At 57 I fought in a full contact black belt tournament. I lost in the finals to someone less than half my age, neither of which was too much of a shock - his age and the fact I lost.
They gave me this humorously large trophy and asked what I wanted engraved on it. I said, “Bucket List”. The woman stared at me and said, “ I’ve never heard that before.” I said, “I know.”
The experience was a rush. I learned you can do anything you want, regardless of your age - for the most part.
More importantly I learned respect. There were a couple times I felt like I got hit by a baseball bat versus an actual punch (even though the gloves were 16oz). I did get a big cheer from the crowd, but lost fairly on points.
The next day I came in to run a sales meeting and got a standing ovation when I entered the room. I was really taken aback. I didn’t think anyone cared or even knew, other than I texted my buddy a pic of the stupidly large 3-4ft trophy. People notice more than you think.
What I recalled learned the most however… chase your dreams.
