Be Punchable!

This post is a response to “Hello, My Name is” Scott Ginsberg’s request for “-able” words.

http://www.hellomynameisblog.com/2010/08/win-copy-of-nametag-guys-new-book.html

Be Punchable!

By Duke Matlock

Historically, Punchable is known for targeting aggressions, e.g., "The more they play that Nickelback song, the more punchable they become."  I think there is an alternative.

While Punchable invokes a physical image, it better defines attitude.  Punchable is the ability to combat adversity with resilience.  Punchable success is not success in spite of adverse limitations; rather it is success because of your ability to overcome adversity.

Punchable is the ability to take a punch, dust yourself off the canvas quickly, and get back into the fight.  This leads to my first example.

Sylvester Stallone made a series of successful Rocky movies on the main character being punchable and successful.  With the Rocky series, we can count the “punches” the hero overcomes from movie to movie.

Rocky I – Obscurity, Doubt, Feelings of Worthlessness

Rocky II – Survivability, Criticism, Skepticism

Rocky III – Complacency, Loss of Father Figure

Rocky IV – Loss of Best Friend, Opponent’s Superior Technology

Rocky V – Health Issues, Financial Ruin, Misplaced Loyalty

Rocky Balboa – Death of Spouse, Aging

Through all of these, Rocky takes the punches, in and out of the ring, and has enough to stand tall in the end.  Rocky defines punchable.

Another punchable hero, who earned an entire book in the Bible, is Job.  In the Book of Job, he is tested time and again.  Job loses everything but his faith.  For surviving the punches, God rewards Job handsomely.

The stories of Job and Rocky teach the same message, “Be Punchable!”

Life gives us all punches.  We lose jobs.  We lose loved ones.  We lose our youth and our health.  We fail.

Despite our other losses, being punchable means never losing ourselves and our inner spirit.

On a really bad day, I coined a phrase I now hold dear. “When life kicks you in the teeth, spit out the ones you’ve lost and smile.  When you’re out of teeth, get dentures.”

Life knocks us all down sometimes.  That’s life.  The survivors punch back.

So be punchable!