I use the word ‘fighting’ often. Why? I think many things in life have to be overcome, and many of those things are in ourselves. Those things require gut-wrenching effort. They require you to fight. Merrimack-Webster defines fighting as ‘striving to overcome.’ Winston Churchill, the iconic British Prime Minister of England during World War II, often captured the essence of this striving in his addresses to the English people. Churchill boldly rallied the resolve of the people of England in the face of the Nazi attack with statements like, ‘We shall fight and we shall never surrender.’ Mike Tyson, slightly less iconic than Churchill, is often referenced when he said, 'Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.’
Suffice it to say, I think there is much striving to overcome in every person’s life. You better get comfortable with fighting if you want to make the most of wherever you find yourself. There are a lot of fights worth your time and energy. They are, in essence, good fights. I’ll let your heart and mind bring your specific ‘good fight’ to your attention. I want to encourage you to fight those good fights.
Here are five ways to fight the good fight in your life:
1. Fight your fights. Damon West, co-author of The Coffee Bean, spent time in prison. He says of that dark time, ‘You don’t have to win every fight in prison, but the key to surviving is fighting all of your fights.’ Teddy Roosevelt’s great poem, The Man in the Arena, calls out the individual's dignity, ‘who’s face is marred by dust and sweat, and blood…who has strived valiantly.’ Get into the center of the ring of your life and fight your fights.
2. Own the fights you lost - Legendary college basketball coach Dean Smith trained his teams to R.A.L.F. their mistakes. Recognize the mistake, admit the mistake, learn from the mistake, and forget the mistake. You are going to lose some fights. Will you RALF them?
3. Keep doing what won you some fights - The thrill of winning a good fight is quite a rush. It can be so exhilarating that we stop doing what won us the fight in the first place. Andy Stanley says, ‘Failure convinces us to grab the steering wheel of our life and yank. Success convinces us to take our hands off the wheel altogether. Both are a big mistake.’ Don’t take your hands off the wheel when winning good fights.
4. Fight about what matters - Knowing what is worth fighting for can be challenging. According to best-selling author and surgeon Atul Gawande, here are three ways to know what things are worth fighting for. 1) Does the outcome seriously impact you or the people you are responsible for? 2) Do other people that you trust and respect feel the same way as you do? 3) Is it worth fighting for after you have a good night’s sleep?
5. Don't fight about what doesn't matter - Your time and energy are precious. Spend them carefully. There are many fights that are not good to spend energy on. Gavin Ortlund, in his book, ‘Finding the Right Hills to Die On’ shares a story about a father’s reasoning for having his son take martial arts classes. ‘He’ll be able to defend himself against a bully. More importantly, he’ll carry himself so he’ll never get bullied.’
The apostle Paul of the Bible used fighting analogies often. Paul knew there were a lot of good fights people had to fight in life. Fight those fights. Own your losses, stay consistent in the winning behaviors, and know the difference between a bad fight and a good fight.
'I like a man who grins when he fights.' - Winston Churchill
Keep on, keepin’ on, friends!
Bite Down and Don’t Let Go is a collection of writings on being intentional about life in a way that produces great persistence. Read about it more here.
Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader with more than two decades of experience. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart, and they have three children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for inspirational thoughts and good laughs.
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