Fighting isn’t just fighting in boxing, muay thai, MMA or any martial art. Meaning, it’s not merely throwing out punches or practicing your defense. There is so much more depth and meaning to these sports & arts. It goes beyond the physical and seeps its way into your daily life. It helps you grow not only in strength, power, and speed, but in your confidence, productivity, mental toughness, and overall self-development.
To become the best you can be, both as a contender and in your everyday life, you need to find your fight mentality. Your fight mentality is the reason you do what you do. It’s the reason for training in the studio every day. It’s the reason why you get up and go to work. It’s the reason you sacrifice your comfort to make things happen. Ultimately, it’s your why.
Developing a good, solid fighting mentality is what is going to keep you going, even when times get tough. Here’s how you can dig deep and develop your personal fight mentality.
Your Why is Powerful
The most powerful force in your reaching your goals, big and small, is your why. In fact, your motivation is the only aspect of athleticism that you have control over. You have three factors affecting your athletic performance:
- Your natural-born ability
- External factors, such as weather, atmosphere, or the competition’s ability
- Your motivation
You can’t control your natural talent, it’s what you were born with. External factors are rarely in our control. Your motivation, however, is something you can develop and control. You can undoubtedly improve your natural-born ability by putting in hard work and dedication, but that stems from your motivation— your why.This is true in all areas of life. You can’t always control what happens to you, or what abilities you have, but you can find your motivation for changing those things to the best of your ability.
What Are You Fighting For?
How many inspirational stories come from those who’ve witnessed the severest of circumstances? Take boxer Daniel Jacobs’s situation, for instance. A middleweight prospect, Danny’s career was almost cut short with a diagnosis of osteosarcoma, a form of spinal cancer. After undergoing successful surgery, he was told he would likely never walk normally again, never mind return to the arts.
But, he had a fighting spirit burning within. After a rigorous 6-month rehabilitation period, Danny Jacobs returned with a first-round knockout victory over Josh Luteran and went on to continue succeeding.
Unfortunately, not everyone will overcome the odds, but success is relative. It’s not the win that is highlighted in this story. It’s Danny’s burning desire to return to the life he loved. It’s his relentless fight and never-give-up mentality that inspires thousands. He could have easily given up with the news from his doctors. But he didn’t. He changed his circumstances and his ability by continuing to fight, both literally and figuratively.
What Is Your Fighting Mentality?
Your fight mentality directly impacts how successful you will be at reaching your goals. If you have no reason to fight, you’re not going get in that ring. And yes, this trickles down into all aspects of your life. Everything you do every day is motivated by your why. You get out of bed and go to work to earn a paycheck and support your family. You invest time and money into continuing your education to open up more career doors. You get into the studio and sweat your tail off to achieve the goals you set for yourself. Developing your fight mentality is what makes the struggle worth it.
What is your why? What is the reason you step into the studio every day? You may be fighting for a healthier life so you can be around longer. Perhaps you love the mental aspect of boxing, and your fighting to become unstoppable in all areas of your life. Whatever it is that ignites the flame within you, that needs to be at the forefront of your mind every time you step into the studio. Fight intentionally, and know what you are fighting for; that’s how you will develop the consistency to reach your goals.
Ask yourself these questions as you look in the mirror:
- Are you really going to fight for something today?
- Can you get in your fight mentality and keep yourself going?
- What is it that you desire?
- What do you believe is worth fighting for today, tomorrow, and so on?
Isn’t it so much easier to lie to yourself in that mirror? It is so much easier to not chase your dreams and desires—so why should you make the effort to take action and make a change? Sometimes, when things get difficult, you may need the extra inspiration to push yourself harder and fight for something beyond your own thoughts, emotions, and ideas.
Benefits of a Fight Mentality
Having a fighting mentality can benefit you in so many ways. Here are the benefits of developing a fighting mentality.
Resiliency
Having a fighting mentality means you can bounce back from mishaps. It’s OK to have your moment, to feel your emotions. But a fighting mentality will help you get back on your feet and continue going. Your motivation and why are so strong that you refuse to let negativity hold you back. Resiliency is an incredibly important skill to develop. Life will always have its catastrophes. Resilient people are better equipped to handle those adversities and rebuild their lives.
Confidence
Whether it’s the tenacity you need to make a win in the ring or the self-belief to kill it at a job interview, confidence is a skill that will serve you well in life. A fighting attitude means you have the courage to take risks and the self-belief to work towards your dreams, no matter how big they seem.
People won’t always believe in your power, not because they want bad for you, but because they don’t want to see you get hurt. But a fighter knows their own capabilities and doesn’t let the fear of others keep them from reaching their goals.
Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is arguably one of the most important characteristics one can have. Although a growth mindset includes both confidence and resilience, it goes a bit beyond. A growth mindset isn’t about achieving your goals or reaching society’s standards of success. Instead, it’s about moving through life with the lense of a student.
Someone who has a growth mindset learns from every experience, good and bad. They don’t stop at one success but continue to reach for more. They consider failure a win because they learn lessons from that setback and apply them going forward. They use their strengths and weaknesses to propel them forward in everything they do.
Someone with a fighting mentality is not just fighting for success, but fighting to be the best person they can. Isn’t that what life is about?
