Did you hear of the Jake Paul vs. Tyrone Woodley boxing match that happened last Saturday? If you enjoy combat sports, it’s most likely that you did. If not, here’s a brief background.
Jake Paul is a 24-year-old cocky YouTuber turned boxer with a 4-0 record over amateur boxers. On the other hand, Tyrone Woodley is an experienced martial artist and former Welterweight UFC champion.
When put in the same ring, you’d expect Tyrone to beat Jake’s a$$ like a Cherokee drum. With over 20 years of experience, a 39-year-old Tyrone is a combat beast, although in his waning years.
Everyone bet that Tyrone would knock out the kid within the first round. But guess what happened?
Jake won by split decision. An underdog went into the match with millions of people (including me) betting on his defeat but walked out victorious.
It took me by surprise. I learned a couple of good lessons from this event and felt compelled to share them with you.
- No amount of hatred, criticism, or disapproval from outside can bring down the mind and heart of a determined individual. People can say all they want, but if you really really want something, you’ll know how to ignore the noise and work to get it.
- You don’t have to be a master in a skill to be successful. The little experience you have is enough to get started and improve with time. Many people feel like they are not good enough to take action, be it writing, creating a YouTube channel, going pro in sports, etc. Just get started; you’ll figure things out as time goes by.
I hope these lessons inspire you to think better of yourself and forge forward.
Nonetheless, may the next opponent (to Jake) avenge the UFC and all combat fans.
Nice week ahead.