How To Be A Motherfucker
I started racing when I was 11 years old. I jumped in a kart, learned the basics of racing, and almost won the championship as a rookie. My next season I was asked to move up to F1-K, a much faster and more expensive series.
That entire season I spent most of my time battling in the bottom 10. If there was a 20 car field I was usually aiming to finish 10th or maybe 8th or 9th on the best day. My race craft was good but we had no budget for tires so I used the same set the whole season. For those of you who don’t know about car racing — a set of tires usually lasts a weekend or maybe just a single session … I used mine for 20 race weekends.
In the back of the pack I developed a simple strategy — qualify as best as I could — make as many dangerous overtakes as possible in the first couple of laps — proceed to spend the rest of the race using every dirty trick (that was legal) to keep the faster cars behind me. This resulted in me becoming an absolute motherfucker to race against, all at the age of 12.
The next season we were able to get more sponsor money so that I could actually get some tires. My qualifying performances were now consistently putting me in the top 5 — I was getting podiums and winning races. From there I accelerated through the ranks and ended up racing open wheel just a couple months after my 15th birthday. My season of being a fucking loser was what propelled me forward as a driver.
Let me explain, that season when I was in the back, that was the season I really became a solid competitor. Actually I became a motherfucker. I remember grown men being absolutely pissed with all the dirty tricks I would play — they would come into the pits after I smoked them and want to stare me down — then all 5'3 of 12 year old me would stand — take off my helmet and reveal my baby face and curly hair. Their mouth would hit the fucking floor.
I once had a guy in his 40s get out of his car and come shake my hand, I had overtaken him in a chicane that was pretty much flat out, we were flat out touching wheels at 180kmph, no one overtook there — except for me. I was fearless and my season of being a loser had given me all the time I needed to really develop my dog fight skills. The back of the pack had given me the skills I needed to be ready to compete at the front.
I’ve taken this lesson and applied it to my life. Often when I try new things, I’m fucking shit at them, so I grind it out — I learn from the shit — I slowly get better — and then … from the outside …. I’m miraculously a serious contender. The key is to not give up when it’s shit. The shit is where all the growth and learning happens. I look at it like this — if I would’ve had good tires in that first season maybe I would’ve been closer to the top … but I would’ve never learned how to fight like a dog. I would’ve missed all those lessons I learned smashing around in the back like a psycho.
Today in my life as an entrepreneur I feel the same way — everything I’ve struggled with has actually made me better. The rocks in my path have actually created the perfect stepping stones for me to cross each river life has thrown at me.
So listen if you read this far my message is simple — you don’t learn when things are easy — you learn when they are fucking hard. Don’t make it your life’s mission to avoid challenges but instead find the challenges that you love to take on. Find the challenges that help you further yourself on your journey and guide you across the treacherous rivers we all face in life.
Sprinkles Are For Winners.
Originally published https://www.battagli.com/post/how-to-become-a-motherfucker
