MONDAY MINDSET: YOU HAVE TO GET STARTED BEFORE YOU CAN FINISH

WEEK OF 11/04/24

 

You can’t win gold in the race if you don’t queue up at the starting line.  But we’re always so focused on the “gold medals” of whatever activity we’re interested in that we often never even lace up our shoes and get to the race in the first place.

So, I am “coming out of retirement” this week to compete at the 2024 Tap Cancer Out charity BJJ tournament.  And everyone’s been asking me how I feel — will I do well?  Am I ready?  The usual stuff.

To be honest, it’s been 12 years since I’ve competed (with my last fight being in February, 2012, at Cage Fury Fighting Championships) and honestly I’m just trying to get to the starting line right now.  I’m training consistently, dieting properly, and doing all the necessary physical work to try and be as prepared as possible.  But mentally, I’m just eager to start.

Because competition is not really one specific event, it’s a mindset and a lifestyle.  My old coach used to say “Fighter’s Fight,” and I always took that to heart.  Nearly half of my amateur fights were taken on less than 4 weeks notice simply because I was always ready to go and eager to challenge myself.  Fighter’s fight.

I haven’t lived like that in awhile, and I’m not sure I want to again, but for this event coming up I’m just excited to get to the starting line again and see how it feels.

So for those of you interested in competition, you’ll have plenty of time to focus on the finish line down the road.  But the most important thing to do is work towards getting to the starting line.

You will probably not win your first few races.

You will probably realize you are underprepared.

You will likely have a LOT of fun.

And, most importantly, you will challenge yourself and probably find something very powerful deep inside of you that you didn’t know — or forgot — existed.

Now, competition isn’t for everyone.  And that’s ok.  But if the interest is there, but the only things stopping you are worry, anxiety, or pure laziness, then I have to push a bit and ask you why you allow yourself to sit on the sidelines when people half as talented are out there running successful races.

Initially you don’t have to finish strong.  But you do have to start.  So focus on getting to the starting line.  And the rest will sort itself out from there.