motivation

Don’t Be Complacent

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When I’m not working as a product manager I am a professional MMA fighter. Last Friday (5/10/19) I learned a valuable lesson in the cage.
The thing about mixed martial arts and most combat sports it’s about controlling moments. In a fight there are several moments. Some moments you control and other moments you work to control. The fighter who can control the most moments typically win the fight.
Last Friday I was the underdog fighting the number 1 guy in the organization. The fight started with both of us trying to take control. We went back and forth until I took the advantage. I hit my opens with a left hand that stung him. He took a shot and I sunk in a choke. It was tight from there I took over each moment. My opponent was left to react to my moments. However that all changed in an instant.
At one point my opponent reversed the position but knowing the round would be over soon I figured I would just wait until the round was over or until I heard the 10 seconds left mark and would get out of the position.
As I was just holding on to my opponent waiting for the round to be over my opponent was getting to work. He began crawling up my body and started to sneak in a choke. Before I knew it I lost the fight.
I got complacent. I thought I had done enough to win the round. I decided I would take a break while in a bad position instead of fighting. In that moment I lost. It was not the

moment of the actual choke. The moment I became complacent in a bad spot it was only a matter of time. 

Now I am forever going to be a highlight reel finish for my opponent. It was only a matter or hours before the ending of my fight reached over 50k views on the internet. But that is okay because the lesson I learned from this fight will be invaluable to me.

The longer we are complacent the harder it becomes to control the subsequent moments that follow. 

Don’t become complacent. Do not take a break in a bad position. Fight until you are out of that position. If you are not in control of the moment do not stop. Don’t allow yourself to be complacent in life.
If you are running a business do not ever think you have earned enough or done enough to get by. The second you allow yourself to be complacent in your business your competitors will begin to take over.
If you are in a spot in life where you have not reached your goals or you are not where you want to be in life keep fighting. Take it moment by moment.  When you get tired do not allow yourself to coast. Recover when you are in a spot to recover.
Don’t be complacent. Don’t end up on someone else’s highlight reel.

Sacrifice

Sacrifice is essential for growth. How can you achieve greatness without sacrifice? If there is anyone out there who has reached levels of greatness without sacrifice I would love to hear it. Without sacrifice those levels of greatness are hollow. Sacrifice adds value to the end result. 

We pay for our success through sacrifice and the more sacrifice the more value the success has.IMG_20170708_165822_411

Through my years in the cage I have often thought about the sacrifices I have made and if they are worth it in the end. That is an important thing to evaluate. Is the sacrifice worth the end result. Sometimes our sacrifices are not worth the end product and that can be a great factor on whether it is something we should pursue.

I remember having a talk with a teammate. He was a star in the making but he was young. It seemed like he really didn’t sacrifice much to get there. He was naturally a gifted fighter and his fights were extremely exciting. The more he fought the more fans he had. He would just show up to practice and prepare for fights. Did not have much to worry about outside of fighting at least it seems. However, MMA is a sport that requires a lot of your attention and if you do not give it to her she will beat you down. This individual sacrificed a lot to get to where he was as do a lot of fighters who take this sport serious.  

I said to him, “Everyone makes sacrifice in this sport. You just need to be okay with them otherwise the sport will leave you behind.”

I believe this to this day. At the time I was working a midnight shift at work, going to school full time and had my first child.  I knew that in order to keep climbing in this sport my sacrifices would mainly be sleep and a 4.0 GPA (which I do not regret) and the occasional time away from my family.

Those are my long term sacrifices that I make everyday. Moreover when I am preparing for a fight I make even more short term sacrifices. The amount I train increases which means I will be away from my family more. The junk food I love I give up on and typically I do not hang out with friends much because I go to bed as early as I can. IMG_20170824_203420

Especially in MMA and in other endeavors its never just you making sacrifices. I used to think that I made all these sacrifices for this sport and that my wife and kids had it easy because they just stayed at home but I was wrong. I am now aware that she too sacrifices a lot for me to pursue this dream. She sacrifices me being away, me being grumpy from weight cutting and my anxiousness when I have a fight. When I have a fight coming up I am not the man she married and that is hard to live with but she sacrifices me for the month or two as I prepare for a fight. She picks up extra parenting duties so I do not have to. After five years I have realized these sacrifices and have become grateful for them.

In the end the sacrifice is worth it especially when you win. Stepping in the cage and putting it all on the line is something that 99% of the world will never experience. When you taste greatness no matter of sacrifice really seems that bad.

IMG_20170902_203334_287Anything that we find worthwhile will require sacrifice. Whether we want a promotion at work, start our own business, starting a new hobby or passion requires sacrifice. Going into an endeavor and not understanding the sacrifices involved is a recipe for failure.

Make sure when on your pursuit that you are aware of the sacrifices you have made, will make and are making because in the end you are less likely to fail because you will not take your sacrifices or the sacrifice of others for granted.

The Greatest Sport

cover2I love God, my wife, my kids and family and mixed martial arts in that order. However, before my wife and kids it was just God and MMA. Mixed martial arts was my first love in life. I have been obsessed with the sport before it was a cool thing. I have always wanted to be a fighter.  

Mixed martial arts is the greatest sport on the planet. MMA is a physical, mental and emotional test between two competitors to see who is superior. MMA requires strategy and has so many variables at any given time you could win or lose a fight even to a lesser fighter. Anything can happen in a fight and at her core MMA is pure (I will refer to MMA as a girl to personify it because that is what good writers to in order to drive a point across). She is not just some sport, She is an art where two people can perform. We are locked in a cage but that cage is where we can experience what it means to be free. She is more than an art she is a lifestyle.  

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Just got the KO (I had appendicitis during this fight)

She takes broken people and makes them whole. I have seen her take shy people and make them out going. The bullied and beaten into the strong and the protectors. I have seen her take people with body issues and transform them, gave the unconfident confidence.  She is the great equalizer. It does not matter what your background is. She does not care how much money you have or who your parents are. She does not care what your socioeconomic status, genetics, nationality or ethnicity is. The language you speak or the country you were born in does not matter. None of this matters in MMA. The only thing that matters is what you put in and how bad you want it. Even the reason you fight in the grand scheme does not matter. If you fight to be famous she can provide the platform. You fight to prove others wrong she will help you. If you fight just to improve your life she will do that.  

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My Utah MMA Team

She can take complete strangers and turn them into family. Provides the the broken with a support system to accomplish great things and become excellent. She creates a brotherhood that few ever understand. These people all come from different walks of life but like I stated previously none of that matters. You do not have to speak the same language as those you share the cage with she transcends language, culture and society. Her language is universal, her culture includes all. You do not have to like all other fighters but she makes us respect each other.

She can provided the highest of highs but with that can come the lowest of lows. MMA is a temptress and can and will tear you down. If you do not show her respect she will leave you in pieces.  She will tear you down leaving you physically, emotionally, mentally and financially broken. After every loss and shortcoming whether in the gym or actual competition tears you down stripping you to the core. You come to her thinking you are great and leaving realizing you are nothing.

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My Pro Debut at 135lbs (TKO 1st rd)

However, with the lows come the highs. Just as the refiner puts precious metals in the fire over and over again to burn out impurities so does MMA. The process can be long and painful. It wears on both body and soul. The process is tried and true and as long as you realize she is breaking you down to build you up properly that is when progress starts.  There is nothing greater when you see the improvement. You get faster, stronger and more efficient. She builds you not only into a fighter and competitor but a student and an artist. When you win there is no greater feeling. It is pure elation. The process never stops but the more you stay with her the more rewarding it becomes.

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The Walk out to my most recent fight

Whether you become a world champion and compete at the highest levels or you just fight once or twice she sets you up to do whatever you want to do in life. She lays the foundation for success, puts you on the path towards excellence.  All you have to do is listen. Listen to the lessons learned in the cage.