On Your Own
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International


January 29, 2017
Copa airlines, Panama City - San Francisco flight 208
Coffee served by lovely flight attendant.


In life we are on our own. We may have many successes and failures and we will have to own up to them and claim them as our own. We can credit others with helping us, we can blame others for hurting us, but in the end, the bottom line is, we are responsible for ourselves. We are on our own.

In every country I have been in, during every time period, good times and bad, I have seen poverty and wealth, successes and failure side by side. I see people who succumb to despair and give up and I have seen others rise up from the ashes like a phoenix and create their own destiny. We are on our own. 

Some people, despite great help from others, will never rise up while others will seize the opportunity and lift themselves up. While one man is always looking for a window of opportunity another is looking for a window from which to shout out his complaints. While often the odds are stacked against us we are still responsible for our own fate. 

A coach may spend years training you, getting you ready for that big match, the world championship, the Olympics. And then, just as you get into the ring, enter central stage, he will say you, Son, now you are on your own.

When you line up for the race, face your opponent in the ring, face the pitcher on the baseball diamond, you are on your own. Your friends and family may be in the crowd cheering for you, but it is still you against the world. You are on your own. The victory or defeat is yours.

When you are on the street facing an assailant, it will be your strength, your training, your wits and your skill that will determine the outcome. It will be you, on our own.  

When you sit down for your law exam and stare at the paper, it is you, you are on your own, your success belongs to you.

We like to rely upon others to do the work for us. We like to blame others when things do not go our way, but we must remember, as any good coach would say, Son, when you go out there, remember, you are on your own.