What My 95-Yr-Old Neighbor/Friend/Priest's Boxing Exploits Have to Do With Your Life Goals

I just compared notes about my former boxing days with my 95-yr-old neighbor/friend/priest (<----- never words I ever thought I'd string together), and I had an "aha" moment...

"Punch through the target, not at the target" is a truism of boxing...AND OF LIFE.

In boxing, we're taught to punch through a target for 2 reasons:

Psychology 101: If I told you to punch a board, you know it's going to hurt and you'll likely clench up and punch softer than you can because you fear the pain. If I tell you to punch 6 inches behind the board, it can alleviate your fear-based mindset.
Physics 101: If I touch you with my punch (snap back quickly) my arm does all the acceleration. If I punch you and do nothing about pulling back, you're doing all the acceleration for me. The best way to punch someone is to essentially do none of the work to stop your punch and instead let the target stop your fist for you.

This is the perfect life lesson. Life's always throwing us punches. It's time we punch back in ways that work through our fear and sustain our momentum.

So this week, consider a goal you're working towards and ask yourself, "What would it look and feel like if I applied the two-part boxing guideline to it?" Then experiment away!

Let me know what you come up with.

P.S. My 95-yr-old neighbor/friend/priest was an award-winning boxer...in case you were wondering. :)