The Laws of the Ring Read Free

way for me? Why have so many good—and some bad—things happened? How did I become who I am today? How can I help others experience the good and avoid the bad? The lessons have not always been learned sequentially. Some have come about retrospectively. Their chronology unfolds as I unfolded.
    When I first started jotting down ideas for a book, I always thought it would be called Passion Runs the World. It’s my experience that the people who get the most out of life and have the most success are those who have found a way to incorporate their passion into every aspect of their existence. As I got deeper into the process, I came to the realization that community is the necessary by-product of passion. In my life, as you will see, community is primary. When it was proposed that we title the book Laws of the Cage in order to more accurately reflect my sport, I disagreed. The ring, with its symbolic inclusiveness, seemed the perfect embodiment of the community my passion has created. There are certain qualities that all successful, positive people share. Passion is the umbrella under which they all reside, and community is the collection of people who share the space, and the passion, under that umbrella. The umbrella is the perfect metaphor; it protects you, your passion, and your community from outside elements of negativity, distrust, and jealousy. As you read, think about yourself standing under the umbrella, inviting in more and more members of your community in order to protect your collective passion from the “elements.”
    Which gets us back to the original dilemma: What is your passion? I’ve asked this question and received the answer “I don’t know” more often than I can count.
    And that’s okay. I have a response to that. I say, “Fine, here’s what we’re going to do, then. We’re going to assign you a passion.”
    Sounds crazy, right? You ought to see the looks I get after I say that. Who do I think I am? How can I dictate someone’s passion? How can I take someone I don’t know and give him something to be passionate about?
    Easy: The passion I assign is the same every time.
    The passion is you .
    I tell them this: For the time being, you are your own passion. You are going to invest in yourself. You are going to make it a point to work harder at whatever it is you’re doing. You’re going to celebrate your victories, no matter how small. If you do something well, you’re going to compliment yourself for it. You’re going to set goals. You’re going to verbalize—and share—your plans. You’re going to hold yourself accountable to those goals and plans. You’re going to separate yourself from negative people who suck energy from you. You’re going to surround yourself with people who are positive and have your best interests in mind. You’re going to be healthier.
    In short, you’re going to start consciously doing things that will create a greater feeling of self-worth. You will be conscious of the choices you are making instead of simply autopiloting your way through your days, months, and years. Through this exercise, you will find something you like. By making yourself your passion, you will find a passion outside of yourself to follow on your way to a better life.
    After all, we all start alone under our umbrella. From there, we seek out others who share our passion to join us and help us make it grow. However, there are many times when we need to stand on our own and make big decisions that can dictate the course of our passion. I relate it to a big fight: I enter the cage with the people from my corner—trainers and coaches—but when the bell rings I’m left alone to make decisions based on the teachings of the community. I am alone, but the community is with me in spirit and guidance. And then, when the battle is over, the cage opens up and I am reunited with my community to either