You have what it takes to be a professional fighter. But it might not be the way you think.
Your most vicious opponent is an unfulfilled life.
“I never made fighting my profession, but I’m a professional fighter.
Fighting is a way of life.
You have to know what you deserve and fight for it.
The strength, character, and grit required for greatness are developed and shaped throughout the journey. The pressure makes the diamond.
Fight for the life you want now, or fight against the life that you do not want later. Choose your opponent.”
Those are the introduction lines from my book, NVR SETTLE. And it’s dropping next week!
Anyways, here’s the problem: most people don’t know where to go in life, and by the time they start figuring it out, they’ve been sucked into the rat race.
The grind and responsibilities wear them down until they feel like it’s too late to change anything. They go through life feeling aimless, tired, and broken. Beaten to submission and forced to conform.
The reason why most people never fight for what they deserve is because they are tired of fighting just to make it through the day.
Sometimes, reality feels exhausting.
The spark in life that we used to have is extinguished over time. We’ve been told to believe that a fulfilling life is only for a select few.
The 9 to 5 jobs and daily responsibilities can make you feel powerless to achieve greater things.
The relentless pace can beat you down until you feel hopeless of ever achieving more because you just don’t see a way out…
There is a way.
But it’s not a quick fix.
It’s not a get rich quick scheme that ultimately leads to disappointment. It’s a lifelong process. But the rewards of this way are greater than you could ever imagine.
It’s a shift in perspective.
You’ve got to embrace the journey and choose to fight.
“Fight for the life you want now, or fight against the life that you do not want later. Choose your opponent.”
From Nothing, To Something, To Everything.I’ve been there: stuck, tired, disappointed, and dissatisfied. You might be like that. I’ve been let down more times than I could count. But one of the greatest things God gifted me with is perseverance. I never settle. I always fight.
I made fighting my profession by going to the school of hard knocks. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned in stride.
More times than not in my life, when it has come to my pursuits, I haven’t had a guide.
I believe in only taking advice from someone when they’re more successful than you in the area that you’re looking to improve. In most of the areas that I’ve looked to improve in my life, I haven’t even known anybody that could help.
You might not personally know anyone that could help you with your specific goals, but you’ve got to find a way to go out and take what’s yours. Somehow, there’s always a way.
I’ve spent so much time listening to internet content and reading books. And for many of my life lessons, I learned through trial and error… I learned by doing.
There was a point in time when I had a pivotal revelation.
I had been fighting for so long:
-fighting to change my life financially
-fighting against negative mindsets and influences
-pushing myself every day to improve as a man, as a husband, and as a daddy
-striving to improve my family's lifestyle
-refusing to compromise on those important responsibilities
-and fighting for my dreams of a career outside of my day job.
I used to force myself to wake up at 3 in the morning, every morning, just so I’d have some time to focus on my goals before the day of work began. That way, I’d get to put the work in for my goals, still take care of my daily responsibilities, and never sacrifice my family time.
I worked out, wrote, recorded, and mixed music, sent emails, read my Bible, read some form of improvement content, and prayed. Everyday. I did all that before leaving for work at 6:45 a.m.
And that’s just one small example of the way I’ve fought for greater things. It’s been a way of life for me for some time now.
I understand what it’s like to fight. I understand what it’s like to feel like you’re backed into a corner.
I had to make time when there seemed to be no time. And then, as I was really making progress with my goals outside of my day job, I had to take a step back from it all to focus on my finances- it was either that, or live a life that I refused to live, having very little, with a wife and kids.
To me, my family deserves a good, stable home with a reliable income, so dreams and goals are always secondary to them. I would always commit to my family first. I did then, and I do now.
I worked hard and eventually got my family into a good space financially again. That’s when I decided it was time to shift my focus and begin to think about my purpose of helping others.
After all that, that’s when the revelation really made itself clear to me. This time, I realized that my continuous fight for more, with both the ups and the downs, had equipped me for “such a time as this.”
I began to appreciate the fight- and appreciate the journey.
I realized that the discipline, character, and grit that I gained from the fight would have never developed in my life if I had never taken a fight of some form in the first place.
In other words, I’m grateful to be where I am. And I wouldn’t be able to be where I am today, if I had never gone where I had before.
I see now that when I was tired, I was building endurance. When I worked while the rest of the world was sleeping, I was qualifying myself for future successes. I see now that when I was disappointed because it didn’t come as fast as I wanted, things were actually shifting in my favor, opening doors that would bring deeper purpose and meaning to my life.
I see that every piece of the journey sharpened me and increased my capacity for greater things.
Now, I appreciate the journey.
And I stay ready to fight for what’s mine.
The depth of the journey cannot be overstated.
Your potential is worth the fight.
I used to fight for fulfillment.
Now, I fight from fulfillment.
And trust me, having fought in every way possible, this path—embracing the journey and living with conscious intention—is definitely the most peaceful way to strive for greatness. Every day is an opportunity.
The Way To Get It Right
I’ve always been a fan of combat sports. I can relate to the fighters. Their fight against an opponent is a micro reflection of the fight to get what you deserve in life.
Regardless of what you’ve been told or what you currently believe, you have what it takes to achieve the things that you believe you deserve. You cannot truly understand your capabilities until you push yourself to the limit. Find something worth fighting for and never compromise on it. When you really embrace life as a journey of intention- a continuous flow of lessons that ultimately lead to your benefit, you’ll see your life unfold in a positive way.
The secret to achieving greater things in life is not by avoiding the fight- it’s in embracing it. You’ve got to recognize that everyday provides a new opportunity to fight for the life that you envision. The pressure will not break you. It will build you up.
- Identify The Opponent: Understand that you are not a victim. Understand that your boss is not the enemy. The alarm clock is not the enemy. Your supposed “lack of time” is not the enemy. Your true opponent is the narrative in your own mind that says you’re not capable of achieving more. It’s against complacency. Do what you can. If you must force, don’t force for too long. That only leads to frustration. Love the process. Fight that fight.
- Always Train: Learn to cultivate discipline in all areas of your life. You do that by prioritizing positive things in your life like healthy eating, sleeping habits, fitness, reading, etc. Actively remain conscious of your thoughts by stopping the negative thoughts at the door of your mind and feeding the positive ones. Accept new challenges.
- Adopt A Fighter’s Mindset: See every situation in life, regardless of the outcome, as an opportunity to learn and grow.
If you don’t know what your biggest dreams are, that’s fine. Start somewhere. I’m sure there’s something you’d like to happen now.
You’re not powerless. Everybody gets tired. When you’re truly passionate about something, it’ll add energy to your life. It’ll keep you up later and wake you up earlier.
That’s why you hear fighters talking about hoping to get a fight with an opponent that will excite them. They’re excited to see what they’re capable of. They are human. Just like you. You do have what it takes.
Push yourself. You have the capacity for greatness.
You’ll develop discipline, strength, wisdom, and character.
After each small fight, you’ll have grown that much stronger, with that much more wisdom, equipping you for the next fight. And the next fight, the next goal, will be even bigger than the last.
Your dream life is not as far away as it seems. But it will require a different version of yourself. The small fights along the way shape your identity until you become the type of person that is able to live out your greatest vision.
Start today by taking a small fight, setting a small goal. Hold yourself to it until you see it done. You’ll build confidence with each small thing achieved. Then you’ll be able to go further next time.
One thing is for sure: if you never start moving, you’ll never get to a different place.
Your Next Move: Take Control.
Make fighting your profession.
Embrace the journey.
In the end, some of your greatest victories will be won over your doubts, fears, and limitations that have held you back before. You gotta fight for the life that you deserve and take your place.
Remember: in the heart of a fighter, there is no room for excuses or defeat. Every part of the journey, regardless of the outcome, makes you better in some way.
My purpose is to make the most of life and help others do the same. That’s why I do this every week!
Thank you so much for being here.
My book, NVR SETTLE, comes out in one week! Like I’ve said before, this has been a part of my vision my whole life so I can’t even explain how happy I am to put this book out and help some people.
Subscribe to the newsletter on my website where I write things like this every week. Subscribe to the YouTube channel for some weekly motivation, encouragement, strategies, and stories.
And find me on my socials @zachbanes where I’m putting out all types of good content.
I hope that I’m able to help you in your life in some way!
If you wanna find out a little more about The Journey specifically, next week I'll have some free stuff on my website dedicated just to The Journey. That’ll be coming out next Thursday too.
And then, there’s a whole chapter about the Journey in my book NVR SETTLE.
I appreciate you and I believe the best for you!
Until next week.
I’m your friend. I’m your brother. It’s ya boy,
Zach Banes