Ultimately, what you put in, you’ll get out. That’s the beauty of what we do in these combat sports. The process is simple, but you have to look at it from a wide vantage point. Week to week you may not see results. Even month to month it’s not guaranteed. Year over year? Ok, you’ll definitely see progress.
And decade over decade? Well, after 10 years you’re a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and your Air Pods no longer stay in because your ears are all jacked up, and you have a Thai kick that can break baseball bats in half 🙂
Point being, simple doesn’t mean easy. Climbing a mountain is simple: just go up! Doing a backflip is simple: just jump, tuck, and roll! Lifting weights is simple: just move the weight! But none of these are easy. In fact, simple often means hard.
You’re going to have tough weeks, you’re going to have tough months. Work, family, injury, boredom — these will always be priorities and issues you’ll have to juggle on your path to mastery. I guarantee you, no matter how tricky it gets, there is someone out there achieving less while taking on more.
This isn’t about shaming or making unfair comparisons. It’s about demonstrating that certain things that sometimes feel impossible are very, very possible if they are prioritized properly.
If you watched any of our fighters who competed over the last two weeks, one thing they have in common is sacrifice. They’re training multiple times per day, five to six days per week, while managing a strict diet and juggling work and family life.
And they’re back on the mats the next day, ready to do it all over again, because, to them, it’s worth it. They are getting more than they are giving.
I’m not suggesting we all take this approach to training — for most of us, it’s untenable and our goals aren’t aligned with success in the sporting arena.
But the point stands: to achieve extra ordinary results, you have to put in extra ordinary effort.
If you want a lot, you have to give a lot.
Decide what it is you want, calculate the price, and then commit to it. Sowing the seeds of success can be painful, but reaping the harvest does make it all worthwhile.