Life is a fight....a fight you will win

With the end of the year upon us, I see many people struggling in one way or another. There are untold countless others who suffer silently. Good news - it will get better. Good days are ahead. For some, they're right around the corner. For others they're further away, but still on they're way. It won't be easy. You'll have to fight. But that's ok.

Life is a fight. Fights are always tough, grueling, and full of personal trials. I train a few styles of combat focused martial arts. The number one rule is to keep your hands up; to protect yourself. Yet we all still manage to get punched in the face at some point. How?

In sparring, getting punched in the face really gets your attention in a way nothing else quite can. Sometimes the opponent is just better/more experienced and there was nothing you could do. Other times its because without even realizing it you dropped your defenses ever so slightly. When you get tired, complacent, overconfident, or comfortable - you drop your hands without even realizing it; till its too late. Most importantly - if you get knocked down, you get back up. Maybe it takes a second or two to shake the cobwebs, but you get back up.

Same with life. Bad things happen. You'll take punches. Sometimes it's beyond your control. Other times it was because you dropped off a bit without realizing. You WILL get knocked down. But you must get back up. After all, even the greatest fighters get knocked down. Muhammad Ali said there wasn't anything wrong with getting knocked down; but staying down was wrong. There's a Japanese proverb that says essentially: fall seven times, then get up eight.

So if 2018 punched you in the face or knocked you down: know that better days are ahead. Reassess your situations. Learn from the mistakes. Sharpen your focus. And always, ALWAYS - get back up. 2019 has great things in store. 

Kill the Ego

Kill the ego. Sounds easy enough. I recently learned, it's anything but.

I always had really good leg strength. But years ago I gave up squats. Partly due to major sports injury. Mostly because they made me feel like I was going to break into pieces. My ankles, knees, hips, back - all hurt. I decided I was too old for squats. I retreated to the leg press.

The squat is the single most effective lift for building leg strength and burning calories. The leg press just isn't. Yet I settled because I felt stuck, with no options.

Until I watched a video about leg work. It was all technique, control, and ego. How bad form causes pain. For real growth, real strength, you must strip all the weight and start over. Perfect your technique. Then add weight.

Terrifying. Noone wants to go light. The gym can be the most judgmental place on the planet. We constantly compare ourselves to others, and vice versa.

I started with the bar. Then 95 pounds. Ya, I got funny looks. Doubt creeped in. Girls were squatting more than me. A guy was squatting three times my weight. Suddenly I noticed my legs were jello! Proper form loaded my muscles like never before. The best leg workout of my life, without joint aches and pains.

Everything changed because I was willing to change. Funny how that also applies to life.

Feel trapped? Hit a plateau? Think this is as good as it gets? Doing things a certain way because it's how you always do it?

Strip it down. Analyze it. Start over. Try a different approach. Do what others won't. Don't miss out on the very best because it requires an unusual sacrifice. Don't be prisoner to your ego. This applies to gym, work, or relationships.

To get something you've never had, do something you've never done.

Kill your ego. Strip it down. Start over. Then enjoy your breakthrough.