Decision Time 🥊🍯🍎

Hey Fighters!

Happy Jewish New Year -שנה טובה- to those who celebrate!

This week I bought a small shofar, or ram's horn, to participate in the tradition of blowing it to ring in the New Year. I figured, "how hard can it be? Just blow air through a horn."

Apparently, it's not that simple.

It took a week of research and practice to get even a subpar sound out of the horn. My struggle with the shofar got me thinking about things that look easy but are actually a result of years of practice—like boxing.

Many people think boxing is just "throwing punches." But what you see in the ring is a physical and mental science, the result of a lifetime of experience and repetition. As I wrote in my last post, it's all about understanding how your body works as a unit to deliver a flawless action.

In a world of instant results and overnight social media success, it's easy to forget that being good at something takes practice—lots of it. But this doesn't just apply to physical skills. It's also true for mental practices like making decisions, our morals, and our thoughts. In boxing, the rapid pace and intensity can easily overwhelm new fighters, leading to poor judgment and indecisiveness. The capacity to make split-second decisions is a skill earned through dedicated training and a calm, focused mind.

We often judge others for hasty choices they make, forgetting that they may not have been ready or prepared for that moment. Good decisions take practice. Whether you've caved on a diet, thrown the wrong punch while sparring, or been rude to someone moving too slowly, you know that making the best decision in the heat of the moment is a skill that must be honed.

Much of Rosh HaShanah is dedicated to inner reflection and personal assessment, focusing on the daily, purposeful choices you make. So, whether this is your new year or just the last week of September, remember that your choices take practice—and the choices that benefit you and others usually take the most practice of all. Practice making decisions, and remember that others may not be as skilled at making wise choices at the last minute.

My question for the week: what is the hardest decision you ever had to make?

Reply to this email or comment on the blog page for others to see.