No Pain, No Gain
Boxing has been a big part of my life. I learned to take hits and to trust that I can get back up. Surprisingly, it wasn’t where I learned a deeply-held belief that steered much of my early life.
NO PAIN, NO GAIN. This belief looked like this:
Allowing others to ignore my needs in order to be welcomed
Taking verbal abuse and microaggressions in order to be seen as loyal
Regularly doing more than others in order to be seen as committed
Taking pride in battle scars in order to be seen as capable
Rarely was my commitment and loyalty reciprocated. Nor were my efforts rewarded. My welcoming was conditional because I would get cast out once I made a minor mistake while others would go on for the same flaw.
I allowed these punches to keep knocking me down for a long time. Like a fish in water, I didn't realize I surrounded myself with this pain.
“I couldn’t see that I shifted from being a bright, confident human to someone quiet, inoffensive, and second-guessed with every breath.”
Boxing gave me the resilience to stand up to the pain but it was coaching that gave me access to thrive with it.
It took courage to see that a belief that propped up my pride was also the same thing policing me. It was only then I could realized that learning life lessons didn't always have to feel like a dogfight and that I didn't have to take every punch that came my way. That my story has more to offer than my suffering. It can become a story that is filled with joy, ease, and belonging.
💬 SO I WANT TO ASK YOU
Do you know what you are fighting for?
Not sure where to start? Let’s figure it out together.
