Your Toughest Opponent is Always Going to be You

I finally got around to seeing the movie “Creed” this weekend. For those of you that haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. It’s essentially a spinoff of Rocky focusing on a son of Apollo Creed, hence the title. I have felt that this movie, and the previous one, have had some great parts that explain struggles in life, including one part in this movie that I found I very much enjoyed.

To set the scene, Rocky and Adonis are training, when Rocky says to Adonis, “Come here I want to show you something”. They proceed to walk over to a large mirror on the wall. Rocky points to Adonis’s reflection in the mirror and says, “You see this guy here? That’s the toughest opponent you’re ever going to have to face. I believe that’s true in the ring, and I think that’s true in life”. He follows that up by saying, “Now show me something”, as Adonis jabs into the mirror. Rocky then says, “Now, I want you to notice something, every time you throw a punch, he throws one right back at you”.

I just thought this was a great example of how to approach life. Your biggest opponent is always going to be you. Only YOU can decide how hard you work for something. Only YOU can decide if something’s worth it. Only YOU can decide whether or not someone else beats you to the punch because you weren’t quick enough.

Dealing with the second part of that quote, you also have to be prepared for and accept the fallout of your actions. When you make a decision, you have to be prepared that the decision might come back to punch you in the face, in a matter of speaking. It’s just another way of saying, bad or good, awful or great, you are in control of your life and what comes your way. The punches you take are often ones you could have avoided. In some cases, it’s because you threw it yourself and it comes back around. So just remember – the only person who can truly control your life is you. So make it a good one.

Make it Happen,
-Coach Adam