Hard Lessons From The Hurt Business: Boxing And The Art Of Life (08/05/2025)
We’ve all got a choice. We can get better at fighting or worse at life.
Read the first chapter (Download here)There is no other writer quite like Ed Latimore. He doesn’t fall neatly into any of the common categories of influencer or intellectual or thought leader. He has a kind of wisdom that sneaks up on you. The best part about this book, though, is that it really feels like he’s just speaking with you the way he would over beers at a bar—and Latimore has plenty of experience with this, as you’ll come to learn. He dives into topics both dark and light, guiding you, the reader, with a mystifying combination of unforced confidence and deep modesty. How does he do it? The only answer I can come up with is that Latimore has drawn from his skills as a professional boxer and has developed a variety of unique combinations to hit the reader with from about a hundred different angles. This book is a knockout
You don’t have to take the punches I did. But you can learn from every one of them
From a violent childhood and street fights to addiction and the relentless grind of the boxing ring, Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business is my raw, unfiltered story of how I turned pain into purpose and hardship into personal power.
This isn’t just a memoir. It’s a survival manual for anyone battling chaos—whether it’s poverty, addiction, toxic relationships, or self-doubt. With the bruised knuckles of a fighter and the sharp mind of a physics graduate, I lay out how I escaped a destructive path, found discipline through boxing, and rewired my mind to reroute my life to win on my own terms.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, underestimated, or one bad break away from rock bottom, this book is the corner coach you didn’t know you needed. Honest, gripping, and at times hilarious, Hard Lessons From The Hurt Business will remind you that your past doesn’t define your future—but only if you use
12 rounds in a prize fight. 12 chapters to learn hard lessons I learned the hard way.
1. A Hard Childhood Makes It Easy to Accept Harsh Truths
When survival is your only priority, you never get a chance to pretend the world is fair.
2. If You Can’t Beat Your Environment, Change It
You either become a product of your environment, or your environment becomes a product of you.
3. A New Environment Reveals Old Weaknesses
You can take the boy out of the ghetto, but you can can’t take the ghetto out of the boy
4. If You Ain’t Got a Dream, You Ain’t Got Nothin’
When you’re drifting through life without direction, anyone’s expectations can become your prison.
5. Make Things Happen, or Things Happen to You
Either you take control—or the chaos takes you under.
6. The Harder You Work, the Luckier You Get
No hacks. No shortcuts. Just the relentless grind that puts you in the right place when opportunity shows up.
7. You’re Only as Good as Your Last Win
You’re never “made”—you’re just in between battles.
8. Nothing Lasts Forever
The applause fades. The spotlight moves on. What’s left is who you’ve become in the process.
9. If Your Miserable Life Doesn’t Motivate You, Nothing Will
There’s no deeper hell than being fully aware you’re wasting your potential.
10. Make Your Reality Match Your Ego
You can dream big—but until your actions catch up, it’s all fantasy.
11. You Only Have to Get Unlucky Once to Ruin Your Life
A single bad decision can collapse everything you’ve built—so move like every choice matters.
12. Old Endings Are New Beginnings
Sometimes, walking away is the real win—and the start of something greater.
Ed Latimore’s Hard Lessons From the Hurt Business is an extraordinary chronicle of resilience and reinvention. Ed takes the reader on his journey from poverty, trauma, and addiction to the halls of academia and intellectual triumphs. Along the way, he takes us into the boxing ring as he tells his story of transformation and unyielding determination. Hard Lessons is a must-read, particularly during our age of uncertainty. Ed is a source of inspiration for us all.
Special promotion for a limited time until Aug 5th, 2025
If you pre-order a copy of Hard Lessons From The Hurt Business in any format—hardcover, e-book, or audiobook—or from any distributor, I’ll send you a free copy of my bestselling ebook Stoic Street Smarts: The Timeless Guide To Taking Risks, Building Relationships, and Facing Reality.
Simply send a copy of your purchase receipt to the address below by Aug 5th, 2025 and mention this limited-time promotion. If you click on the link, it’s already pre-filled out. All you’ve gotta do is attach your receipt.
Pre-Order Hard Lessons From The Hurt Business From Any Retailer Below
Limited edition signed copies
Pre-order one of the signed copies and not only do you get Stoic Street Smarts: The Timeless Guide To Taking Risks, Building Relationships, and Facing Reality, but you also get a copy of my classic ebook The Fighter’s Mindset: Boxing Lessons in Grit, Resilience, and Antifragility.
Order below and send your receipt to ed@edlatimore.com with the subject line “Signed Copy Bonus.” If you click the link above, it’s already filled out for you. All you’ve gotta do is add your attachment.
Buy signed copyBulk order pricing
If you place a bulk order, you can recieve a discount of up to 40%. This is the perfect option if you:
- Teach a curriculum, run a business, or have a large group of people you simply care about and want them to learn the hard lessons from the hurt business.
- You want me to speak at your event or to your audience. I’m discounting my normal speaking fee based on the number of copies you bulk pre-order. If you want me to give a talk for your organization, business, student body, or group, Message me first at ed@edlatimore.com.
Order bulk copies at PorchLight Book Company