I like to watch movies that have fights in the ring, Here Comes the Boom, The Warrior, Karate Kid, etc. ( not that I'm into violence. I just like watching men fight? Haha no) oh of course Rocky series, and most of them have that almost the same message, believe in yourself, don't give up, no pain no gain. I only want to focus on one, and I find it useful, myself being a teenager, stepping into the harsh adulthood (yes I am still a teenager. Argue with me, and I'll show you how much of a kid I can be). I don't know what it's called in books, but I'll call it TKO principle. Hence, the title (thank you).
Ever watched a boxing match? Say a match has 5 three minute rounds, and you're up to the fourth round, after getting a whole lot of bottom beating (ass kicking, get it?). By that moment, when the bell rings indicating the start of round 4, your morale would have plummeted, because you've lost 3 rounds, right? With broken spirits, the odds of winning the match degrades from low to simply near zero. But fight on full spirit, facing the risk of another beat down, your chances of winning is higher than before. The numbers never check in zero when it comes to winning, because losing doesn't mean you've lost, and winning doesn't mean you've won, until the bell rings for the very last time.
Maybe, in that fourth round, with blood dripping from your forehead, eyes blue and black, you hit that one button, the knockout button in your foe. Suddenly he's on the floor, the audience fall to silence, the judges in awe, the bell rings and you WIN, after losing three rounds. You didn't see it coming, he didn't see it coming, no one did, but you fought on, and you won. Who's to say you can't?
Losing the rounds behind you tells you not to give up and march on, winning it tells you not to take into pride and over confident. Give up when you're losing, and you'll lose; over confident in the middle of the match, and life will prove you wrong. Some say winning fight after progressing from rounds of losses is a miracle, or luck. But know this, most of the things that happen to us have the odds of occurring less than a billionth, yet it happened. Meeting someone random by the streets and a year later you're housemates with them? it could happen. So stop trying to dig up miracles expecting to find a new colour beyond the spectrum, instead focus on what you have, and how that's a miracle for you. And have faith in God, that everything is for the best.
Failing a test today might be your first step to success,
Scoring it might not guarantee a bright future, given the wrong attitude.
We've read about Oprah, Walt Disney, Mark Zuckerberg, and how they were considered failures in their early stages. The message is clear, "I just might hit the knockout button this time around, if I don't, there's always the next round. The bell hasn't rang yet." And then there's the winning side, how not to take into pride. Remember Tom Anderson? Myspace? He used to be the talk of the town, and now a normal hip person wouldn't want to have a Myspace account. What happened? In general there was no sign of Myspace screwing up (not that I know of), suddenly there was Facebook, and it became the 'in thing', and everyone is over Myspace. Just like that. I'm not saying Tom was Mr Arrogant or anything, but that fame and glory could just disappear spontaneously. Know how to respond, and react. When you lose, and when you win.
I love this principle because it's quite applicable on almost any context;
school examinations,
family,
love life,
relationship with God.
Sean Covey wrote in his book 'The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make' on teenagers today .
"While your grandparents may have had to walk uphill to school in the snow, you have a different set of challenges to navigate: like media overload, party drugs, Internet porn, date rape, terrorism, global competition, depression, and heavy peer pressure."
We have it just as hard-- if not harder. Know that not falling to any of these 'obstacles' is already great success, and you are amazing. You are a fighter. You are a champion.
Respect to my brothers and sisters, who are still fighting their rounds in life, and to those who have gone over the bell. Despite not winning, they fought on. And for those who are in the losing end, I lay my hands out to you, we'll play tag team. There's not a point in winning, only to look back to your friends suffer the pain of losing, and you're helpless. I, am not winning my fight. But trying.
"If you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long"
Life shoved you down when you're about to take your first step as a toddler, and today you're running.
We were born incapable of speech, and some of us grew to become poets and singers.
A child, we are ever so fragile. Today we bend metal with our own flesh.
Our hands, so little, so short. Today we reach to the skies.
The power of will.
"It's not about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward" - Rocky.
"Verily, with the hardship, there is relief" -Surah al-Sharh, verse 5
The bell rings for the next round. Will you fight on?
-Hafidz Iddin
ps; for my brothers and sisters who are about to step into Universities, the book doesn't define what a WIN looks like anymore, unlike school. You decide what WINNING is. To some it's good grades, or finding the one true love, or to find himself, or to define life. Your choice, make it a big one.
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