jim is at the gym practicing for his next boxing match. he is observing himself in the mirror because the people around him are intimidating him; he believes they are more fit and  ready for the imminent matches than he is.  in his mind, he is giving himself the motivational speeches that he always used to get from his father. in the back of his mind, h e knows that he can beat any one that steps into the ring; its just a matter of defeating his nerves, his biggest opponent. preparing himself mentally , he believes, is the most important task at hand. when he steps into the ring, he knows that he will be ready if and only if he has been preparing mentally. 
