Do you have the Eye of the Tiger?

Want to know an interesting fun fact about me? I love Rocky! Yep every film…Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, and Rocky IV! Oh, not a fan of Rocky V. I grab my popcorn and get cozy for a marathon afternoon. My husband has asked me for years why I liked Rocky so much. At first, I didn’t really know why. I answered, “I don’t know.” I thought more about it and pondered that maybe I admired Rocky’s characters’ tenacity to work hard and create unorthodox and “out of the box” training when it came to fight strategy.
For example, Rocky’s approach to his training and conditioning in Rocky IV was his way of preparing himself physically and mentally to be as close as possible to the training and hardship conditions he believed his opponent was being trained. Without all the fancy equipment (and drugs) Rocky achieved amazing results. His focus and discipline resulted in a win as the underdog. Even his wife told him he can’t win. Hmmm…yea, maybe that’s what I like about the Rocky series-fighting for the underdog and his humble nature.
However, more recently I watched Rocky III (you know the one with Mr. T, Clubber Lange). This time I watched it from a different mental space. I ask you to envision the scene where Apollo Creed is working to get Rocky’s head in the game. Rocky’s spirit is broken, his trainer, mentor, and father figure, “Mick” just died and he just couldn’t seem to pull it together. Rocky and his wife Adrian have an emotional break on the beach. She finally pushed and confronted him to think about why he lost his faith in himself and the sport. With frustration, he finally yells, ” I’m afraid! Alright… It’s fear.” Wow! The heavyweight champ is afraid.
That was his breaking point. That necessary confrontation to face the man in the mirror and to say it, “I’m afraid.”
Rocky wasn’t just facing the fight of his career with his opponent-he was fighting the battle of his life against himself! His unbelief. His lack of faith.
This is us. We very easily believe in the lies, fears, anxieties, and insecurities we rehearse daily in our minds. We assume the worst and engage in self sabotage behaviors due to fear of failure, not feeling like we belong, or that we aren’t good enough. Ultimately it’s warfare from within. The battle against our mindset to believe in who God says we are and what we are capable of achieving. We spend more time defending who we are to people who have little investment in our destiny than we do just believing in who God says we are!
The next time you feel like giving up, quitting, or lose faith in yourself, or doubt creeps in, call to memory and remind yourself of who God made you to be: a warrior, a fighter, a destroyer in His Kingdom-no one can touch you. I ask you: Whose voice have you been listening to? Your enemy will have you believe you are defeated. You cannot allow others to determine your value.
It’s time to go to war and fight for what is rightfully yours: a peace of mind, joy, your worth and value, your assignment and position on the earth, your purpose-you will win! You have to fight daily to renew your mindset towards victory .
Don’t quit! Everyone faces discouragement. Now is the time to believe in yourself more than ever. Be mindful to trust the process. Even with adversity we learn things about who we are and how tenacious and spiritually strong we are!!!!
FIGHT for your LIFE!!!!
In Our Wellness, Dr. Angela