March 22, 2023 | Read Online

Marvin Hagler and the Silk Pajamas

We know that persistence, mental toughness, and determination can be developed. But we also know they can quickly disappear.

In the summer of 1967, American cities were burning as racial inequality swept across the nation.

The "summer of love" became "the long hot summer" as upwards of 160 riots took place, the most violent of which was in 14-year-old Marvin Hagler's hometown of Newark, N.J.

Hagler watched from his family's tenement window, hiding under his sister Veronica's bed and praying for safety. For three days, the Haglers couldn't leave the floor as bullets poured through their windows. Once the violence ended, they chose to relocate to Brockton, Mass.

Watching the destruction of the Central Ward, seeing 26 people killed on the streets below and over $11 million in damages to the neighborhood, Hagler was determined to make a better life for himself.

The events provided incredible motivation, and boxing afforded him a chance to escape family poverty. Hagler loved the sport, loved the competition and, most of all, loved his own success. By 1980, he had become middle-weight champion of the world, holding that title until his last fight in 1987.

But as the years wore on, Hagler became less in love with the work, and more in love with the gifts of his success.

When asked why he lost his edge, Hagler offered a brilliant line:

"It's hard to do road work at 5 a.m. when you're sleeping in silk pajamas."

Contentment is the No. 1 killer of our success on every single level.

What spurred Hagler to become great and achieve his goals beyond his wildest imaginations disappeared once the money poured in and his bedroom attire changed.

We know that persistence, mental toughness, and determination can be developed. But we also know they can quickly disappear.

When Hagler aspired to become a champion, his life was relatively simple: Work, train, compete, reach new goals, strive to be better.

Simplicity in anything means examining why you want more and solving the issue at its root. Once Hagler found a better life, his drive subsided. Instead of finding new ways to motivate himself, he became content. His life, as a result, became increasingly complex.

Losing our simplicity might sound great in theory, but it can also be our biggest obstacle. When we as leaders, students, parents and workers are content, we rarely challenge ourselves — thus losing our curiosity and willingness to expand our horizons.

What really kills contentment isn't the silk pajamas. It's when we lose our curiosity, which then inhibits our willingness to challenge ourselves to become better than we were before.

Science has proven that our brains are the laziest organ and will always want to shut down and rest. Our brain burns calories, but and the more we challenge ourselves, the more the brain screams to rest.

It's not the silk pajamas that cause contentment, it's our unwillingness to challenge our brains to work.

We need to keep stretching our minds through reading, learning and growing.

It's the only way to avoid the contentment problem.