I train on the heavy bag because the heavy bag is me. It is the me that I cannot stand. The me that wants to quit. To give up. To abandon the dreams I’ve had since a child.

It is the me that wants to settle for an average life. To be ordinary. To justify my own failures by those of the ones around me. It is the me that is upset by the success of others who have worked harder than me. The me that won’t face the pain. That hides in an ocean of distraction that erodes the fabric of my existence.

Every time I step up to that bag, I am the man I want to be. The one who is not afraid to dream. To desire more from himself than anybody else could. It is the me that stands up for myself, for what I want to accomplish. For my strengths and my weaknesses. The me that refuses to stay down.

This fight will never end. The opponent will never be vanquished. But today, that me knows who is in charge.