With the end of the year upon us, I see many people struggling in one way or another. There are untold countless others who suffer silently. Good news - it will get better. Good days are ahead. For some, they're right around the corner. For others they're further away, but still on they're way. It won't be easy. You'll have to fight. But that's ok.
Life is a fight. Fights are always tough, grueling, and full of personal trials. I train a few styles of combat focused martial arts. The number one rule is to keep your hands up; to protect yourself. Yet we all still manage to get punched in the face at some point. How?
In sparring, getting punched in the face really gets your attention in a way nothing else quite can. Sometimes the opponent is just better/more experienced and there was nothing you could do. Other times its because without even realizing it you dropped your defenses ever so slightly. When you get tired, complacent, overconfident, or comfortable - you drop your hands without even realizing it; till its too late. Most importantly - if you get knocked down, you get back up. Maybe it takes a second or two to shake the cobwebs, but you get back up.
Same with life. Bad things happen. You'll take punches. Sometimes it's beyond your control. Other times it was because you dropped off a bit without realizing. You WILL get knocked down. But you must get back up. After all, even the greatest fighters get knocked down. Muhammad Ali said there wasn't anything wrong with getting knocked down; but staying down was wrong. There's a Japanese proverb that says essentially: fall seven times, then get up eight.
So if 2018 punched you in the face or knocked you down: know that better days are ahead. Reassess your situations. Learn from the mistakes. Sharpen your focus. And always, ALWAYS - get back up. 2019 has great things in store.
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