He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat. Napoleon Bonaparte I used to attend and participate in martial arts tournaments pretty regularly. One tournament particularly stands out in my mind. I was preparing for a match. As I stretched, the other martial artists were also preparing for the action to begin. I noticed one guy as I was stretching and thought to myself, “I hope I don’t get drawn to fight this guy!” He was about 6’5’’ and appeared very fit and talented. He was very athletic and muscular, not just tall and lanky. When it was announced who we would fight in the first match, of course I was drawn to fight this guy. My mind immediately began to run wild and I allowed fear of defeat to enter my mind. In the match, he quickly made a punching bag out of me. Later, as I watched him fight in the other matches, I realized that I could have easily defeated this opponent. His skills were not even close to my own, but I allowed my undisciplined mind to defeat me. Fear can cloud your mind and interfere with rational thought. Fear can totally psyche you out. You must take control of your mind and not allow fear to cloud your judgment. Focus on what you want to happen, not on what you are afraid might happen. Be confident in your abilities and in your preparations. Think rationally and not emotionally. Know your abilities and have confidence in your skills.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 15:21:56 +0000