The blood, sweat, and tears have all paid their dividends; it’s just you and your opponent. You’ve trained for years upon years; waiting, hoping, praying that when the time comes you’ll be ready to dominate and be victorious. But when that time had come, you have slowly lost it; the desire is no more. Your will that helped you guide you through the struggle has shattered. The many hours and days you invested within yourself fades away, as all you see now is the glory and fame, nothing else. Your vision clouded, your thoughts irrationally jumbled, and your confidence turned to arrogance, you enter the ring ready to claim your title, ready to claim what you think is rightfully yours…
Yet across that ring lies another, another who has worked his way to meet you on this grand stage; to challenge you in your goal for victory. Like you, he has shed countless ounces of blood, sweat, tears, hours, days, and time. You look at the “new kid on the block” and you convince yourself that he is nothing but a joke, a mere trivial obstacle that stands in your way, a young man who can do NOTHING to you. You feel indestructible and cocky as you enter and the initiating of the bell takes place; one step closer to the title. The battle within the ring rages on when alas, you are rendered defeated in both shock and awe upon the loss.
You wonder “How is this possible!?!?!?! How could I have been defeated!?!?!”…….I’ll tell you how…
While the road was the same between the two it was but many things that had given the young man the edge against the savvy veteran. While you boasted; he trained, while you gloated; he stayed inspired, while you bragged; he stayed humble, and when you assumed victory; he never underestimated his opponent.
In the end, no visions of glory or title motivated the young man; it was his incorruptible desire that helped him come out on top. And after the smoke cleared, and the young man’s passion was fruitfully rewarded, the message he spoke after the grueling match in respect to his opponent echoed throughout the audience and throughout the world:
~ If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
