Quite honored to be asked by one of my idols Sam Greco to be involved in such an important campaign, #iamafighter which is focused on empowering the lives of young people, focusing on using their own strengths and weaknesses and continually fighting to be the best version of themselves!! Empowering our youth is the greatest cause we could fight for! Sam says “your battle is my battle, we fight together!” I am proud to live by these words. Are you a FIGHTER?

Bill Goldberg

WCW WWE Wrestling Champion

There comes a time in life when our own demons or life circumstances can bring us times of hardship and pain. Having the courage to act and fight through these battles is most important. Its also important to have the right support around you during these times. So don’t give up, reach out and keep fighting odd those demons. Good work Sam Greco for starting such a campaign, I AM A FIGHTER. Those experiencing tough times, ensure to reach out to local professional support services within your area and never give in!

Stewie Moulden

Stewie's House of BJJ

I hung your autographed ‘I am a fighter’ picture near my front door. Meeting you at the Arnold Classic was certainly a highlight. It’s funny how you mention fighters ethic. After this photo was taken my 2016 took a turn for the worse. I lost my Dad to Cancer 3 months later in June, had a major car collision writing off my car in September, my childhood friend died in October and I lost 2 jobs in December. I don’t know how I got through it but I think my training helped me stay on course. I would like to acknowledge Peter Sciarra my former trainer and ICS crew for being supportive throughout that time. Now it’s almost Been 12 months since that pic was taken and I am now starting a self defence training business of my own and continuing to plan for philanthropic charity projects in the coming months, plus finalising two books to be published at the end of 2017. Thanks Sam, much like Stan Longinidis for inspiring me to push myself through the challenges of life and showing us that the impossible can be achieved if you push through. Cheers!

SIMON SULTANA

Dear Sam,

I am so happy to see that you have begun the ‘I AM A FIGHTER’ campaign! I am excited for you, as I know this has been a passionate side project for you, but also I know how dynamic and inspirational you are when engaging people.

You may not recall a particular conversation we had once following the passing of my father 5 years ago. This was a pivotal moment in my life, and that conversation has altered my mind set and allowed me to survive a harrowing time. Further to that, I have often reminded myself of your words and advice when life has “kicked me in the ass” and I have adopted your wisdom in many aspects of my professional and personal life.

To remind you, I had come in for my regular coffee and lunch on an otherwise unremarkable Melbourne day. For reasons I will never understand, on that particular day my usual veneer of coping and positivity was worn down, and I placed my head down with a tear in my eye. I can never truly thank you for noticing my grief, and taking the time to sit with me and offer your wisdom, so I thought I may pen a letter to describe what you did, said, and how it has impacted me.

I expressed to you that “I was just having a moment”, and that things had been rough. I admitted to you that I was just struggling to cope with all of the changes and emotions, and that juggling my personal life with the demands of my professional at a time when my resources were near empty was getting the better of me. You told me to keep fighting, and I remember feeling really angry at that as I felt that was exactly what I had been doing, but I was fed up and tired. I was sick of people telling me how to cope, and that it would get better and time heals everything and blah blah blah, and I told you as much. I had dismissed you at that moment as being another face in a crowd of people that just dragged out the usual positive spin, and I just wanted to leave my half-drunk coffee and walk out with my own turmoil.

You then looked me square in the eyes and said, “Hey! Being a fighter is not about throwing kicks and punches or bravado!” You told me that the best fighters are those that appreciate when to put their arms up and block. You explained that you must truly understand your own abilities and capabilities at any given time, and that if at the moment I was too overwhelmed, then I should just put my arms up and block – metaphorically. You assured me that my “round 2” would come, and that when I was ready, and only then, that I would be able to throw back a little. You described your own experience in the ring, and it was a useful analogy. Sure, there was the obvious “you always have to get back up” and “never give up” spin of the usual lecture, but what I understood was that it was ok not to be strong and in charge all the time. I felt empowered by accepting that, and that damn it, I was a fighter, but now was my moment to reserve my energy and survive. I would “win” another day, probably soon, but not that day.

As you know I don’t get involved in the fight industry, and it is not something I enjoy to watch. Whilst this is an argument I’m sure we could have another time, I did want to confess that I am converted, and truly understand that the beauty of a ‘fighter’s ethic’ (as you called it), the values and discipline, understanding and commitment it entails are universal to anyone, from any walk of life. I hold the few lessons you provided at the forefront of my mind, and never more than when life events begin to pile up.

Being a fighter to me is about being in charge of your own actions, and understanding that, just like the dynamics of a ring-fight, our environment is constantly changing, and that we as people are constantly changing. Given all of that, sometimes you can hit back, and sometimes you have to watch and wait  – but neither action makes you weak, because we are always “fighting”.

I wish you all of the luck with the campaign, and I would be eager to come along to a seminar if that is what you will be doing!

Thankyou again