03 May Putting The Power Behind The Punch
Written by Lifebook Member Dave Hopper
This is the story of how Lifebook motivated me to fulfill my life’s passion.
As Jon Butcher himself could tell you, I have a lot of ideas. He could also tell you that I don’t take action on most of them. That is, at least until March 2009, when I attended my second Lifebook Session.
I have been through Lifebook twice – once at age 20 and again at age 23. The first time I went through I came out with an overriding goal to be the best MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter I could possibly be, and to fight in the UFC. Graduating college had become a side note. I came out of my Lifebook Session with so much motivation that I completely blew away all of my obstacles and achieved most of my goals.
After my Lifebook Session, I destroyed my first opponent in 56 seconds! I quickly repeated a similar victory, and to top it all off I became a finalist for the reality T.V. show “The Ultimate Fighter.” That’s were I let things fall apart.
When I arrived in Las Vegas it became overwhelming for me that, at age 20, I was going to achieve something that some people strive for their entire lives. I wasn’t prepared to handle it, and it scared me. I ended up not being selected and not fighting for the UFC, however I still graduated college with a B.S. in Kinesiology. Although my confidence took a big blow, I was nowhere near the end of my journey with MMA.
I experienced Lifebook again in March 2009 (at age 23) and really took a deep look at my life and myself. I knew the power and motivation I would have coming out of Lifebook, and I decided that this time I would do everything possible to control it and create a lasting experience (unlike the first time when I took every immediate opportunity and lost control).
In doing this I realized that I was a smart person with great ideas, but that I had been scared to take the risks involved in making my ideas a reality. So one of my main goals coming out of my second Lifebook Session was to move forward with an invention I had come up with.
I had come up with a way to help mixed martial artists maximize their sports training. The idea was to take an ordinary MMA glove and put a resistance attachment on it so martial artists could do resisted punching without worrying about holding anything. The idea was simple, and I now had motivation and a well thought out plan for success.
A big realization I had was that surrounding myself with people of great quality would have an incredible affect on my life. In doing this, I found all of the resources I needed to achieve my goals at my fingertips. I produced the first prototypes of the product by myself in my garage with the help of a good friend. After that I asked another close friend for his help in finding someone to produce the product for me; within a week I had an overseas manufacturer!
I gave my product a name – ‘Power Punch Gloves’ – and had yet another friend help me in producing a logo and a website (www.powerpunchgloves.com). I was all ready to make my first big order when something amazing happened; I broke one of the samples. Although some would consider this horrible, I continued with my positive outlook and saw it as an opportunity to produce a better product. Now not only is the new product better quality, it is more versatile. The new design allows users to take the resistance attachment off the glove so Power Punch Gloves can be used as regular MMA training gloves too.
I had complete confidence and was ready to make the big order. Looking at my bank account I realized that placing this order meant spending my every last penny and then some. I didn’t even blink. After going through Lifebook I had complete confidence in my idea and myself. To me, there really wasn’t a “gamble.”
Now, just over a year after my last Lifebook Session, I am still running strong with my motivation. ‘Power Punch Gloves’ launched the first week of April 2010! If it weren’t for Lifebook I would have never taken this leap. Win or lose, I will look at this experience as a positive gain. I would rather know I tried than sit and wonder “what if?”
Thank you to Jon Butcher, Karla, Jessica and the Lifebook crew for making this all possible. And please everyone spread the word about ‘Power Punch Gloves’!
David Hopper
