Pace Yourself

Pace Yourself

Don’t go for the knockout right away. Boxers who go in for the knockout as soon as the bell rings usually end up knocking themselves out later in the fight. Why? Because they did not pace themselves correctly and consequently ran out of energy. Boxing is all about controlling your rhythm. And rhythm is all about timing.

Impatience causes us to miss out on our best efforts. We win the fight by building up our endurance for the journey.  Endurance plus courage keeps us in the fight to the final bell. Johnny Nguyen, the founder of Expert Boxing, said, “Being able to relax in stressful environments allows you to make smart decisions and benefit more out of the situation. Slow down and look around so you can absorb everything. If you’re always pushing yourself over the limit, you’ll end up making yourself quit, and this attitude will show in everything that you do. You are your own worst enemy.” Johnny’s advice stands true for our everyday lives, as well. It is like the old saying goes, “You get a chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”

If you want to have a sustainable level of success, you have to be patient. Things always take longer than you thought and are harder than you anticipated. Without the discipline of patience, you will give up and bail on your pursuit of success. Thinking you will be an overnight success is not reality. I once heard it said that anyone can become an overnight success after 20 years of hard work. 

Success is a daily process of pressing on even when it gets tough. Patience and endurance work together in this regard. Endurance is the ability to have patience, and patience is the ability to endure. Philosopher Thomas Carlyle said, “Endurance is patience concentrated.” Remember The Tortoise and the Hare: “Slow and steady wins the race.”

William Arthur Ward wrote these great words of advice:

Hang in there and never give up. Keep moving and throwing punch after punch.

Taken from my book 5 Ways To Get A Raise: Greater Influence = Greater Income