Three years ago, on September 24, 2013, my wife gave birth to our daughter Gracie. We enjoyed watching Kelly and Michael every morning (I had just won a title fight and was able to lay low for a month or so) while tending to her newborn needs. On Sunday, my son was born, and today as I’m writing this, he (Rocky) is sitting right in front of me, my wife is to my side and Kelly is on TV. Ahhh yes, life is good!

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting these past few days since Rocky was born. I started thinking about my newest project, A Fighter’s Mindset – The Spaniard Podcast, and how it relates to my kids. On a grand scale, it’s a record of my thoughts and philosophies they will have forever, to pass on to their own children.

Specifically, in reflecting upon the AFM principles, many things came to mind, but I wanted to outline just a few that may help you in your own everyday challenges (I’ve made a few notes to add some texture and make them more relatable).

Below are a few AFM principles I am/will instill in little Rocky and his sister Gracie:

  • Self-Confidence – To live their values and make the right choices at difficult times. To stick up for the little guy, the people who don’t have the confidence to stick up for themselves.
    • Notes – Surround yourself with like-minded people. Disconnect from negativity. Hone your daily habits. Embrace failure as experience.
  • Humility – To do good, be good and not say one word about it to others because being good is the right thing to do.
    • Notes – My dad told me at a young age, “Don’t go around telling people how good you are, let them tell you.”
  • Mental Toughness – To keep on keeping on.
    • Notes – “You get tough by doing tough things.” Develop the discipline to do tough things by searching for miscellaneous opportunities daily to make the tough choice (one less soda today, take the steps vs. elevator, wake up ten minutes earlier, etc).

It’d be impossible to bulletize every AFM principle I am instilling in my little ones, but I am confident you can take these three examples and implement them into your own lives to help you in some way.

A while back I did an interview, and to a random question, I responded, “Life is not fair, fighting is not fair, good people do not always win, but NEVER shy away from doing what’s right. Maintain your integrity through it all.”

Gracie, Rocky, listen up!

Spaniard