By David Tepera, June 7, 2023

I have the privilege of weight training my good friend and mentor Grand Master Al Garza of Premier Martial Arts. Master Garza is a strong Christian man with lots of philosophy and education to guide people toward better lives.

He recently turned 67 years old and shared his new 12-month challenging program. In the old boxing days, fighters would fight for 12 rounds. So, Master Garza is treating each month as a one-round fight. Of course, the goal at the end of each month is to be a winner in life.

Now, we all know life finds ways of sucker punching and knocking our feet from under us, but we must learn to get back up and keep swinging.

Master Garza asked an important question that made me take a deep look over my life. The question was “David, you’re going to be 62 years old, what’s your winning record?”

I would like to share that same question with each of you. How many years of life are winners compared to the challenging years of trying to survive?

I feel confident that once you tally the score, you’ll realize you are winning.

We all get down on ourselves for failures and defeats, but you must realize that you’re still alive and still in the fight.

As we get older and slow down, it’s easy to want to throw in the towel of life. I’m telling you to pick that towel back up and wipe off the sweat for your new fight. You might have lost a few rounds or years in the past, but not this year.

This whole philosophy pertains to everyone who has challenges in life. Are you still struggling with obesity, an abusive relationship, addiction or you fill in the blank?

Let the month of June be your first round in this year’s fight. If possible, write down a plan for success. Don’t worry if it doesn’t go as planned, just keep swinging and kicking. Remember, all fighters who win got punched in the face.

Sometimes, you have to learn to absorb the punches as you counter with your own.

If you fell off your diet, then start a new round tomorrow. Whatever failures that might have happened yesterday, then get back in the fight today.

Bottom line, don’t ever give up. You’ve put in the work, so now it’s time to come out on top.

For all of you, this year is yours to take back control of life, so let’s get ready to rumble!