What can you do with three minutes? Smoke one third of a cigarette. Tell your wife you are on the way home. Wait for the light to change. Change a diaper. Read a page in a book. Beat yourself into total exhaustion.
Guess which one I did.
A little while ago, I fought. I fought in a civilized way, with a professional referee and judges in a real ring. Two men, 16-ounce gloves, head gear. Three rounds— one-minute each. Three weeks ago I agreed to fight in a beginner amateur event. Total investment: 27 hours for three minutes in the ring … and it was worth every second.
Why did I, a 37-year-old entrepreneur/IT professional with a wife and three young kids, choose to do this? Did I fight because I was middle-aged? Did I have something to prove? Probably. Though I’d like to think it was because I had never done it, and it’s the last thing someone like me would ever do. That, and I always wanted to know if I could take or give a punch. Turns out I can do both.
What did I learn from this experience? I learned that I surprised (in a good way) most of the people who know me. I learned that I still flinch, and that I like to be the center of attention. I learned that the one thing worse than a broken nose and two black eyes is growing comfortable and no longer trying new adventures in work and life.
Did I dig deep? I sure did. The last minute of the fight was almost 100 percent digging. Turns out I dig deep all the time and never knew it. I dig deep to help my kids, when I search for the solution to a business problem I don’t think I can solve, when I have to be strong for my wife though I don’t feel strong. I dig deep every day.
The fight taught me that I don’t have the focus I’d like to have, and that it is a skill I need to improve. Also, I’m not committed all the time. I watch TV while playing with the kids and I let little issues distract me from my strategic goals at work. What does all that mean? It means I’m human, that I have things to work on and that I’m alive and doing the best I can at becoming more attached to the present.
A lot of people ask me: Was getting in that ring a good decision? Yes. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience— and I’ll never do it again. That was the plan going in, that is still the plan now. This experience was better than life changing, it was life reaffirming.
After three rounds in a ring, I’ve been reminded how life is about the people you choose, the plans you make and the actions you take to move forward. It’s about variety and change, and if I approach it correctly, I can live a very full and rewarding life.