Continue reading]]> There’s an incredible scene in the movie, Facing the Giants.

It takes place on a football field, after practice. The coach catches his star athlete, the leader of his team, talking pessimistically about their upcoming match against one of the better teams in the league.

This was the STAR athlete. His words, his feelings and his beliefs were being transmitted to the rest of the team, and it could not be allowed to stand if they were to have any hope of victory.

So the coach did something about it.

He called the kid out and challenged him to the death crawl. One of his teammates strapped himself to his back, his eyes were blindfolded, and he started to crawl up the field.

Now this drill wasn’t new to practice. They had all done it before, many times. And the athlete had a sense of what he was capable of. But without sight, he had no idea where that point was.

He started moving forward. And his coach was in his ear.

“Let’s go, Brock. Show me good effort.”

He kept moving forward. His coach was in his ear.

“You gotta keep moving. You gotta keep moving. Let’s go. Don’t quit.”

His legs started to hurt. The spotlight was on him. The whole team was watching. But his coach was in his ear. And he kept moving forward.

“Keep driving! Don’t quit until you got nothing left!”

Fatigue was coursing through his body but his coach was still in his ear. And he kept moving forward.

“DON’T QUIT! KEEP GOING! I WANT EVERYTHING YOU GOT!”

The whole team stood up in amazement but he kept moving. One hand forward, one foot forward over and over again. And his coach was in his ear, driving him the whole way, until he finally had no more to give.

He collapsed, and when he took off the blindfold, he was shocked. He made it all the way to the in-zone, much further than he had ever gone before.

And in that moment, he truly knew that he was capable of far more than he once believed.

I thought about that scene last night because I saw someone quit in class.

We were finishing up the night with a little plank work. Pretty light work, but about 40 seconds in, I saw someone completely quit. He abandoned the position and sat down on his butt.

I tried to bring him back and after a long moment he got back in position.

It didn’t last though.

Not long after, he quit again, but this time he did something even worst. He got up, walked off the mat and started getting changed.

Wow.

I came up in an environment where such behavior was unacceptable. And what’s worst is that he was in better shape than several people who stuck with it to the end.

I have no sympathy because quitting easily becomes a habit. If you do it on the mat, you’ll do it elsewhere.

But if you build up a resistance by smashing through obstacles over and over again on the mat, you will also reap benefits when it matters outside.

Don’t quit.

Continue reading]]> Our purpose is IMPROVEMENT. Every day. 1%.

Right now, at this moment, it’s the third month of the year. By this time, most people have given up on the new year resolutions they set two months ago.

Those who succeed though, do something miraculous. They transform intention into action. One step turns another and then another and another after that. They incrementally work towards their goal. And in time, even goals that seem unimaginable get CRUSHED.

That’s what I want for US.

And the three key questions I’m about to share with you will help you maintain your focus and keep you moving forward.

What are my goals in Jiu-jitsu this month?

This is the first question you must ask yourself. It will give you something to focus during the month. That is going to help you. It’s going to be easier to achieve best results possible from EVERY training sessions. It doesn’t matter if you succeed or fail to achieve the goal.

What matters is that you want it and GO AFTER IT.

If you asked yourself this question every month (and took it seriously), it would be amazing what you could achieve.

What project will I give myself this month?

At first glance, this question may seem like the first, but it’s different.

Projects are learning focuses. For example, one month you may choose Butterfly Guard. That means that you’re going to absorb knowledge about the position and those who are good at it. The purpose is simply to learn as much as possible about your focus.

The first question is more open-ended.

Are there any other students that I can build a relationship with?

Man, this is important. Most of my best training has come from building relationships with other students. Finding those teammates who come early and stay after. The ones who ask questions that inspire creative thought. They are special.

And if they have a BURNING DESIRE to achieve what you want to achieve and the FAITH to believe that it can done. It’s going to inspire you to push harder and further than you ever imagined.

Many minds focused on the same goal have an incredible power. And the benefits extend beyond Jiu-jitsu.

Ask Yourself These Questions Every Month

If it wasn’t clear before, these questions should be asked often. The answers will change all the time. That’s expected. The process, though, is going to lead to greater focus and that will give you greater results.

Continue reading]]> At a certain time, and in a place far from here, a man stood in front of a massive pillar of concrete. It towered high into the sky. Immense. Heavy. Immovable.

But he had to do the impossible. The tower had to fall, and he had to be the one to do it, no assistance allowed. There was a gun to his head. Do or die. But how?

With his current strength, there was no way to even budge that much weight. Straining against it would have accomplished nothing, but there were variables in the situation that weren’t apparent at first glance.

In addition to the pillar of concrete that towered into the sky, there was another one right next to it. It was different though. Smaller. Lighter. And then next to that, there was yet another and another and another. Each smaller and lighter than the one before it.

Once he noticed that, a small seed of an idea starting to form in his mind and he ran until he found smallest and lightest of the pillars. He pushed against it, and it MOVED. Whoa! What if? His eyes drifted back to the largest pillar, the immovable object, with a smile on his face.

There was now a possibility of success.

And he seized it by pushing the smallest pillar with all his might. As it toppled over, it crashed into the pillar next to it, toppling that one over as well, which crashed into the next one. And so it went. Each time more force was generated, until a pillar finally struck the last one. The sound was loud, and the force was enormous.

And as the largest pillar toppled over, it was like watching a giant fall in slow motion. And when it hit the ground, dust flew, the earth shook, and tremors were felt far and wide.

What’s the Significance of the Story

This story is a dramatic way of telling you about a physics experiment. And when I saw it, I immediately thought of the power of the smallest step forward in achieving any goal.

Of all the massive goals that exist in Jiu-jitsu, reaching black belt is the most universal desire. And it’s not something that can be achieved easily or effortlessly. Thousands upon thousands of small almost insignificant steps are required to achieve that goal, and many fail along the way for numerous reasons.

Black belt is that massive pillar.

And in order to topple it, you have to start with one step and then build momentum until one day you look back and can’t believe all that you’ve achieved.

The Smallest Step Forward

The first step is effortless. It’s something that you’ve already accomplished. You went out. You found a reputable gym. You contacted them. You visited. And you tried a class.

It was easy. Not everyone takes that step though even if they desire to learn. They hesitate. They have excuses. I know because I once did. I trained at Evolve Academy for almost a year before I finally convinced myself to try Jiu-jitsu. Now I wish that I had started earlier.

Momentum Builds

In that first class, you learned a bit, and then promptly forgot most of it. No worries though. At that moment you started the journey towards mastery, and you’ve already completed the most important step. Starting.

Once you’ve begun, it becomes easier to take the next step and the next after that. The momentum you build by continuing to take small steps forward like showing up to class, drilling technique, and taking notes starts to create a domino effect. And consistent effort is what determines how far you will go in the journey.

Other Applications

There are also specific ways that you can use that focus to develop aspects of your game.

Imagine this.

One day, you walk into class, and your instructor is showing a technique that blows your mind. It seems like something far outside of your ability. You try anyway though. It just doesn’t turn out pretty. You’re forgetting steps. Some movements are hard to do. All kinds of problems.

In that case, there is a method you can use to ensure that you’re still improving. Take the technique and break it down into its individual components. Pick one that is easy for you to do, and then just drill that for a moment. Once you have a firm grasp of it, try another step and another and another.

You still may not get the technique perfect that day, but progress has been made. If you continue to work on it, you’ll master it. That’s a certainty because…

Momentum is powerful.

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Source

Take a moment and look at this picture.

Do you see how the sun’s light just breaks through the clouds? Or maybe the contrast between light and shadow reflected off of hundreds upon hundreds of hills?

Perhaps you even see something that I simply can’t. That’s quite likely actually.

The key thing is that you can see everything in the picture. You may focus on different things, but there’s nothing stopping you from experiencing a sense of wonder at what nature is capable of.

Now what if you were at that location, but there was no light? It was pitch black, and you could barely see anything in front of you.

Would you be able to appreciate it then?

Perhaps. Perhaps not. It depends, right? The main factor would be whether or not you’ve already been there or you’ve already seen what’s possible.

The Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Connection

On the first day, when a person steps into a gym with the slightest inclination of training, it can often be like that pitch black environment.  Wondrous sights and possibilities exist around them, but they can’t see it.

It’s too dark.

Often that initial period is difficult. They’re introduced to countless new movements, and some of those may feel quite unnatural initially.

It’s that period where most people quit.

The shame is that they often do it right before dawn. Right before the light of the sun breaks through the clouds. Right before they hit their first breakthrough and received a true sense of what they could possibly achieve.

A shame, indeed.

The beauty of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu lies in the possibility of creating your own expression of it. It’s when you make that shift from simply trying to memorize to attempting to innovate. It’s when you bring your own insight and mix it with tried-and-true concepts and movements in order to create something that is truly unique.

But the only way to get there is grind through all the obstacles thrown in your path.

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Source: MSN

Take a moment to think about just one thing that you can do now that you never imagined yourself capable of years ago. I’m sure that you can probably think of at least one. It’s even quite probable that you can think of far more than that.

The point of that exercise was to highlight how difficult it is to accurately perceive what our limits are. Just because something seems impossible now doesn’t mean that it will be in the future.

That’s where challenging goals come into the picture.

They are goals that require you to expand your ability in order to achieve success. It doesn’t even matter what the goal is, All that matters is that it is difficult enough that success will require that you change for the better.

I’ll give you a quick example.

Sometime ago, I decided to challenge myself. The goal was to compete at the No-Gi Pan at a lower weight. It worked out to be a good challenging goal because it had certain components.

There was a firm deadline because I had to make weight before competing. Also the definition of the success and failure was clear and unambiguous.

I succeeded in that goal, but if I had failed, it still would have been beneficial. It was my first time cutting weight. The lessons I learned from the process were invaluable.

Also the mere fact that I was willing to take that risk and take it that far shows me that I can do it again.

It simply goes to show that challenging goals that motivate you to act in the present can take you further than you ever thought.

What You Can Do

For Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, some of the best challenging goals are physical in nature. For example, increasing your range of motion in certain muscles or mastering specific techniques or movements.

Those are two quick examples, but if you notice, they have a common link. Success or failure with those two goals are entirely within your control.

You control whether you succeed or fail, and you’ll reap benefit from the effort you put towards success.

Even with challenging goals that you can’t entirely control like winning tournaments or belt promotions, the effort is the most important thing. The effort you put in day in and day out are improving you in ways that you may not realize.

Remember that.

]]> https://www.bjjcanvas.com/the-power-of-challenging-goals/feed/ 2 https://www.bjjcanvas.com/embrace-the-process/ https://www.bjjcanvas.com/embrace-the-process/#comments Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:15:16 +0000 http://bjjcanvas.com/?p=330

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It’s time to believe that you are in the process of becoming great. The key word there is process because every day there is the opportunity to move forward or backward.

No other option exists.

If you have the mindset that nothing stays the same and everything is always changing, it becomes easier to not think of yourself in static terms.  Of course, that raises the question of why thinking in static terms is not beneficial.

When you take the result of any situation and use it to define who you are, you are in fact limiting your potential.

Another way to think of this is to imagine traveling a far distance to compete at a tournament then losing every match. If you think you are a loser as a result, you will be.

How you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.

Now what about the other side of the coin? How can there be a problem when you think of yourself as great or as a winner when you go out there and win matches or choke someone who you thought was really good?

There is a story in the The Art of Learning about a kid who built up an incredible winning streak at chess. His family and friends heaped so much praise on him about his brilliance and skill that the streak became his claim to fame.

As a result, he never wanted to challenge himself and only played against people he known he could beat. He simply did not want to risk shattering the image.

Thus, his potential was limited because he thought of himself in static terms. I could easily see him crumbling if there ever came a day when he lost.

How you think when you win determines the limits of your potential.

All of that goes back to the focus on the process. If your mindset is: win or lose, I will learn from this experience and be better tomorrow, it is hard to be deterred by small events.

It’s all about the long view.

Embrace the process.

[important]All of this may be familiar to you. Perhaps it’s not. Either way, consider it a reinforcement of the idea that the journey is more important than the destination. Simply stay in the process and don’t let small events deter you. You’ll be surprised at how far you can go.[/important]