One of the core tenets of this gym is that we can do no great things alone.
You might think, Wait a second—what about someone who runs a 4-minute mile? That person did it alone, right?
But I’d argue, No, they didn’t.
Where did they get their sneakers? Someone made those sneakers. Where did they learn how to train? Who coached them? Who handed them water during their marathon?
People often think they accomplish great things by themselves. And yes, they deserve credit for their achievements. But greatness is never built in isolation.
Maybe you’re a straight-A student. But maybe you had great teachers. Maybe you had subjects that truly inspired you. Maybe, when you aced your AP History exam, you were benefiting from the wisdom of people who lived long before you.
We achieve greatness only in concert with others.
That’s why, at this gym, I always remind our kids:
“It’s not about me. It’s about we.”
A great boxer doesn’t train alone. They have a good coach. They have training partners who push them, who invest in them, who tell them when they’re making mistakes.
And how we deliver that feedback matters. My mother always told me, “You can tell anybody anything you want, as long as you wrap it in the right package.” That lesson stuck with me.
You can tell your friend, your teammate, your training partner where they’re slipping—but how you say it matters.
And just as important as giving feedback is receiving it.
That’s one of the reasons we’ve been successful at this gym for decades. If someone gives me advice, I have to listen. I have to be open to it.
Stephen Covey, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, said: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
If you’re telling me something, I want to understand it—so I can grow, so I can improve, so I can become the greatest version of the grandest vision of myself.
And if I help you grow, and you prosper—then somehow, I prosper too.
Because at the end of the day…
It’s not about me. It’s about we.
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