’s here that we decide what we are made. of. It’s in the heat of battle that we show the world what we can do. It demonstrates to the arena that we have worked, we have overcome many obstacles and we are ready to win.
On stage you project your personality, you demonstrate your skills, you demand to be paid attention to. Bring it on! Show me what you got so I can humiliate you and leap over you to collect the prize. You own the stage, the judges, your competitors, the trophy that you have come to collect. Competition has to be overcome. This is not the time to be humble. Each competitor you face is staring down the barrel of a person’s gun that is committed to the win.
Bottom Line: In order to win these basic obstacles must be faced and each must be brought under your control. Overcoming is the order of the day. Nothing else will do. Don’t listen to me…….Go do it!
Six Pack and Senior 