In Chapter 9 of 14 in his 2012 interview, real estate development executive Brett Goldman answers "What Did Participating in a Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament Teach You About Taking Risks and Setting Goals?" Goldman talks about the year he trained for both the Golden Gloves and the New York City Marathon. He compares and contrasts the two and shares how the boxing training and fight changed his life. He shares how he learned to not be fearful of taking a punch and why preparation helped him become more confident once he stepped into the ring.
Brett Goldman is a Real Estate Acquisitions Director at Triangle Equities in New York City. He holds a BA in General Studies from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Real Estate Development from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.
Transcript:
Erik Michielsen: What did participating in a Golden Gloves boxing tournament teach you about taking risks and setting goals?
Brett Goldman: It was funny because I did the Golden Gloves and the marathon in the same year, which are two kind of similar things in that training real hard for an eventual outcome. The Golden Gloves are different in that someone else is gonna hit you. Whereas in running, you're just running by yourself and it's all within your mind, but the reason why I did the Golden Gloves was because I wanted to know that someone could hit me and I could still stand up, or I could still stand up to it. I did lose, but I learned from it that I'm not scared to get hit and keep going at it.
Erik Michielsen: What was it like when you stepped in the ring?
Brett Goldman: I was definitely scared but I knew I was prepared. And that's probably something I don't know if I ever knew I learned, or even sometimes still apply. But there's no doubt that preparation is a huge factor in confidence. I heard that the other day. I think it was Eli Manning that said it, but I wasn't that afraid when I walked in the ring actually. When -- Because I knew that I was strong and I was in the best shape that I’d been in. And the guy was gigantic, and had full body tattoos, but I wasn't really that scared and, you know, put that -- you know, put me up in a bar fight where that guy wants to start with me, and I probably would be scared. But at that point I wasn't scared. I also knew it was -- that it was gonna be a fair fight. And that I understood and knew how to box.