Nothing has moulded and captured my heart the way fighting has. The grit, the strength and the tenacity of those athletes amaze me and it truly is one of only thing’s that I have and always will be, a fan of.
I’ve never really understood the massive hype behind other sports. I love soccer, rugby league and the NFL. I have teams in most leagues and try to keep up when I can, but I was never fully immersed in the ideas of all of them. I guess it never really stuck.

But, being deep in this world, my personal behaviour towards a sport so primitive and dangerous, was something that I have always been curious about. I always thought that I was just a fan, but in reality, I changed my life because of fighting.

Seeing Muhammad Ali as a champion of the people made me proud and confident in who I am.

The character of Anthony Joshua and the colossal physique that he brings to heavyweight boxing in this new era, made me want to change my body and exuberate a presence of pure physicality.

And don’t get me started on Conor Mcgregor. The flash and wit, coupled with the magic, that he somehow manages to wow us with, that is precision and timing, has given me a newfound perspective.

This world of right hooks, left jabs, head kicks and rear naked chokes have been moulded by the wonders of characters that are our modern day gladiators.

These athletes all came from harrowed origins and became obsessed with their craft.
But to what extent does obsession lead to a league above all else and where does it start to be a problem.

I knew that from the very first day I started writing, that I would have to commit. But I had to ask myself… is that enough?

To be honest, it’s not.

Champions are not just made through commitment, but rather a culmination of different aspects and ideas that work towards one particular goal. And that goes for everything…not just fighting.

Magnus Karlsson is a Norwegian Chess Grandmaster and current World Chess Champion.

After rummaging through various videos and articles about how his mind works and how he approaches chess, the one thing I can relate to most is his obsession with what he does. Magnus is so focused on chess, that the rest of the world doesn’t seem to matter; his family and friends find it extremely difficult to get his attention when his mind is engaged with anything chess related.

Now, to be frank, the guy is probably a little crazy. But that, I think, is the price of genius.

To be limitless in your approach to your craft and simultaneously aim high above the rest of those who may be considered “ordinary”, means your head is going be somewhat in the clouds.

The world, as a result, seems so distant and unimpressive that very little seems to ground you. We see this time and time again with actors, artists, sportsmen, creators, politicians, business people and any other person of creativity and innovation.

So how does one apply this to their own lives?

Well, the source material is a great place to start. When I first started writing, the only things that came to me were these picture perfect stories that were complete fiction. I think because of how much Harry Potter I was reading at the time, my world became based on creative writing. Now, as I keep this blog going, the material I read is mostly non-fiction.

And it doesn’t stop at books.

Being absorbed with your source material is one thing, but being creative in where and what you learn, and how you apply it is a next level style of understanding. So that’s why I engage in online articles, message boards, Reddit forums, Twitter feeds, Facebook and Instagram posts, and other blogs as inspiration for any work that I get into.

The second was not actually allowing it to control you. By all means, allowing your passion to consume you is what drives you, but the very fabric of your being weighs on you being in control of your own life.
This means understanding that there is always an end goal when it comes to anything. Without a goal, no matter how large or small, the work becomes tedious and starts to infect. Something that will diminish anything that you may have gotten out of it.

Understanding the world around what you love and having complete control over it is what I believe to be two fundamental concepts that shape and understand your art. Building blocks are necessary.

I’m not saying obsessions are healthy, and to some extent, they probably aren’t at all. But one has to ask themselves what they are willing to do, to be what they want to be, and then become the best at it.
Are they willing to punch a bag 1000 times a day?

Or creatively envision a whole new strategy to take a king with a pawn?

If not, the real question one must ask themselves is if they are content with being good rather than being great.