October 30, 2020

Boxing, Sobriety, and Writing with Ed Latimore on The Danny Miranda Podcast with Danny Miranda

Head on over to Ed Latimore’s website

Boxing requires a huge time commitment including hitting the gym 4-6 hours daily
“I asked myself what do I have to gain by being intoxicated? What I had to gain by being sober is incredible. I have control over the conversation.” – Ed Latimore
Changing one decision in your life can change all of your life
Being able to socialize without alcohol and excusing yourself from situations that aren’t good are critical steps toward sobriety
“A good challenge is one that forces you to grow and develop; it should not be something you can coast through” – Ed Latimore
The best way to tackle a new skill is to break things down into smaller components and practice
Ed’s Writing Tips:
- Write what you know – don’t be afraid to put yourself out there
- Use your life experiences to put your own stamp on your writing
- Show your personality!
Don’t make the mistake of choosing hobbies or a career because other people think it’s what you should do

Ed Latimore (t: @EdLatimore) is a retired American professional boxer, influencer, and author.

A Course in Miracles by the Foundation for Inner Peace – mastering a spiritual journey
The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin – a journey of optimal performance
The Bruce Lee series by Bruce Lee –a series of best-selling fitness books

As boxing careers go, Ed started late – age 22—and got into boxing because he needed direction and wanted “something to show for being here”
After a successful amateur career where he won a national title, Ed became a professional boxer
Ed says that with the amount of money and time you spend on training (before you even get a shot at getting on tv), you’d be better off getting a regular job
Boxing caveats:
- Boxing requires a big time commitment – hitting the gym 4-6 hours daily
- Most fighters don’t get multi-million dollar contracts – even if they earn $10,000 for winning a fight as there are no guarantees for the next fight
- You have to be hungry – it helps if you have no other options
- It’s a rough sport with high opportunity costs
It’s better to start sooner than later but there are no guarantees
Ed left the sport on his own merits– “I knew the end was coming”

Ed quit drinking because it got in way of his career and straining relationships
Ed had a chance to change the course of his life and didn’t want his drinking to ruin that
“I asked myself what do I have to gain by being intoxicated? What I had to gain by being sober is incredible. I have control over the conversation.” – Ed Latimore
Going sober has stuck for Ed

Being open about his struggle has become a source of inspiration for others
“If people can learn from what I’ve gone through, then good” – Ed Latimore
Ed says going sober also offered a good commercial opportunity i.e. a potential book
Changing one decision in your life, can change all of your life
Drinking was Ed’s keystone habit – once he got that under control everything else fell into place
Being able to socialize without alcohol and excusing yourself from situations that aren’t good are critical steps toward sobriety

Ed knew he had to go back to school for something – “Boxing doesn’t last forever”
Physics seemed to have a wide range of options and a huge salary range and he figured “someone would hire me”
Ed got electrical engineering exposure when he enlisted in the army but physics was what he really wanted to do

“All require hard work and diligent work and you have to put your mind to it” – Ed Latimore
Physics made him a better communicator – the language of it is very precise—and that made him a better writer
All three are challenging: “A good challenge is one that forces you to grow and develop; it should not be something you can coast through” – Ed Latimore
Combining skills from different things makes you a more valuable human being
The best way to tackle a new skill is to break things down into smaller components and practice
- That’s how Ed learned to fight and how he got better and better
You can make headway if you put your head down and get to work

Stay in shape – your body is the best weapon you have
Challenge your mind – try a new language
Find ways to express yourself in ways that add value to other persons’ lives
Push to better yourself
Anything is learnable but you have to have a reason to make it stick – make the time investment
Talk with like-minded people
Don’t make the mistake of picking up things that are other people’s idea of what you should do

Ed is launching a YouTube channel with the goal of recording one good video a week
The channel will be another way for people to consume his knowledge and for him to grow his reach
Optimize his Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Ultimately his goal is to write fiction

A Course in Miracles by the Foundation for Inner Peace – mastering a spiritual journey
The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin – a journey of optimal performance
The Bruce Lee series by Bruce Lee –a series of best-selling fitness books