What were the most powerful moments of my professional fighting career?

The media praise? Winning at the highest level of the sport? Losing bad on live television with nowhere to hide? The grinding training sessions? Nope, none of these. While they were all powerful and growing experiences, they don’t top the list.
The most powerful moments of my career, and my life, were those few, lonely, soul-searching moments spent in the shower immediately following my fights; the moments that no one can see, or ever will. It was ME, The Man in the Arena. Each time, I was totally spent emotionally. Crying out of joy or heartbreak, all that weight was lifted from my shoulders. They were some of the most real, raw moments of my life. (Refer to the movie Southpaw with Jake Gyllenhaal for a good glimpse). In those moments, I was OK with carrying the weight of a victory or a defeat because I controlled my destiny. I live my life that way.
It takes some major cojones to be The Man in the Arena, and it doesn’t always work out well. But what it does give you is peace of mind, and that is priceless.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
Stay the course and remember that even the best fall down sometimes; they just keep getting back up.
– Spaniard
About the author : Charles Brenneman

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    Three days after the birth of his second child, The Spaniard discusses Fathership (a Spaniard term): his gratitude, his hopes, his plans, and how little he and his wife are sleeping. What does this mean for you? The tale involving Sheetz will make you think about the power of example. The discussion of summer camp and iffy acquaintances will help you watch for good and bad influences. The story in the hospital will alert you to opportunities to make simple, difficult decisions for growth. Whatever your relationship to parenting—past, present, future, never—there are thoughts here to help you put your arms around what matters most to you. Also: The three inspirations for the new baby’s name!

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It’s host versus co-host. The Spaniard finds competition essential while Dread questions that. The Spaniard gives a wrestler’s and fighter’s appreciation of flesh-and-blood opponents: how they have shaped him, how they have often obsessed him, and how he sometimes has to search for their equivalents. The conversation highlights how competitors personify high standards and how the highest performance might require a winner and a loser. Also: Will baby Rocky let The Spaniard work out?

It’s host versus co-host. The Spaniard finds competition essential while Dread questions that. The Spaniard gives a wrestler’s and fighter’s appreciation of flesh-and-blood opponents: how they have shaped him, how they have often obsessed him, and how he sometimes has to search for their equivalents. The conversation highlights how competitors personify high standards and how the highest performance might require a winner and a loser. Also: Will baby Rocky let The Spaniard work out?

It’s host versus co-host. The Spaniard finds competition essential while Dread questions that. The Spaniard gives a wrestler’s and fighter’s appreciation of flesh-and-blood opponents: how they have shaped him, how they have often obsessed him, and how he sometimes has to search for their equivalents. The conversation highlights how competitors personify high standards and how the highest performance might require a winner and a loser. Also: Will baby Rocky let The Spaniard work out?

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