It’s easy to develop a plan to achieve a vision; the overlooked task is maintaining flexibility to bounce up from punches to achieve that vision. In a similar way to how driving w/ tunnel vision to a destination can lead to unanticipated destruction, a plan rooted in narrow-minded creation will crumble due to not being capable of absorbing unforeseen punches along the journey. The how in achieving something must be open to alteration & a strict set-in-stone plan does not allow that alteration. As Mike Tyson alluded to, people should not be caught off guard when life lands a haymaker. If someone has completion commitment, getting up should be instinctual. Like how Rocky Balboa got up in Round 14 vs. Apollo Creed in the movie Rocky:

Despite being punched in the mouth repeatedly, Rocky got up. Though he was experiencing present moment turmoil, he kept faith in reaching his long term vision of winning the fight. Knowing that getting up would lead to additional short-term pain, he still got up because Rocky trusted that in the end, he would be victorious. This conflicts with many peoples’ frames of only eye-balling what outcome is directly in front of them – and making a determination to get up or not based off that. So if the short-term outcome is bleak, many people give in. Others like retired Navy Seal David Goggins value long term visions over potential short-term carnage and opt to get up. Below is an excerpt in which he explains the getting up message from Rocky that he uses to absorb punches on his journey.

David Goggins (18:59) – “I was obsessed with Rocky … Round 14 fucked me up like nobody’s business … When Apollo Creed beat the fucking shit out of Rocky, beat the shit out of him – he kept fighting … it was the face of Apollo Creed that changed my life. The face of Apollo Creed – it was like just by that motherfucker getting up – not winning, just by him getting the fuck up … Rocky had taken his soul. Had literally taken his soul. His head goes down, he looks at him like, ‘What the fuck are you?’ I wanted to be that. Not Rocky. I wanted to be the guy that people looked at. I don’t care if you like me or didn’t like me – I don’t care, but said, ‘This motherfucker is going to keep coming after whatever the fuck is in front of him.’ I wanted that. I wanted that. I wanted that worse than anything in the world. So I kept picturing me falling down and getting up, and every motherfucker that called me nigger – even myself, even myself – I wanted to feel something besides defeat. I wanted to just go the distance and that going the distance pushed me to a point where now I go way past the distance.“

Goggins’ long-term vision not only overrode any short-term punches he experienced on his journey – but it was strengthened by them. Though an amateur only recognizes the short-term negativity in life’s punches, another knows that punches actually add ammo to the lift-off towards the long-term vision. It’s like how the superhero Black Panther’s vibranium suit enables the character to gain strength from punches/bullets that are intended to have the opposite effect. Actualizing the wisdom to seek punches in life to fuel a long-term vision is ideal, but even an amateur can opt to get up before even acquiring the mindset to recognize the long-term dividends of such action. Anybody can have faith to take that first punch, get up, take some more, and keep on getting up even without seeing the whole purpose ’till the end …

Martin Luther King Jr. – “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”