III. IT'S OKAY IF YOUR PLAN FAILS, GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU

          Freddie Roach dreamed of being a World Champion but his dream vanished when he was badly beaten by Greg Haugen in his 48th bout. It was his 9th loss and he admitted to quitting the game 5 fights too late before he retired at the age of 26. He was known for his heart and willingness to take a barrage of punches just to land one his own. But courage was not enough to take him to the top so after showing signs of deterioration due to Parkinson's Disease, he decided to hang up his gloves.

          With not much saved from boxing having his biggest payday at only $ 7,500 he worked as an unpaid assistant to trainer Eddie Futch for 5 years. In 1991, actor Mickey Rouke tried to make it in boxing hiring Freddie as trainer but making no headway decided to quit 4 years later and retired in 1995.  Mickey later gave his boxing equipment to Freddie who then started putting up a stable of his own in a gym now known as the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.  Having tasted leather through most of his 53 fights he devised moves and countermoves  while recalling his past bouts. He knew how he was getting beat up, in his mind he knew what to do but could not command his body to move the way he knew how.  He knew then that he he has the proper knowledge to equip fighters - he only has to find someone who has the moves and refine those attributes and he could make a champion out of them. Then entered the gym an aspiring young boxer by the name of Manny Pacquiao.

          Just thirty minutes with the punch gloves and instantly he knew he had a future champion in his gym. He confessed to knowing boxer who has blinding speed and others with dynamite fist but he never met one having both speed and power.  Couple that with extra-ordinary discipline and zest for working out and the devil may care attitude in the ring and he had a fighter not yet before seen in the square arena. Just as he was being slowed down by his deteriorating physical condition, he got his second wind for he knew that though Pacquiao has the gifts he also needed a trainer-mentor to chip off the rough edges in his skills. Fate as you would have called it crossed their paths and they became the Batman and Robin team of boxing.

          Freddie Roach failed in accomplishing his dream but he became an even bigger figure training the likes of Oscar Dela Hoya and Virgil Hill.  All in all he has trained 27 world champions to date and his guidance was even sought by mixed martial arts big stars like Arlovsky and St. Pierre. All the beatings he got in the rings were never wasted for the pains and the agony he suffered shaped him as what he was today - a builder of champions.

           Truly it can be said that no matter what comes out of you is never wasted - all you need to have is the winner's attitude.  A setback is not a loss for if you did not win anything, you learned a lesson.  It may take you years to understand ...but always believe that things happen for a reason. They are just but part of a plan, maybe not the way you wanted things to be, but Someone up there have something in store for you.

          When customers ask of books they could read about to inspire them, I know I could come up with a lot of titles.  But I know too that finding those books once it has been taken out of the bookstore would be difficult so I instead give them movie titles that they could easily download.  If you're interested in trying to find answers why some things doesn't work the way you wanted them to be, see this movies, it may inspire you.

          1.   It's a Wonderful Life   (starring  James Stewart)
          2.   The Family Man         ( Nicolas Cage & Thea Leone)
          3.   Good Will Hunting     ( Matt Damon, Robin Williams)
          4.    A Little Bit of Heaven    ( Kate Hudson )
          5.    Adjustment Bureau         ( Matt Damon)
          6.    Letters to Juliet               ( Amanda Seyfried)
          7.    Lock Up                          ( Sylvester Stallone)
          8.    It Could Happen To You ( Nicolas Cage & Brigette Fonda)
          9.    The Bucket List               ( Morgan Freeman)
          10.   Message in a Bottle        ( Kevin Costner)