The Laws of the Ring by Tim Keown, Urijah Faber Page B

anything for him, and eager to talk about the good old days.
    They’d had quite a bit to drink, and one of Coleman’s guys told me, in a wistful tone, “You know, Urijah, things really changed for Mark when they took away the head butt.”
    Coleman heard him, and he kind of rolled his eyes. I’m not sure he agreed, though I don’t remember him disputing the claim, but it’s a matter of record that he was a far more dangerous fighter before the sport changed. I’m not sure his troubles arose when the head butt was outlawed—you’d have to ask Mark to get the whole story—but as an observer, I see him as an extreme example of a guy who didn’t use enough creativity to adapt to a changing environment. He had worked his whole life so diligently in the world of wrestling that he was able to compete at its highest level—and his grappling skills coupled with his infamous head-butting technique and his ground and pound were enough to compensate for his lack of mastery of all the martial arts for a time.
    But in fighting and in life, you have to be able to change. Couture went on to win several world championships and was a contender well into his late forties because of his creative willpower and ability to adapt. As he aged, his hands got better and his submission game improved. He was undoubtedly smarter about how he used his body as it aged. You, like Couture, have to be flexible. You have to be able to improvise. Whether it’s developing another signature move or rethinking the way you deliver pizzas, you need to have a strong-willed creativity to thrive. In a way, you need to be strongly flexible. I know that sounds like a paradox, but it’s not.
    No matter how well you plot out your path, things will change. You can define your sense of purpose and have the most positive attitude imaginable, but you’re still going to face challenges. You’re going to hit roadblocks. You’re going to have to adapt.
    How you adapt is key. The how defines the level of success you are likely to reach. If you’ve reached a point where you are committed to pursuing your passion, you’ve undoubtedly compiled a mental or written list of pros and cons (if not, you should!). But somewhere in between those two black-and-white sides of the ledger, there’s a vast gray area. Once you make the decision to incorporate your passion, that area in between—every if/then scenario that forces you to think on your feet and requires compromise and flexibility—becomes the most important place in the world.

The 11th Law of Power
    Your Fate Is Not Predetermined
    I was working the front counter at my Ultimate Fitness gym in Sacramento a few years ago when I looked up to see a wild-looking old guy with bright red hair and a white handlebar mustache. He was overweight but tough-looking, and I wondered for a second if he’d mistaken our building for the tattoo shop next door.
    â€œWhat can I do for you?” I asked him.
    â€œI’m here to sign up,” he said with a gruff tone that fit the entire package. “I want to do some kickboxin’.”
    This is a little different than kickboxin’, I thought. But whatever: If he wanted to join up, he could join up. I discussed the fee schedule and told him that we handled payments through electronic funds transfer.
    â€œI don’t want that,” he said. “I drive a truck and I travel, so I don’t want a contract.”
    This was a new one, too. I told him we could either do the EFT or he could pay for a year in full. I explained that I had no other way to handle it.
    â€œI’ll pay in full, then—I’ve got money,” he said with a smirk.
    And so went my introduction to Red Robinson, one of the more amazing characters ever to cross my path. Red was fifty-nine years old when he walked into the gym, ready to make a big change in his life.
    And what a life it had been. As I got to know