“Come over here, kid. Take a seat. Let me tell you the story of one of the best boxing talents I have ever seen. Amir Khan. It was clear to everyone from the get-go that he had massive potential and could very well go on to be something special, to be something big. And in all fairness to him, he did become as big as he possibly could be. He became a massive name in the industry. In his prime, he was the human embodiment of floating like a butterfly: light on his feet, great footwork, impeccable ring awareness and ringwork. To top it all off, Mr. Khan had lightning quick hands, which meant that he could throw a two-punch combination before his opponent could even blink. He was well on his way to becoming the best of his era. Except he did not get that far. In the boxing world today, Amir Khan is known as “Glass-chin” because…he just couldn’t take a punch. Yes, a brilliant boxer who could not take a punch. Mr. Khan could never firm a punch. And anything that came close to his face had at least an 80% chance of flooring him. Soon enough, his opponents figured out that they did not have to be great boxers to beat him. They didn’t even have to be good ones. All they had to do was sit back and wait for the opening to get something to his face. And while Mr. Khan could have been one of the greatest to ever do it, he ended up retiring with quite an average record because he lost fights he had no business losing. All because he had a glass chin. Bit of a sad story in my opinion.”
“And I fear that you too are built that way, kid. You have been blessed with immense talent and impeccable ability. You are so full of ambition, and you put in the work to back it all up. You have everything it takes to make a real difference in this world, to make in impact in the lives of many around you, to be something great. But for some reason, you just can’t take a punch. You just can’t. You break down at the slightest inconvenience. You are incapable of navigating any and all negative emotions. You give up and whine endlessly whenever it gets hard. You think it’s all over when you get knocked down once. And the truth is, you won’t make it through life like this. You cannot afford to have glass chin in this life, kid. You just can’t. You are way too young to have this attitude. Life only gets harder the older you grow. You still having a lot of living to do, a lot of life to face. But with this attitude? You will not get very far. It did not get easier for anyone who made it, they just got tougher. All of them. And you too have got to do the same or else you will not make it out. Life takes no prisoners; it’s gunning for all of us. You’ve got to learn how to roll with the punches. You’ve got to toughen up, kid. You’ve got to learn how to handle failure, loss, and disappointment because those are the lemons life hands us ever so often. You must learn that you cannot always win. That it will not always go your way. You cannot afford to break down every time that happens. You cannot afford to complain your way through it all. Is it hard for you? Well, look around you. It is so for everyone. Get your head down and get to work. You’ve got to ditch that glass chin. For my sake and yours, you have to toughen up, kid. You’ve got to toughen up.”