Too many people try to control everything in their lives. While it’s responsible to do the best you can, it is impossible to have complete control. Attempting to control everything only brings stress, and misery… and these might even make you feel like what you’re doing in life is futile.
There are a lot of factors beyond us. We cannot control the minds of others, make them do what we want, Nor can we change the outcome of a past situation.
Muay Thai is a journey filled with ups and downs – some days you’ll feel on top of the world, landing perfect strikes and executing techniques flawlessly. On other days, you’ll feel defeated, frustrated, and like you’re not making progress at all. But the key to success in Muay Thai, no matter what your goals are, is to trust the process and allow things to fall into place.
Often, people want to control everything because they know life is not perfect. Life is not perfect, shit happens, so they attempt to bring order to the only thing they think they can control – their own lives.
But they’re wrong.
You can control what you do. You can control what you say. You can control your actions that help you grow as a human being. True, you cannot control what is out of your realm of authority. Life is affected by a multitude of things. Nothing is ever so black and white that one can be 100% certain of “If I do A, then B will happen.” Life is not predictable like a swinging pendulum; even pendulums are at the mercy of gravity and fingers that try to alter their movements.
In training and preparing for a fight, some people fall into this same trap, the illusion of needing to obsessively (usually subconsciously) control. Overthinking takes the happiness out, and if you’re not doing Muay Thai because you love it and it makes you happy, why else are you doing it? To do this sport for any other reason than love is pure madness.
So, what does it mean to trust the process? It means having faith in the journey and the steps you’re taking to reach your goals. It means understanding that progress takes time and that setbacks and failures are all part of the learning process.
Let go. Only worry about putting in your best effort. Make mistakes. Put trust in others. Allow yourself to progress not just in the sport but also as a person. Sometimes, doing a bit less can help you achieve so much more.
It’s okay to feel like you’re not okay, to be sad or anxious, or angry. These are things that make you human, and not acknowledging this is doing yourself a huge disservice. Feel how you feel, acknowledge it, and choose how to deal with it. Remember the only thing you can control are your actions and your mentality, and when life throws something at you, do your best to get through it.
Sometimes you need to go with the tide and see where it takes you. If you’re happy, stay there. If you’re not, then find a way out.
If you want an in-depth guide to training in Thailand, I’ve got just the thing.
