Reflective Writing ES1102

“Ding!” There goes the timer on the wall. Sweat is dripping down my face as I try to gasp as much air as I can to slow my heart rate down. I could feel pain in every ounce of muscles in my shoulders and legs from throwing different combinations with high intensity. Tell me again, why am I doing this almost every night? Well, meet my new “boyfriend” for the past one year. Boxing.

When i first started this sport, my only goal was to lose weight. I embarked on my boxing journey with no intention to fight and I was not particular in terms of techniques and execution of punches. However, after a painful first sparring session, my interest in fighting grew. 

26 more days to my amateur fight in Hong Kong and I cannot hide my excitement neither my fears. The mere thought of standing in a boxing ring gives me the chills, as though a live rock concert is going on in my stomach. Did I train enough? Will I let the people who believed in me down? What if I have a meltdown in the middle of the fight? However, I would somehow manage to snap those thoughts out of my head and go back to telling myself to be strong, confident and aggressive and half the battle is won. I guess I have never been so determined to do anything this insane and it is scaring the life out of me. 

On the good side, it gives me the discipline to eat healthy and train dirty to prepare me for the fight. Every training is painful, but as much as I love to whine, I need this pain. I need it to tell me that I am doing something right. I need it to tell me that I am going beyond what I was used to be doing. And I need it to tell me that at the end of the day, people who have been through hardship are champions. To be honest, the outcome of the fight does not really bother me. More importantly, I truly want to be the best version of myself in the ring and showcase sportsmanship on that day. 

There is a famous boxing quote by Joe Louis, “Everyone has a plan until they get hit”. And i believe it applies not only to boxing but also our daily lives, at least in mine. Most of us would plan to be successful in the future and always assume that our journey would be as smooth as a calming sea. However, for as long as I have experienced it, life is never fair and will never be perfect. At different phases of our lives, we are bound to get hit by heartaches and letdowns, but it is how we deal with the situation that matters. Similarly, in a fight, we never know where our opponent is going to attack but we learn to adapt quickly to these punches, anticipate these blows coming towards us and come up with another blueprint. Boxing also taught me to not let these hurdles get the better of me. Boxing is like a metaphor for life and everything I learned through it I try to apply to every area of my life and I am truly lucky to have found something I am passionate about.