Remember a while back, when world-famous boxer Tyson Fury said he was going to retire? He’d achieved everything he could ever aspire to, making plenty of money in the process. Even more impressive, he had done so without sacrificing his health – which is more than can be said of others. But despite all of this, he’s decided to pick up his gloves again.
You can guess my opinion on all of this. It reminds me of the film Wild Card. Jason Statham plays Nick Wild, a gambling addicted freelancer. In one of the most memorable scenes in the film, he’s playing blackjack. In front of him, there’s a whole stack of chips. He’s counted, there’s plenty of money for him to go on that trip that he’s been dreaming of.
Now however, he’s getting some second thoughts. What’s the plan after taking his dream holiday? Sure, he’ll enjoy his couple of months of sailing through Europe. Then what? Right back to the same old job he’s always done. But what if he could double his money one more time? That kind of money would be enough to leave this place altogether. By that point, he’s made his decision. He tells the dealer he’s all-in. Poor choice. He loses everything.
Now, the point is a little more complicated than the classic quit-while-you’re-ahead-advice. See, Nick’s become pretty used to his life as a Vegas bodyguard/freelancer… and he’s good at it. But every now and again every job has its bad moments, which is why Nick started dreaming of a sail trip, somewhere far away in the Mediterranean. As long as it was some out of reach dream, everything was fine. As soon as the dream got to close to reality, he’d self-sabotage. The truth is, Nick didn’t really want to go sailing. He just wanted to keep being Nick Wild, the tough freelancer guy.
This is a dilemma we all face. In some way or the other, we’re all actors, playing our part. Some revel in it, others do so grudgingly. But after you’ve played a part for too long, it’s difficult to return back to who you were previously. We find we’ve become someone else. That’s fine, as long as you know when it’s time to let go of a certain part. If Tyson Fury still sees world’s greatest boxer when looking in the mirror, he’ll keep boxing – even if it’s one fight too many, one day. Hey, I’m not blaming him. Staying the same is comfortable. What is left when we let go of the role we’ve been playing for all these years? Food for thought.
Regards
Vincent J. Dancet