What’s up my Slime?

How has your week been?

Life Updates

Okay so week’s edition is going to be slightly shorter.

The fluctuations between feeling amazing and feeling frustrated can be pretty intense whilst travelling!

Right now, I’m feeling frustrated at some tech issues but you know, “if it was easy” and all that.

Where are you?

So, I’ve been training at Lamai Muay Thai, Punch It, and recently, Superpro.

These are all in the beautiful island of Koh Samui.

On the fun side, I met up with One Champ fighter Amber Kitchen, and we rode ATVs through the jungle, swam in a waterfall, went snorkelling and visited Koh Madsum (an island filled with pigs and puppies!)

On the work side, I’ve been coordinating with gyms all over the country and trying to plan the next few weeks.

My visa expires at the end of the month, so I’m thinking the new year will consist of (i) Bangkok and (ii) Phuket.

Visa Run?

A few people have asked me, “What’s a visa run”

Here’s your answer:

A number of countries can enter Thailand for 30 days without a Visa.

You can then extend this for another 30 days by visiting an Immigration Bureau.

So, that’s 2 months (according to my calculations).

You can then leave the country, re-enter, and do the same thing all over again.

This is how people used to live in Thailand for years at a time.

So a visa run is where you leave the country and re-enter it to extend your time in Thailand.

And, there are lots of companies which pick you up, take you to the border and handle the exit and re-entry.

This can all be done in around a day, rather than flying out of the country and staying somewhere else, then coming back.

BUT, times have changed.

There is now a limit on the number of times you can do this - you can only extend twice and you can only re-enter twice, in one year.

So, the maximum you can stay in Thailand without a longer term visa is 5 months.

Overcoming Defeat

So after talking to some of the fighters, and just generally reflecting after being ill, I thought I’d talk about overcoming challenges.

Life can throw some serious curveballs which mess up all of our plans.

It can be really frustrating especially if you are results driven, like me.

Here are 3 key tools I use:

Reframe

Your mindset is so important. The only mistakes are the ones you do not learn from.

The Past:

Whilst setback can sting, if you look at it as a lesson or a chapter of growth, it suddenly becomes a lot less painful.

It takes the burden off seeing the ‘defeat’ as a permanent loss.

This doesn’t necessarily just apply to fighting.

Take a break up for instance, rather than looking back and permanently mourning that it is ‘over’, what if you saw it as ‘complete’?

You’ve learnt what you need to and that chapter has made your stronger for the future.

The Present

Give yourself some love.

You should be proud of who you are and what you have achieved.

Every waking moment and breath of life is a miracle and we need to appreciate it.

So, will negative emotions or worrying about something provide progress towards a solution?

That is a genuine question: Will it tangibly help to feel bad?

I haven’t been in a situation where worrying or fretting will help.

That’s not to say you should ignore or repress your feelings, just don’t let them consume you.

The Future:

If you can master this one, it is a superpower.

Turn a loss into a victory.

No, not come back next time and succeed. See your failure as a victory.

Take a career change, for example.

If you see it as “I wasted 10 years in the wrong job”, you’ll be on the back foot at any new job.

But, look at the difference when you view potential strengths:

• “I actively chose [the new career] because I’m passionate about it”

• “I know what it is like to build a career already”

• “I have a unique perspective and a wider skillset”

• “I am bold enough to make difficult decisions and resilient enough to succeed through times of difficulty”

Failure inspires winners.

Read the quote below, then read it again.

Resilience

Then, digging deep.

If you are a martial artist, you are a fighter.

You don’t have to be a professional fighter, but a fighter in life.

Resilience is part of who you are.

No one said the journey was going to be an easy one but that is why you are on it and not anyone else.

Reflect

Overall, where are you in your big picture?

Are you making progress towards your overall vision?

Often, we feel frustrated along the journey of learning, trying and failing.

Taking a step back and realising we are on the right path towards that goal, is important.

You are moving forwards! You have moved from zero already.

Set backs just mean you are on the brink of progress.

Also, consider your most important driver: why.

Why are you doing what you do?

This often pulls you out of the ‘how’ and the ‘what’ which can tangle you up in frustration and doubt.

Taking a step back to remember what is important to you is in itself, important.

What else would you suggest? Have I missed anything? Shoot me a DM or respond to this email!

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Let’s meet here next week for more Muay Thai goodness!

I hope the start of your week is blessed.

TNT BABY 🧨