When I’m fighting a UFC battle, I must read the man before me. I have to guess his thoughts and anticipate his moves. I’m thinking quickly, every fraction of every second. 

My 185 lb adversaries are trained assassins. They rush me in a blur of arms and legs, swinging and kicking with menacing fury. If I fail to instantly interpret the guy’s approach and act smartly, I suffer big consequences. 

When dealing with others in our daily world, we’re in the verbal octagon. We need answers to hurried questions: What’s that supposed to mean? Am I being toyed with? Let that comment go or fire back? How to best deal with this situation? 

The steel-fence octagon demands experienced combat judgment. The verbal octagon demands we decode what really is being communicated. 

In each octagon, we have to rely on our well-honed skills that operate at the speed of instinct. The satisfaction of getting it right is one of the things we live for.