Boxing, which many see as a violent sport about knocking the opponent out, has taught me many important ideologies that have aided me in also getting through difficulties in other aspects of my life. I didn’t join boxing in order to solve problems by punching them in the face. Boxing is about much more than punches.

How To Be Self Disciplined

I never went to the boxing gym because someone was forcing me. I went there and I was well aware that I was going to be exhausted and in pain. There were days when I wanted to give up. I did on occasion. That did not mean that I gave up though. I would make up for it by working twice as hard the next day because I knew that the satisfaction was not immediate. I had to look past the current struggle towards my end goal. A lot of boxing is about repetition like doing 100 jabs in a row or skipping rope 1000 times. It can be difficult and seem pointless at times, but at the end of it all, it was worth it. I now have a clearer voice in my head telling me to “keep going no matter what”.

Have Confidence In Yourself

Initially, I walked into the boxing ring for sparring sessions with excitement and fear. I felt like I was in an entirely different and claustrophobic world. I would pull up my arms to guard more often then I should have. Every time I swung my arms out to retaliate, I would get hit back. The issue was, I had fear in me. Fear is normal, but understand that once you lower that fear, your confidence will grow. Confidence grows. It sounds easy, but when I was told by my trainers to relax more because my guard was too tense it scared me. They wanted me to get out of my shell and move. Slowly I was becoming less tense and surprisingly got hit less. I was able to improve because I was more confident in my abilities and understood the rules of the world. Now overcoming my fears is what gives me the most excitement.

Here is a video on Muhammad Ali and how he demonstrates his over-the-top confidence:

I know this isn’t a boxing video, but I think this is a perfect display of why we need confidence.

Create Habits That Will Improve Your Life

A lot of boxing is about the reaction. Having your body respond automatically to a situation so your mind can concentrate on strategizing. Good habits are something I want to have more in my life. There are simple concepts to grasp when creating good habits. Practice and repetition. After practicing my footwork and 1-2 punches many many times, I am creating the muscle memory to do them with ease and without thinking. Often after a while of repetitive practice, it felt like doing the same motion was not helping. At these points, it is important to change it up. I started to vary the timing on my 1-2 punches, do a different combination of them and add feints in-between. The next time I attempt to create a good habit and find that I am unable to be motivated to practice or keep with the repetition, I’ll remember my time during boxing and how rewarding it felt to succeed.

Have A Competitive Attitude

It was easy to see others in my boxing gym and to see how they practised. When I shadowboxed, I would imagine what I would do against them and try to find a way to exploit their weak spots while trying not to expose mine. The competition allowed me to visualise my strengths and weaknesses more clearly. It also kept me motivated to address those vulnerabilities and reflect on why I had them. In order to gain an advantage over them, my efforts to win against them also lead to more creative thinking and a willingness to try new things. My mind was full of thoughts about strategy. What if I practice my footwork to be faster than them or what if I do more feints to get in range because my reach is short? Competition kept me inspired and helped me develop my abilities.

Have A Strong Appearance And Inspire Others

Just as it is important to have a good posture during an interview, you need to demonstrate your confidence. Appearance is your opponents’ first impression of you and that may be the difference in the fight that makes or breaks it. Your appearance will be the first thing the audience sees when you walk onstage. How do you want to be seen? I want to be seen as someone who believes in himself genuinely and honestly. I want to give others inspiration.