Everyone was lost in the hype of this fight. From the pre-fight circus to all the social media hype. Now that the fight is over you have to take a step back and think about this one thing.
Why was this such a big deal?
Boxing purists had their say and the MMA fans had theirs. But this really felt like the super bowl in August with so much hype and the PPV numbers to back it.
But the lesson here isn’t about the fight game. In fact, it has nothing to do with Mayweather or McGregor at all.
It has to do with the basic need of having something to look forward to.
Why did so many people watch this fight? I know so many people who watched this fight that do not care about boxing or MMA at all. But they had parties. They went out and rented booths at the bar and hung out for hours and spent hundreds.
Ever wonder why people are always talking about their next vacation even before they have it booked? Why do we get so excited for the holidays? Or even the Super Bowl and you’re not a football fan?
We just want something to look forward to. Any major event that can get you excited / gathers people or helps you experience something new allows you to rest easier at night.
Ever go to bed at night with nothing to dream about or look forward to? It sucks and can lead to depression. Beyond a sense of purpose, you still need things to look forward to in life and for many people, life is pretty damn boring.
Events like these, with all their hype, a reason to gather people in August of all months when things can seem slow really serve a purpose. A simple purpose of giving us something to look forward to.
As you get older and your sense of purpose evolves, so it is still necessary to find other things to look forward to. A family vacation, a conference to learn something new, a major event, or anything that makes you look at the calendar with excitement as you count down the days.
I think the worst thing you can do is go to bed with nothing to look forward to.
Open that calendar up and make some plans. We all know life is fleeting so there is no better time than the present to find something to look forward to.
Originally published at medium.com