I got back to the UK earlier today after what felt like a well deserved break in Spain for Christmas with my mum and dad. As always it’s been good to have a little head space and take stock of the year  so far and of course what lies ahead in 2016. Most importantly it’s been good to spend some quality time with my family.

Although I wasn’t training last week I made sure I got my fair share of running in, and despite Christmas and the usual intake of food and alcohol I am pleased to stay I’m still looking pretty trim and although feeling fit, will no doubt get the generic nasty shock when back at the gym next week. Running is good but Thai gives you a different kind of fitness.

I feel a little lost when home without having an evening to spend boxing as usual, so I guess tomorrow morning is going to see another run  and more than likely some more writing too. I’m not really one to set new years resolutions but when I do, I do my best to stick to them.

I intend to hit the ground running next year when it comes to my training and fighting and feel that I’ve come away from 2015 with more of a drive to succeed than last year. But we’ve talked about this before. In fact, I think over the past few months or so I’ve talked about it a few times. There is of course a reason for that.

One thing I’ve noticed and I’ve always noticed about myself with martial arts and I guess with my life in general  is my  internal dialogue. I guess it’s the same with most people.

In fact, I guess it’s the same with everyone. Eckhart Toole calls it ‘the voice’ fundamentally it’s our mind dictating to us what could happen, what will happen or just what might happen. The key is to remember that we are in effect separate from our mind.

I’ve found that sometimes I let that voice dictate my outcomes. I’ve found on a couple of occasions I’ve managed to self fufill my own prophecy when it comes to training and fighting and also in other areas of my life.  Henry Ford once said ‘Whether you think you can or you think you can’t your right’ and more often than not that little saying  rings true.

So to compensate, to make up for lost time and to prove something to my real self  I’ve learnt to go out and prove that voice wrong. I do this through making sure I am at the gym like it or not and I fight whenever I can. You always find doubts disappear very quickly when you need that energy for a real challenge.

Just recently outside of the gym I’ve felt a lot of anger about things I have read in the news and in news articles, and frustration about a couple of other areas of my personal life. It never helps when negativity gets amplified by chatter.

This afternoon on my way home from Spain I finally had a quiet word with myself and reminded myself that not only am I not a mind reader,  I need to be awake, present and in the here and now. To look for the silence more when I can and to find a bit of peace.

I think I want to get to a point where I take the presence I carry with myself into the ring from time to time  when I need my focus for fighting into the rest of my life all the time too.

In fact, if I make another resolution for next year it is a reminder to always be mindful and to stay present as much as I can. I have a feeling it will serve me well because I don’t want to walk around on  a day to day basis with this big ball of anger, because it never serves you. I want to use that energy for something good.

There are things out there that I believe in taking  a definitive stand over  so I think it’s important to channel your energy into positive causes just as well as a positive outlet such as training, but I think it’s just as important to not let your voice dictate those kind of outcomes too.

So I guess something good for me starts with another run tomorrow morning, and also starts with hitting the gym hard next week  as If I was fighting the week after.  Speaking of that, I should be fighting again beginning of March.Something as always to focus on and works towards. Energy flows where attention goes as they say.

So motivation for 2016 is of course at an all time high, and being honest I’m missing training hard. More importantly, I’m chomping at the bit to get out and there and prove my self doubt wrong and show it that once again there is no such thing as I can’t. Only I can and I will.

And where there’s a will… there is as always a way. I guess there’s a road too. All the best for 2016  and good luck with every thing martial and otherwise. Thanks for reading this year, and just like the last time well.. I’ll see you on that road.