It pains me to reflect on Ronda Rousey's first ever knockout. I literally felt nauseous as I watched Holly Holm have her way with her. I have never in my life felt that dedicated to an athlete or person of celebrity status. When I was first introduced to this woman, I had an instant girl crush! I actually wanted to be her! And again, that has never happened to me before. My biggest takeaway from Ronda's many mantras is that even on our worst day ever, we still need to be better than second best. And for the first time in her career, she wasn't better than second best. This was her epic fail and now the whole world is watching.
Too Comfortable Too Soon?
Within the last year, fame has hit Ronda hard and fast. She is in the spotlight and can send any message she desires. She is very comfortable speaking her mind and has been controversial with this freedom. One of her messages is #DNB. Ronda conveys she is not a "do nothing bitch". In this message she encourages girls to go after goals that don't include "sucking di#% to become famous...needless to say she's turned many heads and people are paying attention. In her defense, she had a good point which is to take positive action with your life :) But had she gotten too comfortable with her shock-value approach? Did she get too proud, too loud, too soon?
I cannot and will not be the judge if I think she deserved to lose or if the hype about her wasn't all it was cracked up to be...but what I WILL judge is what decision she'll make following her fall and how will she use her fail to fuel her next victory? In my opinion it is right now that Ronda has an opportunity of a lifetime. She has the opportunity to produce an honorable legacy!
Your Fail Is Your Fuel
As I wait eagerly for Ronda's ROCKY IV revival, I think about what we can learn from this. We've all had fails in life. These fails mold us, develop us, and humble us. We can choose to lose hope. We could choose to hide away and pray that nobody remembers how awful our fail was. We could allow our embarrassment and shame to take over and limit us. We could be a #DNB! OR...we could stop feeling sorry for ourselves and choose to get up and take action! Friends, do not let the devil bring you down! Take one day to reflect, express and recover. Then get up and GET AFTER IT.
Be Grateful!
If you never experienced failure, you'd never really understand how phenomenal victory feels. If you never had obstacles to overcome or hurdles to jump, you'd never fully appreciate when you achieved a victory. It's our failures that really call us to the best chapters of our lives and our biggest opportunities. What will you decide to do when your time comes?
I choose to be grateful for the opportunity for development. I never want to feel stuck. Staying the same is not an option. I pray that I remember this when I'm slapped with defeat. It's not easy and it's not fun, but it's worth the fight!
