The Mayweather / Pacquiao fight has come and gone. Lauded as the fight of the century, it brought together two of the world's greatest fighters, one of whom has a lengthy record of domestic abuse charges, and the other holds a veritable rags to riches story, thus spurring Freddie Roach--Pacquiao's coach--to call it the fight of good versus evil.
We now know the outcome: Mayweather won by a hands-down judges decision.
But what life lessons can we take away from this fight of the century?
1. Sometimes the wrong person wins: The rain falls on the good and the wicked, and sometimes the wrong person wins. While many, especially women's rights groups, would've wanted Pacquiao to win, it was the brash, misogynist who did (replete with $25,000 mouthpiece with a $100 bill inside it), leaving us with this lesson that justice and success are not the same thing.
2. Winning isn't everything: Is it better to be a good person or a winner? Is winning at all costs the best way to live? No. In our society, you do whatever it takes to make it to the top; but often that leads to over-work, less time to enjoy life, alienation of family members, and a growing sense of disappointment. If your climbing the ladder is causing you and those you love to suffer, it's time to reevaluate.
3. It's not how we win that counts, it's how we lose: Are we able to take the hardships of life well? Are we able to lose well? How we deal with our losses and disappointments is much harder and more important than dealing with our wins. Learning how to live mindfully and care-fully in the midst of pain and loss and disappointment can makes us better people, for ourselves and others. It requires us to have a mindset of perseverance, gratefulness, and humility--those character traits that are often not praised as much in our society as glory and valour and brute force.
4. How we win counts too: It's all about how we play right? If winning requires us to cut corners, cheat, lie, and steal, then we might win the prize (promotion, raise, etc) but we lose ourselves in the process. If we have to be someone we really are not, then our winning can actually take its toll on our bodies and minds, leading to not only physical but also emotional illness. The key to winning is a) to be fully ourselves, and b) to play with integrity. A friend of mine told me once that he's seen business deals fall through on the golf course when one of the parties shoots 4 strokes and writes down 3.
5. You're only as good as your last victory: Success brings a set of pressures and expectations all on its own; and sometimes it's easier being the underdog because you've really got nothing to lose. Sometimes we strive so much for the victory that we put undue pressure on ourselves to stay on top, which can lead to dishonesty and other mechanisms to do so. But there's a lesson in this: If you're a true professional, then you know this, and you don't take the win too seriously; you know you're going to have to get up the next morning to a new game that will take hard work, dedication, patience, self-motivation, and a high level of integrity.
6. Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em: Sometimes we struggle so much to accomplish something that we've let the rest of our lives pass by. And sometimes it's easier to end on the winning streak then to push yourself and end up in dismal failure. There's something about great athletes who retire when they see their level of performance slightly dip--they end on a high note. At the same time, there's something about those professionals who just keep going; getting up every morning and hitting the pavement, loving what they do in spite of the outcome. Think of Bruce Springsteen who still rocks his heart out, even though there are many who wonder why he isn't in a retirement home.
7. Nothing fails like success: The bigger they are, the harder they fall. I wish Mayweather well, but when you're that big, and you're out there abusing women and living carelessly, there's often no where to go but down. The real professionals can get up, dust themselves off, and keep going; but those alas are few and far between. Success can lead to an overshoot and collapse way of living, if you're not keeping your head and heart straight. We've all seen it to actors, rock stars, and even people in our lives. If you're getting too big too fast, and being drawn into the reckless high-life, may you have the wisdom to step back, get help when and where you need it, and get back on the straight and narrow.
8. You fail until you succeed: Pacquiao is a story of rags to riches, having many evenings as a child only water instead of food, and using boxing as a way to get money for his family. He turned pro at 17, and never looked back. Along the way, he became a very good chess player, and taught himself the piano. Many believe he will run for the President of the Philippines when he retires; and in that home country of his, there is a welfare state called Manny Pacquiao, because he donates to so many charities. Even though he may have lost on Saturday, this man remains a true winner.
Believe in yourself. Fail forward. Give until it hurts. Turn your losses to wins. Stay humble, and keep your hand to the grind stone. And even though you may not win all the time, you'll remain, to those around you who love you, a winner--remember that!
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