I don’t know about you, but I’m my own worst enemy.
Believing in myself, trusting my abilities, and convincing myself that “I can do it”—it’s always been a struggle for me. In every aspect of life.

Until… I met my boxing coach.

Lucky for me, he didn’t put up with my excuses.

ME: That’s stressing me out.
COACH: Get over it.
ME: It’s too hard.
COACH: It is if you keep that attitude.
ME: I can’t do it.
COACH: Then you’ve already lost.

Coach understood something that I didn’t: the biggest obstacle I had to face wasn’t in the ring. It was in my mind.

The naysaying voice inside me had always been the loudest opponent—and if I didn’t learn to silence it, I’d lose. Not just in boxing, but in life.

I won’t lie; it took years to fully grasp what he was teaching me. For the longest time, I twisted his tough love into self-doubt.

I’d think: Oh, Coach just doesn’t like me, or Coach doesn’t think I can do this. Sometimes, I’d even wonder: Maybe Coach just wants me to quit.

But the truth? It wasn’t Coach thinking those things. It was me.

Learning to believe in yourself, to like yourself, and to push forward—even when you don’t want to—these are skills worth practicing at any age. And trust me, they take practice.

I’m still working on it, but every day, I feel closer to conquering my mountain.
Here’s to you conquering yours!

—Peni