How My Boxing Coach Taught Me A Life Lesson I'll Never Forget
Profound life lessons can come in the most unexpected of ways. I had one of those moments while I was getting my ass kicked by my coach
Life lessons are transferable. I know that. However, I wouldn't have guessed that boxing would become the source of wisdom that it has for me.
I wouldn't have guessed that I would be boxing at all!
When my Dad heard what I was doing, he nearly choked on his cup of tea while proudly scoffing, "but you're a peacemaker!" And then laughing his head off.
Now, I must admit, if someone had told me a year ago that I would be boxing, I would have laughed too. If someone told me 5 years ago, I would have thought something had gone very wrong (I was very serious back then).
But I'm more lighthearted these days and I've found that punching things is rather cathartic after all. So, after feeling how good I feel afterward, I'm all in.
---
During one of my sessions, I was sparring with my boxing coach. But as I was getting tired I made the mistake of dropping my hands. My coach then quickly slapped me around the face to get my attention.
After he had stopped laughing, he fortunately had the compassion to share some of his boxing wisdom with me. I didn't think about its importance at the time, I was just listening with intent and trying to learn as much as I could. I then tried to apply it in the last few minutes we had remaining.
We then did our customary fist pump before saying thank you and goodbye.
It was only on the way home that I began to reflect upon what he said.
"There are no secrets here. You keep your elbows tucked in, your hands cover your face and when you're ready to punch you turn your leg, twist your hip and extend your shoulder. Then you return to your boxing stance.
You see, when I'm like this (he was demonstrating the proper boxing stance here), I fear nobody. Every punch that comes at me I can either block by dropping my elbow to protect my ribs or raise my hand up to protect my face. I am in complete control. There's nothing to fear. There are no secrets.
But you, you are open from all angles. You're sloppy and you'll get hurt because of it. What you need to do is to correct your boxing stance. Once you do, you'll be free to dance.
Always remember: If you think like a pro, you'll act like a pro."
Relating it to life
I'm a full-time writer but even now, showing up to write is often the hardest part. So, in order for me to do that, I need a system.
In boxing, it's mastering the correct boxing stance. This then allows each boxer to dance freely. In writing, it's all about creating a system that helps each writer write. This then allows each writer to dance their written dance.
When I first started writing I was like how I was that day with my coach: "…open from all angles…. sloppy…."
What I needed to do was to correct my system. After all, those who have a solid training schedule and those who have a system of support often succeed. Those who don't, often fail. And that's transferable across all sectors.
"What we think, we become" - Buddha
The big difference between writing and boxing is that if I'm sloppy on one day, I won't get punched in the face (thank God!) but it does show up in other ways. My views go down, my articles don't add value to my readers' lives, there's typically a lack of interest and worse, I sometimes even receive negative comments.
The feedback loop is slower but it's equally as painful.
But when I work hard within a system that I know works for me, on the other hand, and I show up day after day to write the best I can, I'm free to dance as I've never danced before. My views go up, my articles add value to people's' lives, I get a lot of interest in my work, I receive lovely comments, and my earnings quadruple. It's a win-win situation.
Now, the good news is there are only two systems:
- One that's geared up towards success.
- One that's geared up towards failure.
That's all there is to it really. Which one we choose ultimately determines our whole reality.
"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail" - Benjamin Franklin
So, that's what I took away from my boxing coach that day. And since then, I've transferred it into the rest of my life.
Now, I focus on preparing to succeed. I get in the proper boxing stance, so to speak, and I write within a system that supports me to write.
It took me way too long to realise that systems create freedom and not take it away. It took me even longer to honour it. However, once I did, my life, productivity, and earnings 10x'd.
I've been dancing ever since.
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Andy Murphy
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“The Man Who Never Missed a Day”
When I was 17, I met a man who delivered newspapers in the rain. Not in a casual, half-hearted way—but fully committed, every single morning. He would leave his house before sunrise, his coat soaked, shoes falling apart, and the wind cutting through him like a knife. Yet, despite the cold and wet, he smiled at everyone on his route. To a teenager like me, it was both confusing and inspiring. I remember the first time I saw him struggle with a bundle of papers that seemed almost too heavy for him. He slipped on the wet pavement, muttered something under his breath, and kept walking. When he reached the next house, he knocked on the door, handed over the paper, and smiled as the door closed. That smile was strange to me—it wasn’t pride or satisfaction, it was… calm. Almost peaceful. Curious, I approached him one morning. “Why don’t you take a day off when it’s so hard?” I asked, shivering in my hoodie as the rain soaked me through. He laughed, a deep, gravelly sound that didn’t sound annoyed, only knowing. “Son, nobody cares about today,” he said, shaking his head. “What matters is tomorrow. You build your life the same way: one small effort, every day, even when nobody notices.” At the time, I didn’t understand. My life felt urgent, like it had to explode with success immediately. I was chasing big ideas, jumping from project to project, leaving most half-finished. I thought motivation was everything—without the spark of inspiration, nothing mattered. The idea of showing up every single day, even when tired, even when bored, even when invisible, felt almost insane. I watched him for weeks. Rain or shine, he was there. I started noticing small details I hadn’t seen before—the careful folding of the papers, the way he adjusted his wet coat to protect the bundle, the extra minute he took to smile at a child running out to grab the paper. Every morning, the same ritual. Every morning, the same effort. And yet, nobody cheered. Nobody noticed. Years passed. I went to college, chasing my own “big dreams,” my own versions of instant success. I started businesses, abandoned them; learned new skills, stopped halfway; made promises to myself I couldn’t keep. I told myself I was working toward greatness, but mostly, I was chasing the idea of success, not the work itself. Motivation was my fuel, and when it ran out, I stopped moving. Meanwhile, the memory of that man stayed with me. The quiet diligence, the smile in the pouring rain. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he had already taught me the most important lesson: consistency matters more than talent, and persistence matters more than inspiration. Years later, I found myself struggling. A career path crumbled beneath me, a relationship ended badly, and my confidence had hit rock bottom. I remembered the man with the newspapers. I thought about how small, invisible efforts can be the hardest to trust—because results are not immediate, and recognition is not guaranteed. Yet, he had shown me that those small efforts accumulate, slowly but inevitably, into a life that cannot be ignored. I started experimenting with this principle myself. Every morning, I wrote 500 words for my stories—even when tired, even when uninspired. I practiced my skills quietly, without posting or sharing. I did the work not for applause, but because it mattered to the person I wanted to become. Some days, it felt like nothing was happening. Some days, I wanted to give up. But then I remembered the man with the newspapers, and I kept showing up. It didn’t take long before I started noticing changes. The words I wrote flowed better, ideas connected in ways they never had before. People began noticing my work. Small victories became more frequent, and my confidence started to rebuild. What had seemed like meaningless, invisible effort had quietly transformed my life. That man never became famous. He never went viral. He had no thousands of followers, no awards, no recognition. But every paper he delivered, every smile he shared, every step he took in the rain—it all mattered. Each day of consistent effort built a life he owned completely, a life he could be proud of. I realized then that success is not a moment. It is not a sudden flash of recognition or a single lucky opportunity. Success is the sum of the quiet, consistent decisions we make when no one is watching. It’s the choice to wake up when it’s easier to sleep. It’s the decision to work when it’s easier to scroll on your phone. It’s the effort we put in when the world doesn’t applaud. And the truth is simple: showing up every day is more powerful than talent, motivation, or luck. Talent fades. Motivation fluctuates. But showing up—every single day, rain or shine—creates results you cannot imagine. Just like the man in the rain, your efforts may not be recognized immediately. People may overlook them, circumstances may feel unfair, progress may seem invisible. But over time, the cumulative effect of your daily effort will speak for itself. One day, the world will notice. One day, your consistency will transform your life. So, start today. Don’t wait for motivation. Don’t wait for inspiration. Show up. Every day. One small effort. One action. One step at a time. Let your grind be louder than your excuses. Because the man who never missed a day wasn’t special. He was ordinary. But through persistence, he became unstoppable. And so can you.
By Ihtisham Ulhaq2 days ago in Motivation
Comments (1)
Your coach is a master. He gets to the bottom line immediately.