“Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” – Vince Lombardi

Everybody Quits…

No, this isn’t an REM-based pun; it’s a hard truth.

I quit.

One belt away from my black belt, I took some time away from training.

That’s right. I didn’t even make it to black belt before quitting.

Do I regret it?

Yes, hugely!

However, I’m here to tell you it’s normal to want to quit.

It’s going to be normal for your kids to want to quit.

It’s how we approach it that makes the difference.

My mum always meant well, but her “as long as you’re happy” approach has its flaws.

Eating to excess and doing little to no exercise may have ‘made me happy’ at one point, but being an overweight teen with zero social skills or interest in anything definitely didn’t.

I’ve hit many walls in my life and many in my training.

We all have moments when the wall didn’t beat us, so we should remind ourselves of those moments next time we hit another.

If you, or someone you care about, feels like quitting, weigh up what that actually means and how that plays out further down the line.

What we choose to do gets easier.

Tom ‘Move wall, get out the way!’ Beal

P.S. I’ve never met anyone who got their black belt and regretted it. Only adults who did martial arts as kids and wished their parents had kept them at it.

My head chef made this for the owner of the hotel we worked at..I would’ve given good money to see her face upon receiving it!