When Life Karate Kicks You in the Face: Vol. 4

Photo by Flickr user Teuobk

Over the past few weeks, I've been letting you guys behind the curtain of my life, so to speak, with a series of posts called When Life Karate Kick You in the Face. If you need to get caught up on the first three volumes, click HERE.

The short synopsis is this:

- I was laid off from my job of six years.
- My wife is 30-plus weeks pregnant.
- My wife recently quit her job.

That's about the shape of things.

To this point, I've been positive. I've tried to share motivational words and blog posts that will encourage you if you are or ever find yourself in a similar position. But encouraging words only go so far. Eventually, you need to come up with a gameplan:

When Life Karate Kicks You in the Face: Vol. 3

Photo by Flickr user ColKorn1982

Last week, I started a series of posts titled, "When Life Karate Kicks You in the Face." If you need to get caught up, you can check out the first two posts in the series HERE.

The short version is that I was laid off from my job recently. Additionally, I have a very pregnant wife and we just bought a house several months ago.

As if that wasn't enough, we had to make a very difficult and stressful decision last week. It's a decision that I believe will lead to ultimate happiness, but that road is probably going to bring us through a tumultuous valley.

When Life Karate Kicks You in the Face: Vol. II

I don't know what preceded professional wrestler Ric Flair being kicked in the face, in the above picture, by Hulk Hogan.

What I do know, is that Flair, almost undoubtedly, got back up off the mat in an overtly dramatic fashion, let out a loud: "Whooooooo!", to the delight of the crowd onhand, and then got back into the fight.

That's what Ric Flair did. He was one of "The Four Horsemen." He was an icon. When he got knocked down, he almost always got back up again.

I've never fought Hulk Hogan, but I did get knocked down recently.

When Life Karate Kicks You in the Face: Vol. I

One of the most monumental moments, ever, in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA), was the night that UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva knocked out Vitor Belfort with a front kick to the face, when the two fought at UFC 126, in Las Vegas, on Feb. 5, 2011. 

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check this out:

It wasn't the first time someone has been knocked out in the UFC. It wasn't the first time someone's been kicked in the head either. But the timing and precision of the way it came together made it a thing of beauty.

But not for Vitor Belfort.

For Belfort, it was one of the worst moments of his career. No fighter trains for months, spends countless hours away from his family, denies himself the pleasure of the food and beverages he loves...just so he can get knocked out by a karate kick in the very first round.

Sometimes life can be like that.