A MAN CANNOT STAND IN THE SAME RIVER TWICE

WEEK OF 1/19/26

 

It’s not the same man, it’s not the same river.

For those who’ve taken some time off training and are eager to get back into it, there’s often a sense of being able to pick back up where you left off — in the same physical shape, the same mental clarity, and with the same training partners in the same dynamic.

Unfortunately, this can be one of the greatest causes of frustration upon returning.  In fact it’s often more challenging to face the reality that things are different than to actually complete the strenuous training.

You have to understand and accept that while this is the same river, it’s a different river.  Your training partners are downstream of you in skill, and the water you’re stepping back into is different water than that which you stepped out of.  And although we feel like we’re the “same” person, we are different — we’ve had new experiences and we bring a different perspective to the mats.

This emotional dissonance is the number one reason people are unable to return to training with any sort of consistency.  Their expectations just don’t line up with reality.

So, instead of lamenting the loss of what came before, we should eagerly anticipate the promise and opportunities that lie within what’s to come!