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Everyone needs
daily doses of Inspiration! As a yoga teacher, I especially
love the
word Inspiration. It means:
1. The
drawing of air into the lungs;
inhalation.
2.
Something inspired, as an idea.
3. To
influence or animate with an idea or
purpose.
When you are inspired by
some great purpose, some
extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind
transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction,
and you
find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces,
faculties
and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater
person by
far than you ever dreamed yourself to be. — Patanjali
I have been
inspired and I know that I am truly blessed! I want to 'pass it
on.' I feel especially drawn to teenagers, so I've started to
speak
publicly at high schools and juvenile detention centers. But
I am also available for your club,
business, organization, or women's group.
Topics include:
- Empowerment!
- Realizing your personal Potential!
(Potential…Another favorite word.)
- Understanding how Yoga philosophy can
improve the quality of your life!
I am blessed and
so very grateful that I met an incredible man named Barry Becker,
who has inspired me beyond belief. He is my boxing
trainer.
“In
everyone’s life, at some time, our
inner fire goes out. It is then burst
into flame by an encounter with another human being.
We should all be thankful for those people
who rekindle the inner spirit.” ~ Albert Schweitzer
Barry
Becker, through
the martial art of boxing, yes, he taught me how to fight and how
to
protect myself. But first and foremost, he helped teach
me to
believe in myself and he rekindled my inner spirit! I never made
any big
money in boxing, but what I received from Barry and my career in boxing
far
outweighs any dollar amount that I could have ever
made.
Barry, whatever
you saw in me that day I was wrestling on the beach with the Fireman
before I
started boxing, thank you for seeing it and bringing it out in me. Learning to believe in myself is a
priceless gift! I owe you so much
and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you! Thank you for
what
you’ve given me! I want you to know that you have been the
biggest
influence in my life, besides my son. You have made an
impression in
my life and the memories will last forever. I will never forget
and am SO
grateful for …
- ... all the times you arranged your work
schedule around me, so you could be there for 99.9999% of every bag
workout I ever had! You knew how much it meant to me. You knew just the right thing to say (most of
the time) that could light the fire in my britches.
- …all the times you yelled at me, innocent
little me. ;)
- ...the many times you blew my
nose between rounds because I never could learn, and didn’t really
want to learn how to blow the burgers out like the guys did.
- …all the times you sacrificed sleep
because you knew I loved training outside under the stars and moon,
sometimes at midnight or even 1 a.m.! No
other trainer in the world
has done this! I
will never forget you sitting in the chair at my favorite outdoor
‘ring’ and yelling directions over the sound of my music.
You know I loved my music because like
you, it inspired me too! My best workouts
were witnessed by you, Athena, the moon, and the stars!
- …the many times you gave me a drink
between rounds, even if half the drink ended up running down my chin! Ha-ha.
- ...all the stories of your many street
fights as a kid with Dick Wheatley, Burke Castle, and all the bad boys
from the good ole’ days. I wish I could
remember the good ole’ days, when there were no guns and knives, and
you always became buddies with the guy you fought!
People today need to learn this.
- …all the stories of your many street
fights as an adult too...ha-ha. See
what a troublemaker you are. ;)
- …all the bills you paid for me so I could
commit myself to training.
- …ALL the sacrifices you made for me so I
could commit myself to training.
- …all the times you would introduce me to
someone by saying “I always wanted to train a girl to fight, but I
never wanted to train one that could kick my ass!”
I loved the way you joked as if it were
really true (Yea right). I know that you’d
whip the Jolly Green Giant if he stepped into your office!
- ...all the times you shared yourself
with me and 'our' son, and for being such a great role model
for both of us!
- ...all the jokes and laughs, even if
you were mostly laughing at me.
- …all the times you were my rock, my
support, and my refuge… which was always! Your
constant encouragement, constant support, and constant belief in me was
the glue behind the The Island Girl, the “Power of Anani.” If there
were an Island Girl Fan Club, you would be the President, the Vice
President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, etc., etc.
Well, okay, maybe not the secretary
because you suck at note-taking and organization, and not the treasurer
either, because you suck at recording numbers. Ha-ha. Oh, we can’t be good at everything!
- …all your fuel, passion, and energy that
drove me to becoming the ‘Most Avoided Female Fighter in the World’ two
years in a row!
- …And so many more that I can’t even begin
to write here.
I remember the
argument we had one night after a workout (the only one we ever
had…HA-HA-HA!) when,
all of a sudden, you blurted out “You know what your problem is. Your problem is that you don’t believe in
yourself!” I don’t think you noticed how
those words rocked me. It was like you
were reading my heart so intimately. I,
like everyone in the world at some point in their life, was really
struggling
with self-esteem issues, and you saw it!
No one else saw it. Everyone
else
thought I was so brave, thought I could do anything, try anything,
thought I was
afraid of nothing! Being successful in
boxing was a great cover that hid my insecurity really well from most
people. But you saw my fears, you saw my
insecurity. And because of your patience
and constant reinforcement, you, a pair of boxing gloves, and a
punching bag became
the necessary reconstruction of my self esteem.
Of course, God orchestrated for you and I to
even meet, so God gets credit
too! J
I will never
forget the look in your blue, blue eyes, on many occasions, when you
leaned
down in front of me, stared straight into my eyes, almost through me,
and said
"Sumya, you can do this. I know you can do this!"
That fire in your blue eyes, the sound of your voice, and the
absolute
confidence in your words will be an image in my mind forever. I
love
those baby blues! That fire in your blue eyes will drive me to be
the
best I can be, in everything I pursue, as long as I live!
Not only
did you
introduce me to boxing, but you also introduced me to Jamaica.
I’ll never forget the first time I met you. The first words out of your mouth the first
time you approached me at Bally’s in Kansas City were, “You look like you
just stepped off the boat from Jamaica!”
Looking back to that conversation now, I can
intimately see how, for
each person, destiny lays its mighty hand on us. To
think…after that casual sentence, that I
would end up living in Jamaica for 2 years with my son, and then upon
my
return, The Island Girl would be born!
Whoa! And what an
impact on my
life Jamaica has made as well! That’s why I’m committed to my new endeavor
with Fighting for Peace Imports. (See
Empowered by Activism) I want to help the
people of Jamaica.
I want to empower them the way you have
empowered me. I remember in that first
conversation you also
said to me, “You should do something with those muscles besides just
look
good! You should box.”
And there began a friendship and a journey
down a road I would never have taken. I
had no clue then how my life was about to change. That
seemingly innocent conversation was so
significant in my life. I think it took
2 years of your gentle, patient, yet insistent coaxing before I even
put a pair
of gloves on. I’m sorry I’m a little slow
and I know I can sometimes be hard headed!
Hey, but you are too. I
guess
that comes with the territory of being a fighter!
I think about
the 1946 Christmas movie “It’s A Wonderful Life,” starring Jimmy
Stewart as
George Bailey. Remember, he gets so
depressed and wishes he was never born!
Then his wish is granted, and the entire movie
shows what other people’s
lives would have been like if he was never born. Sometimes
I think about how my life would be
without you, Barry…and I can’t!! I
just can’t see it. I would be scared to
see it. You have made that BIG
of an impression in my life!
Thank you!
Saying thank you
just doesn’t seem enough for all that you have done for me. I never made the money in boxing to buy you
the corvette you always wanted, and I probably wouldn’t have bought it
anyway
unless they came up with a hybrid corvette.
Ha-ha… So I finally figured out that the only
way I can even try
to repay you is to try to be
that inspiration for
others. This gift I received, I must now give back to
others. (It's
recycling... See, how many times have I told you about the
importance
of recycling! We all have to do our part to save the planet! You have a lot to learn from me too, ya
know!)
So, I dedicate
all my future motivational lectures to you. You are and will
always be my
Inspiration and the person that rekindled my inner spirit! Thank
you!! I will never forget you. You have changed my
life for
the better! I love you! I love you
with every inspiration I take! The B vitamin’s are the
energy
vitamins. The B has to stand for Barry! You have been my
energy
vitamin for the last 11 years! Becoming a 4X world champion
means nothing compared to having been
blessed to know a man named Barry Becker.
Thank you for the daily dose of YOU!!
You mean so much to
me.
Any dream or
goal that I accomplish is because of you.
I want you to know that you are the one that
lit the fire in me. Thank you for bursting
my inner fire into
flame! The 'Spirit of Chance' sent
you to push me from behind. I can't believe how lucky I
am! Thank
you Barry! Thank you God!
And thank you Mama Ann!
Barry 'The
Brawler' Becker...You are the bravest man I know! You
are the sweetest man I know! Your mama
should have told me that sometimes,
you can even be the meanest man I know.
Ha-ha! Yea, don’t
go getting a
big ole’ head thinking that you’re soooooo wonderful.
You may be wonderful, but you’re not
perfect! I could write another letter
detailing all the ways you irritate me too!
Ha-ha! Just
remember the poster
in Jamaica…There is no finish line! And that goes for us as individuals being a
constant Work in Progress too.
I've always known
and have always told you that you coulda' been the lightweight champion
of the
world! Well, scratch that!
Barry, you are The
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of my
world!
Thankfully, with
so much appreciation and love,
Your Jamaican Sensation Island Girl,
Sumya ”Barry's
Bombshell” Anani
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