I’m a Housepainter by day and run a Boxing Club by night. It’s a good mix. Painting hones my muscles, and boxing defines the story. I was saved from being labeled a workaholic/lousy family man when I chose a coaching role over a husband/father role. I don’t have to explain my choices — the people who own the houses are happy with my work, and the boxers need a place to train and exercise their inner spirit.
I unlock Diamond Boxing on 22nd and E. Union, Seattle, WA, six nights a week at four PM. I’m closed on Sundays, not for religious reasons but because there might be something to the idea that I will benefit from spending time with myself. I work alone, and though a boxer trains with a coach and a team, he is alone when he steps into the ring with an opponent. Not an enemy, not someone to hate, but a respected adversary with whom to test the training. Every boxer who enters the door prepares for the honor of competition.
Housepainting is a series of small matches. Positioning a ladder against the side of a house is a beautiful dance when done confidently and efficiently. But if my head is crowded with anxious what-if thoughts, I’m apt to be clumsy and inefficient. I always tell the boxers, “Mental Focus comes before everything else.” If a boxer gets mixed up wanting to do things right, he doesn’t get far — there is no right way to box, and one can be a boxer by thinking about it.
