My Fight/Your Fight by Ronda Rousey Review
Overview: A raw autobiography by one of the greatest female fighters of our time.
To provide some personal background, I’m not into fighting. “UFC,” “MMA,” “WWE” – these three letter acronyms might as well be government agencies for all I know (not really, but you get the point). All this to say I didn’t pick up this book because I’m at all invested in the world of fighting, but I’m glad I did. Ronda Rousey undeniably has the mindset of a champion and her book is packed with timeless wisdom for anyone who wants to dominate in their field and in life.
What I appreciated most about this book was how Rousey was willing to air her dirty laundry so to speak. Too many of the sports biographies I’ve read have just been highlight reels of an athlete’s career, glossing over any unsavory moments. Those aren’t interesting because they leave out the whole truth. My Fight/Your Fight isn’t like the others. It’s exposed and real.
In fact, the part I enjoyed the most was the phase of her life when she was flat broke and living in her car. I don’t mean that in a sadistic way. On the contrary, I relish her candor. I want to see the hard parts because those are where you really see a person. I appreciate how Ronda let the reader see into the parts of her life that didn’t portray her in the best light, but were nonetheless part of the story.
Each chapter starts with a short paragraph explaining that chapter’s title. These were probably the best parts of the book. Some excerpts:
Chapter Title: Find Find Fulfillment in the Sacrifices
“Most people focus on the wrong thing: They focus on the result, not the process. The process is the sacrifice; it is all the hard parts–the sweat, the pain, the tears, the losses. You make the sacrifices anyway. You learn to enjoy them, or at least embrace them. In the end, it is the sacrifices that must fulfill you.”
Chapter Title: You Have to be the Best on Your Worst Day
“[My mom] taught me it is not enough to just be better than everyone else. You have to be so much better that no one can deny your superiority. You have to realize that the judges are not always going to give the win to you. You have to win so clearly that they have no choice but to declare you the winner. You have to be able to win every match twice on your worst day.”
In closing, this autobiography isn’t just about fighting. It’s filled with timeless golden nuggets of wisdom on how to adopt a winner’s mindset in life.
After reading this book, I found out Ronda Rousey has a YouTube channel about her life living on a sustainable ranch. How cool is that? You can check it out here if that sounds interesting.