Most people wait to feel motivated before they act.
Fighters don’t have that luxury.

Some days you wake up sharp. Other days, your body feels heavy, your mind distracted, and your confidence quieter than usual. That’s normal. The mistake is believing those days mean something is wrong.

This week, I kept thinking about this idea: discipline isn’t about intensity, it’s about direction. You don’t need to feel unstoppable. You just need to keep moving forward.

A fighter’s mindset isn’t built in the big moments. It’s built on the small, unglamorous decisions:

The new year didn’t start with some big burst of motivation for me. If I’m being honest, it was the opposite.

I’d had months out of the gym. Slothing around. Letting work slip. Eating badly. The discipline that usually keeps me sharp had quietly disappeared, and motivation had gone with it. I kept telling myself I’d get back to it “soon”… tomorrow… next week.

Then I picked up Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and came across a line that hit harder than any motivational speech:

That line made me pause and reflect on my own standards. About my worth. About the excuses I’d been making, not just for skipping the gym, but for stepping away from boxing, from structure, from being the best version of myself. So on the 1st of January, I didn’t wait around. No perfect plan. No countdown. I just went straight to the gym.

And the feeling? Anyone who trains knows it. The gym becomes a sanctuary. A place where noise fades, and purpose comes back into focus. I started the session with the bench press. By my second set, the familiar doubt crept in. Is this worth it? I felt tired. Drained. Worn out. Motivation had already faded again.

But that thought came back: just do the right thing.

I knew if I stayed. If I didn’t walk out those doors. If I stayed disciplined in that moment, I’d be doing right by myself. That decision changed everything. I’m back training with a solid plan. Eating clean. Staying disciplined. And the results are already showing, not just physically, but in my work. My platforms have doubled, even tripled, in views and engagement. And I know this is only the beginning.

Not because motivation suddenly appeared, but because discipline came back.

Discipline isn’t willpower.

Its systems. Fighters don’t rely on mood. They rely on routine. Here are three discipline anchors you can apply immediately:

1. Non-Negotiables
Decide in advance what needs to be done, regardless of the circumstances.
Examples:

No debate. No emotion. Just execution.

2. Reduce Decisions
The more choices you make, the more discipline drains.
Set:

This keeps your energy for what matters.

3. Identity Over Feelings
Instead of asking “Do I feel like it?”
Ask: “What would a disciplined fighter do here?”s.  

Mental toughness doesn’t mean being hard all the time. Fighters burn out when they never reset. Recovery isn’t weakness, it’s strategy.

Mental recovery looks like:

Try this weekly mental reset:

No self-judgment. Just awareness.

A fighter’s mindset isn’t forged when everything feels perfect.
It’s built in the moments when it doesn’t.

This week, focus on:

You don’t need to win every moment.
You just need to stay in the fight.

When motivation fades, I don’t try to force it anymore. I fall back on discipline.

Some days are heavy. Focus isn’t there. Energy is low. That doesn’t mean I stop, it just means I simplify and do what I know is right. One session. One task. One decision at a time. I’ve learned that progress doesn’t come from waiting to feel ready. It comes from staying consistent when it would be easier not to. That’s what I’m focusing on this week, and that’s what I’d encourage you to do too.

Stay disciplined. Stay patient. Keep moving forward.

Until the next round,
Stay sharp. Stay disciplined. Stay ready.

— Callum
12th Round

This week’s newsletter comes from a quiet moment at home. I had just finished reading *Meditations* by Marcus Aurelius. After months of drifting, with motivation gone and discipline slipping, stuck in my own head, the book pulled me back to centre. It reminded me of something simple but uncomfortable: it’s you vs. you out here, and no one is coming to save you. I realised I had been waiting, waiting to feel ready, waiting for motivation to return, and waiting for the right moment. There isn’t one. This edition was written as a reminder to myself first: when you lose direction, return to discipline. When motivation fades, do the right thing anyway. That’s how you find your way back. That mindset. quiet, disciplined, honest. is what shaped this newsletter.