My 6 yr. old son who has been in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for close to a year now has been starting to show a little bit more of a competitive spirit of late when it comes to sparring (and other avenues of life as well). And given the fact that he’s always been one that has sought out validation from his loved ones (in particular my wife and I), and constantly worrying about what his performance in comparison to who he sees as his “competition”, I recently had to have the talk with him regarding who his TRUE competition is… “It’s YOU versus YOU, buddy…Always has and always will be!”…. The truth is, and I explained this to him, that from this point forward in life, the only competition he will ever face is himself. It’s a daily fight between the part of him that has a high standard of excellence, is disciplined, and yearns for self improvement, against the part of him that wants to just mail it in and be lazy… It’s a choice that he has to make, a choice that I have to make, and a choice that YOU have to make every moment of every day between now and the moment we all breath our last breath. When you adopt this mindset, which can be tough, because by definition it requires you to take complete ownership of your outcomes and ditch any excuses you may be making, it has a way of clearing your path for success. So moving forward, know who you’re up against, dig in, and be disciplined enough to make the tough choices that result in you notching more and more wins…YOU GOT THIS! Hands Up…KEEP FIGHTING!!!

Everyone that comes to this community does so with some type of goal…a vision for what they wanna take from it and what they wanna accomplish. Expectations if you will. Here’s the thing about expectations though. Expectations can PUSH YOU or it can POISON YOU… Set them too low and you could be selling yourself short. Set them too high and you risk chasing ghosts. Straddling the line between ambition and realism is never easy. Learning to balance those two can be very mentally taxing, but here’s the trick I’ve found best to manage that…. Because we all possess the tendency to have some sense of control in life, yet actually control so little, place your focus squarely on the two variables that you DO have dominion over. Your EFFORT and your ATTITUDE….All you should learn to expect is to put in 100% effort and have faith that doing so puts you in position to achieve your ideal outcome. Trust me, it’s a liberating mindset shift that will allow you to create a healthier expectation that tends to lean towards heightened ones given the self belief it WILL create for you. Hands Up…KEEP FIGHTING!!!

I know that a lot of you probably live extremely busy lives, and I don’t wanna add more to your plate, but I have NO PROBLEM making suggestions about things that’ll help you level up. And today, that’s exactly what I’m gonna do… I’ve been reading a book called “The Comfort Crisis” that highlights societies collective troubles living an increasingly sessile life void of any real challenges or discomfort, and think there’s a LOT of growth you can get from reading it and putting its findings to use… If you aren’t a reading type, then throw it on Audible and listen to it while driving or on a walk. I’m telling you, this is a MUST READ!!! Speaking of, any of y’all have any other books you think I we could all get value/growth from? List em out below!!!

Just a reminder that although genetics may play a role in your ceiling, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with your ability to reach what your true potential is. And trust me, that potential in ALL avenues of life is well beyond what many of you may expect. At the end of the day, you control only two things. Your EFFORT… And your ATTITUDE…. Double down on making sure you get the most out of each, while falling in love with the PROCESS more so than the OUTCOME, and you’ll be amazed at what manifests itself!!! Enjoy the weekend with loved ones…but be ready to CRUSH IT come Monday!!! Hands Up…Keep fighting!!!

To help kick the week off right, give this video I just posted up on YouTube a watch. It highlights what I personally believe is the MAIN reason you may not be getting the results you want. And no, it’s NOT your diet or training…. Check it out here… Hands Up…Keep fighting!!!