"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." - Mike Tyson
Picture courtesy : Getty Images
Oh! the plans we had for 2020! Like on every January 1st, we made some resolutions, just a little grander this year, because you know 2020 sounds special. By March we were 60 days into our process to get to our planned goals and then baaaaam !! COVID-19 punched us in our face.
53-year-old Mike Tyson, once again caught the attention of sports fans around the world last week when he posted a short video of his speed & punching power. I must confess, since then I have been seeing that video first thing every day as soon as I wake up. There is something absolutely thrilling about it. Today, again he posted a video of his workout, hitting the pads in yet another display of the ferocious power with a caption “I AM BACK.”
Tyson, the youngest heavyweight champion of all time at the age of 20, won 50 of his 58 professional fights before retiring. Now at age of 53, for someone who hasn’t hit the mitts in nearly a decade, he appears to be a guy with the same speed and same power as a 20-year old Tyson! Probably that is what amused sports fans.
In boxing, many famous fighters came from the humblest, most dreadful situations. Boxing puts them in vulnerable and bone-crushing situations at times and boxers come armed with truckloads of courage and heart – a fact I have highlighted in my earlier blog The Cinderellas. Tyson through the highs & lows of his life has found himself on the ropes quite metaphorically in the ring and outside it. It is not a position you want to find yourself pinned to. His opponent – ‘his own lifestyle’ has relentlessly pinched him, racking up points.
But in real life, he hasn’t thrown in the towel yet and I am glad he hasn’t! He is making a come-back with more speed and more power, even if it is for charity.
Quite similar to our existential crisis now, COVID-19, our opponent seems to be actively winning the fight worldwide. As we move to Lockdown 4.0, it feels like round 4 in one of those boxing matches, pinned to the ropes. But we aren’t throwing in the towel or the mask, determined to fight until the bell rings. Like in boxing, here it is not just about beating the virus; it is about finishing the fight! After getting punched in our face (and wearing a mask), going offense on it.
Current Score:
COVID – 4, Humans – Fighting!
How we react to this adversity defines us, not the adversity itself!
Iron Mike is back, we will be back too!
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