The last blow I had on my face was almost near the chin. It was a huge one, shaking my lower jaw and made two of my tooth to displace. As I fell down holding the boundary rope of the boxing ring, I was recollecting what everyone told me when I fell down last time in a similar way. I lost to the same opponent and yet again I could not fulfill my dream. I remember my dad head going down and my coach closing his eyes at the same moment last time. I could not bear my failure. This resulted in intense fatigue and I went unconscious.
As I got up, I see my wall clock striking 4:00 AM. With my Hoodie on I walked towards my practice vicinity. My dad wanted to see me as a great boxer in his every dream. I was reasonably successful getting to the top but always tumbled when it was the moment I should perform. I don’t know the reason to myself. Preoccupied with all these notions, I sat near the well, with the chin resting on my thumbs and fore head on the pointing fingers. I was distressed.
Thomas was always my dear friend, when I lost the match last time, he tried convincing me that I lost not out of my ability but out of some practical things what the other guy has. The other guy was James, a rich kid and very hard working person. Thomas and my dad always consoled me saying you should not worry for thing you can’t get, per say a sophisticated boxing gear, attending foreign training sessions.
I know I was not totally convinced with whatever they said, yet took the base on them to come out of it. Yet again I landed in the same situation. I am sure they both are going to tell me the same thing again. There was extreme silence in my mind, was telling I lost. All of a sudden I feel the warmth of a hand on my head, it was my coach Phillip. He sat beside with his hand over my shoulder. Perhaps, I was waiting for a such a moment to burst and I did. Phillip and I had put in lot of effort and yet we could not see the result. Controlling my tears, when I was about to make some words, Phillip started speaking.
“Rob, I got your problem this time. Last time when you lost I thought you have to improve your technique and you need more efficient training equipment to perform well. I was partially right then and now I think I am totally. The problem is not with what you are doing, it is with how you are doing.”
I replied, “Phillip, you are making me think…” I gave a niche in my breath and continued, ”Honestly, even before the start of the match I lost to James, if I think back I just get this to my mind. I felt the aura he has around him is making him win, and I am lacking it.”
Phillip replied, “My guess was right, as always why don’t we talk with a story… both of us believe in relative learning’s right ?”he said with a smile.
Phillip started speaking, “Once there was a balloon seller, he was selling balloons in front of a school. Kids normally come out after their school time and make this guy’s business. One kid was sitting at a bit away and was observing the balloons carefully. The balloon seller looking at this guy, missed a balloon from his hand, and the balloon started flying. He had no option to just leave it. suddenly the kid got up and went near the balloon seller and asked him, “Uncle, can this blue balloon fly like the red balloon which just flew ?” The balloon seller smiled and replied, “My dear, it’s not the color that matters, it is the matter in that that matters”.” Phillip stopped, he gave me few moments to think. In fact as I see myself, I am getting the essence of the story. He observed my body language I think and said “”yes that’s the way you need to take it..believe in yourself and trust your abilities, they will take you to places.”
He continued, ”When you get this concept right and do the right thing, then you are the person to be successful, in fact in your achievement you define success; This total theory leads and refers to self confidence.. and that is the key…”. Surely I was convinced.
He continued narrating, “Further more, it is really important to make best use of what you have. With that everything else will fall in place." I will tell you a story, make the best sense out of it you can.
"Once a traveler was on his journey across hill stations on his car. In the course of travelling there was some malfunctioning in the car and the car stopped as if something is not letting it move. Though this guy verified that everything is fine, he was not sure why the car was not moving. He asked the help of a stone breaker who was walking nearby. The guy looked at the car, observed it and said, “I will make your car run, but I will charge.” The tourist asked what will you use, you don’t have any instruments. The stone breaker showed his hammer. After thinking for a while the tourist had to agree for whatever cost the stone breaker charges to repair the car having believed that, he will use a hammer to repair the car. The stone breaker choose a spot on the car and gave a big blow with his hammer and said, it will work fine now; surprisingly it was running; The tourist said how much I need to pay you now, the guy replied 100 bucks. Tourist was surprised, 100 bucks for a single hammer shot ?, the stone breaker replied “No Sir, 5 bucks for the hammer shot and 95 bucks for choosing the place to give the shot. ”
After saying this line Phillip got up and said, I will leave the interpretation to you, and what everyone wants is, you coming out with flying colors. Think about the story and make your mind. Before it’s too sunny hit the bed and take rest. Phillips left. As I was thinking about the story, though I felt repairing a car with a hammer shot doesn't seem practical, I was inspired by the confidence of the stone breaker. He made the best use of whatever he had and raised his ability to do the magic. In fact, the ask from Phillip for me was to have the confidence what stone breaker had.
I got up pulled my Hoodie cap on to my head and with hands in the pocket, started walking towards my bed room. My father’s bed is adjacent to me always, he has big poster of mine stick in front of it, me giving a powerful punch being the pose. I looked at my father, and I told him through my heart, “I will do it”, turned towards my poster and with a marker I wrote on it, “You can do it…”
