The will to conquer is the first condition of victory
Oct 18, 2016 16:36:09 GMT -5
Post by Smart Style on Oct 18, 2016 16:36:09 GMT -5
Sitting alone in his studio apartment that overlooks Westlake, we find Shintaro Majima sat on his couch in a reflective mood, while the Fifteen Championship belt is given pride of place in the trophy cabinet to one side of the sofa
As I am sure you will remember, from the very first day I returned to this country I set myself one goal: validation.
I had always known I had the tools to succeed: the ability, the resilience, the agility, and there were very few capable of matching my striking ability. Yet all the while there were two issues I needed to be overcome: physically I had to put each of these elements together to create something truly formidable, while mentally I had to overcome my habit of thinking back to the times where I had faced disappointment and how I had begun to let this define me. While disappointment can be a fine teacher… Majima swipes the back of one hand down the forearm of his other arm, it can also become the whispers in the back of your mind that makes you second guess yourself, and by second guessing yourself you will never learn.
Pausing for a moment, Majima rises from the couch and approaches the trophy case, opening it to remove the Fifteen Championship belt and place it over his shoulder, before turning back towards the camera
I am not going to claim that I have overcome those issues, as every single match that I have is a new learning process, and to think that my journey has ended now that I have won this championship would be a mistake. Majima removes the belt from his shoulder, placing it back inside the trophy case with a lot of care, pausing for just a second too long to admire the title he now holds before he returns his attention to the camera once more, What this title means is that everything that I have has begun to fall into place, and I have started to become the formidable opponent that many predicted I would be some time ago, yet I was the one who needed to grow into this competitor, and to do this I had to learn from those disappointments.
Taking a seat once more, Majima folds one hand into the other and leans forward ever so slightly before he continues, There are other disappointments that I hope that I have learned from, and soon I will have the opportunity to show if I have learned those lessons or whether I was paying lip service to the lessons I was taught.
I am sure that Terrence Tillman remembers the title I gave him the last time we faced, “The Arrogant Fool.” At the time he dismissed it, yet he now seems to have embraced the idea – so either he has learned to embrace his arrogance, or he has failed to learn from his past disappointments and is projecting an image. Pausing for breath, Majima raises a finger on his right hand for a moment, The fact that, just a few weeks ago, he was so dismissive of who I am and what I had started to put together indicates that the latter is more likely.
By revelling in past glories, is Tillman telling us that he has not learned anything in these past few months? Placing his hands under his chin, so his chin rests on his thumbs, Majima considers the question carefully, If he believes gaining a victory once automatically means he will gain another victory now, that says to me he has not learned a single thing: the sign of an arrogant fool.
Back in Lions Den he was the early standout, yet did he deliver on his promise? He challenged for the Apex Championship on more than one occasion – and I have not forgotten one of those matches was an opportunity he gained by stealing a victory I had earned – yet he never held that title, nor any other title. Majima slowly uncoils his hands, This means the roles are now reversed as I have done something Tillman never could: win a championship.
I acknowledge the pressure of being a defending champion, and I cannot say if I will thrive in this new situation or not and nor will I make a bold prediction one way or the other, but there is one thing I am hoping to prove in this match: to prove that Terrance Tillman is all words. I have waited to the opportunity to do this for longer than I care to admit, so if I have to retain the Fifteen Championship at Tillman's expense… Majima slaps the back of one hand into the palm of the other, So be it.
Word count: 793
As I am sure you will remember, from the very first day I returned to this country I set myself one goal: validation.
I had always known I had the tools to succeed: the ability, the resilience, the agility, and there were very few capable of matching my striking ability. Yet all the while there were two issues I needed to be overcome: physically I had to put each of these elements together to create something truly formidable, while mentally I had to overcome my habit of thinking back to the times where I had faced disappointment and how I had begun to let this define me. While disappointment can be a fine teacher… Majima swipes the back of one hand down the forearm of his other arm, it can also become the whispers in the back of your mind that makes you second guess yourself, and by second guessing yourself you will never learn.
Pausing for a moment, Majima rises from the couch and approaches the trophy case, opening it to remove the Fifteen Championship belt and place it over his shoulder, before turning back towards the camera
I am not going to claim that I have overcome those issues, as every single match that I have is a new learning process, and to think that my journey has ended now that I have won this championship would be a mistake. Majima removes the belt from his shoulder, placing it back inside the trophy case with a lot of care, pausing for just a second too long to admire the title he now holds before he returns his attention to the camera once more, What this title means is that everything that I have has begun to fall into place, and I have started to become the formidable opponent that many predicted I would be some time ago, yet I was the one who needed to grow into this competitor, and to do this I had to learn from those disappointments.
Taking a seat once more, Majima folds one hand into the other and leans forward ever so slightly before he continues, There are other disappointments that I hope that I have learned from, and soon I will have the opportunity to show if I have learned those lessons or whether I was paying lip service to the lessons I was taught.
I am sure that Terrence Tillman remembers the title I gave him the last time we faced, “The Arrogant Fool.” At the time he dismissed it, yet he now seems to have embraced the idea – so either he has learned to embrace his arrogance, or he has failed to learn from his past disappointments and is projecting an image. Pausing for breath, Majima raises a finger on his right hand for a moment, The fact that, just a few weeks ago, he was so dismissive of who I am and what I had started to put together indicates that the latter is more likely.
By revelling in past glories, is Tillman telling us that he has not learned anything in these past few months? Placing his hands under his chin, so his chin rests on his thumbs, Majima considers the question carefully, If he believes gaining a victory once automatically means he will gain another victory now, that says to me he has not learned a single thing: the sign of an arrogant fool.
Back in Lions Den he was the early standout, yet did he deliver on his promise? He challenged for the Apex Championship on more than one occasion – and I have not forgotten one of those matches was an opportunity he gained by stealing a victory I had earned – yet he never held that title, nor any other title. Majima slowly uncoils his hands, This means the roles are now reversed as I have done something Tillman never could: win a championship.
I acknowledge the pressure of being a defending champion, and I cannot say if I will thrive in this new situation or not and nor will I make a bold prediction one way or the other, but there is one thing I am hoping to prove in this match: to prove that Terrance Tillman is all words. I have waited to the opportunity to do this for longer than I care to admit, so if I have to retain the Fifteen Championship at Tillman's expense… Majima slaps the back of one hand into the palm of the other, So be it.
Word count: 793
