While some people decided to spend Spring Break relaxing in sunshine in states such as Florida, I decided to stay home and catch my breath in Michigan.
This semester has been a whirlwind spinning me in all sorts of directions. Halfway through, I feel as if I’m still walking on a tightrope trying to secure my balance.
Spring Break came right in time to allow me to have one week to ease my mind and catch my breath.The only thing I wanted to do more than anything was to use this time to inhale and exhale. During that time, I needed to breathe by letting go of the stress and worries that followed me from Central Michigan University to home.
I found myself looking for motivation to keep me going because like all good things, Spring Break would eventually come to an end.
I found exactly what I needed while listening to a remarkable speech by a motivational speaker named Eric Thomas also known as “ET The Hip Hop Preacher.”
He was talking about how you’ll experience those moments where life is unapologetically and unashamedly kicking your ass.
Just like a boxer, you’re going to get hit from the right and the left. You’ll see some of the swings coming at you and some of them will catch you off guard leaving you on your knees bent over in pain.
I feel as if he was talking directly to me. I was thrown into a boxing ring and needless to say, I didn’t have any boxing experience. I felt as if I was the amateur rookie who was forced to compete with a professional champion boxer.
However, ET said something that really stuck with me giving me that I would never forget.
“There’s some things in life that all you have to do is outlast. You just have to learn the secret of how can I survive these next couple rounds because if I can get pass this, then I can knock you out.” -Eric Thomas
At this point I learned just because this semester has been a whirlwind so far doesn’t mean it will continue to be a whirlwind when I get back. I just have to figure out how to divide my energy between defending myself, fighting back, and saving energy for the next couple of rounds.
My Spring Break was the refuel that I needed. It was the water break to restore my energy and the echoes from my trainer to keep me going.
And now I’m ready to fight back.
I’ve learned how to stand my ground and I refuse to let this trying time in life get the best of me. This doesn’t mean I won’t fall to the ground with a black eye or busted lip.
It means that I will fall to the ground with those things, but find the strength within myself to get back up before the referee counts to 10.
Today is the final day of my Spring Break and tomorrow classes and the drama that comes along with it resumes. Instead of stressing out about it, I’m going to splash some water on my face and knockout whoever and whatever is trying to pin me down.
I’ve learned life is not necessarily about punching the person countless times until they fall. It’s about letting them waste all of their effort and energy in throwing those punches and learning to dodge them and outlast them.
At the end of the day, they’re going to get tired and while they’re stamina decreases, you’re going to utilize your saved energy and win the fight.
Now that’s what I call a “Knockout!”
As Told by the Girl Next Door 