I’M OUT OF TOWN THIS WEEK SO PLEASE ENJOY THIS WEEK’S MIBE MESSAGE FROM FOOTERS SALES COORDINATOR, ERIN YOUNG!

I have never been someone who is particularly interested in boxing matches, and yet I have found myself in a boxing ring time and time again.

My opponent: Life. 

The one thing about this specific boxing ring that I have learned, is that at some point we have all been in it. We find ourselves facing things we never saw coming, in situations we never thought could happen. And I think we can all agree that sometimes the blows hurt. 

As I faced the blows of Life I found that I was asking the same question each time a new one would arise: how will I show up in the ring this time?

You see at first the answer was easy: I was going to be bitter and angry. These emotions were easy to access because they came directly from my body’s “fight or flight” response. And since the blows felt threatening, my first reaction was to fight back. Well, the more I showed up in that way the more bitter and angry I became, and as it turns out that doesn’t attract anything good. Needless to say, this way was not working.

New approach: I was going to show up entitled. I especially found myself slipping into this phase when I felt blindsided by blows, because (insert toddler throwing a tantrum) “I don’t deserve this”. Well shoot, this didn’t work either because entitlement led to disappointment, which brought me back to anger and bitterness and we all know how that turned out. So again, not working.

Alright, last try: This time was going to be different. This time I was going to surrender the bitterness, anger, and entitlement and replace it with trust, gratitude, and see it as an opportunity to learn and grow. And guess what… it worked! The blows became blessings and although it didn’t always mean there was no pain, they gave purpose to the pain. They taught me to be empathetic, lean in, offer help, and love harder. My connections with people became more authentic and I no longer saw Life as my opponent, and instead it became a friend.  

So to my friend, Life, thank you for all that you’ve taught me and will continue to teach. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is the way I want to show up.

So now I will ask you: how will you show up when Life puts you in the ring?