The end of the year is approaching, like the later rounds of a Heavy Weight Boxing Match and some of our students have found themselves down on points, and wanting to throw in the towel to stop the fight. Some of our students have endured the initial onslaught of punches from the school year, have taken a knee during the early rounds, and have fallen to the pressure on their body that has resulted from early head butts from confrontations in the classroom. Some of our students are staggering to the Christmas holiday season, eager to sit down, have some cool water applied to their heads, and to experience the magic of the cut-man on the wounds they have accumulated. Though these are all good pieces of the corner, one piece is necessary above all pieces, and that is the Budini magic.

Follow up:

When watching the movie about Muhammad Ali, one of the most important pieces in his life was the man named Budini. He was the great encourager and cheerleader of the famed boxer and one who was considered irreplaceable and an asset more valuable than some boxing expertise that others could have provided to Ali. When all else doubted, he was there to encourage him, and to remind him that he was well able and equipped to accomplish great feats if he continued to believe in himself.

In the Christmas holiday corner, our students need to hear from us! They need to hear encouraging words that will remind them that they are awesome warriors, who will not just completed the later rounds, but will end them with their hands held high and the crowed chanting their name.

What ashamed it would be if our young boxers lost the match because they lacked the confidence to fight the remaining rounds. What ashamed it would be in the corner that was put in place to encourage and provide wisdom for the fighter was disengaged and discouraging toward the fighter. What a shame it would be if our fighters were encouraged to cruise the later rounds, when we know they can perform at a higher level.

Parents, lets use this holiday providing more than gifts, trips and or material possessions. Lets us prepare our students for the late rounds by making sure all the pieces in the corner are their for our students success. Let’s make sure we can be more effective in these later rounds, by utilizing the time and voices present in the corner more efficiently. Click here for a video that I watched about the corner. In this video, the host discusses the corner, and how to prepare the boxer to return to the fight.

Over the holiday, let’s help our students relax, get their focus on our voice, give them wisdom, encourage them, and send them back to finish the rounds with the belief that we still believe in their abilities, even when they don’t. You can do it. Become an encourager. Make sure you instill the confidence necessary for them to become the dominant fighter they can be.