Are you willing?

Hello all, I hope this blog finds you well. I had a great Muay Thai camp last week and I'm really enjoying watching everybody progressing and growing as Nak Muay and  martial artists. It is very humbling and I am honored to be a part of their journeys as they are a part of mine. I wanted to speak on willingness and how it shapes you as a fighter also as a person.
          One of my students came and asked me, "How do you get inside on somebody taller with a longer reach?". I responded, "You have to be willing". It's a very simple concept that applies to everything we want in our lives. What are you willing to do? World championships, a better job, or getting inside on a longer fighter. It all lies in the hands of the person facing the challenge. Now I'm not saying that chance doesn't play a part in all things, but as the old adage goes, "Chance favors the prepared mind".
          Are you willing to sacrifice some sleep to study harder for a test, or stay late nights at work in pursuit of a higher position. A championship of any caliber in sports is a huge undertaking. In order to win one, you have to give a piece of yourself. Literally blood, sweat, and tears will fall as you chase your dream. Some people just aren't ready to sacrifice any part of themselves for any reason, they are content in being on the level they are on. "To each his own", but they might be missing the point of the game.

        I think people believe that the medal, higher paycheck, degree, etc. is the biggest prize of the process. However, this is not the case. Although, the prize is important as Floyd Mayweather so eloquently put it, "I'm a prizefighter, that's what I'm supposed to do, fight for a prize. Duh.." Well that may be true, but one thing you know for sure about Floyd, he has won plenty of prizes but there's one prize he's still after. Retiring undefeated as maybe the best ever. He gets it. See the real prize is yourself. It's looking back and saying I was willing to push myself to the limit and test the boundaries of what I thought was possible. I tested this body and mind and I now realize what many won't truly know and that is that the limits are boundless. We are indeed capable of greatness.
        Are you willing to sacrifice time, friends, the luxuries of life,

and yourself to truly find yourself? If you are not then, then you should be. The light at the end of the tunnel is not a train. It is evolution, elevation, and enlightenment. So cry through the pain, physical and emotional, believe when they doubt, and become your dream. It is all up to you. What are you willing to do?