Just because one ride is broken doesn’t mean the whole park shuts down.
When we start after something out there for us that we dreamed up, and when we are doing anything to keep our minds focused on finding the opportunities to live the way we want and to stay positive in the entire process, well, we are bound to find some roadblocks.
The road to success in achieving what you want is always under construction.
It doesn’t mean you won’t take the trip to where you want to be, or that you can only go when you know the lights will be green the entire way there!
Have a mindset that can deal with the temporary stoppages.
We are speaking to anyone in this situation, but let’s use jiu-jitsu as an example here. When setting a goal to get to a black belt in Jiu Jitsu, you’re not really seeking a material object. There is so much more that comes with it!
First, you realize there is so much to learn and to adapt to! So many things to remember! It’s a physical relationship, and things happen such as injuries.
Injury will hurt. But the worst pain of all is a broken heart; when you finally feel like you’re on an upswing and then the unimaginable happens when everything was going just so well. That’s jiu-jitsu.
Sometimes things aren’t going to be just the way you want them. But the adaptable mindset will take you to where you want and need to be.
On your road to where you want to go, there stands a brick wall. The wall represents anything that gets in your way or any setback. There are several different ways to conquer this obstacle.
Option A: Go through it.
Yep. Clinch your teeth and run right through that wall. Yes. If you have this mindset with everything in your life, you can get far. But you will eventually get passed by someone playing it smart and in it for the long haul.
That being said – always do the things that give you this ability to rip through brick walls. Because sometimes good old-fashioned toughness and intensity gets the job done. Listen to those who have had this mindset before you and they will tell you that they did grind and work really hard. Grinding can be good and can sharpen things up. Just remember if a blade is held to a grinder too long, it eventually fades away.
Option B: Think to Solve Look for the most efficient way around that wall as who knows what else lies ahead. If you plan on doing this thing you’re seeking for the rest of your life because you love it, do it the best way possible to be able to do it forever, and keep your ego in check regarding who you are and what you are there for.
Stop and look around for other things that you can now work on to improve your odds and create new circumstances for your own success. Instead of feeling anxiety about what you can’t do, find all the things you can be doing now to shoot yourself forward like a slingshot after this setback.
The real jiu-jitsu match going on here is in your own mind. How are you going to deal with this setback? Will it be the thing that breaks you? Or will it help you light the fire to shine the light brighter and forward?
Mental toughness is more than just physical struggle. Mental toughness is the same deal.
Go through the right program and deal with resistance training in the best mindset possible to come out stronger both physically and mentally. Your mind is a muscle and the more you challenge it, the more dynamic it gets.
See the brick wall? Look for a ladder. Can we tunnel under it? What can we do to get around this thing? Everything has opposition and every opposition can be figured out. With chaos comes order. With winter comes spring. And with night comes the day.
Stay positive and always find a way to win.
Have the ability to react with both options. Know when to use the two. Find someone who has done things you want to do, but also lives the way you want to live. Have the physical and mental abilities to be who you want to be and know when to work on them to make yourself as efficient as possible.
Pictured above is me wearing a sling less than a week after destroying the AC joint of my shoulder. It happened on a Tuesday; I was back in the gym lifting kettlebells that Saturday and was back to submission-grappling the following Monday.
During boxing I would put my hand in a pocket or wear the sling. Practicing jiu-jitsu, I would tuck my hand in my belt and just work my guard. If my guard was passed, I would reset.
That time during training with a single arm was very challenging. My guard was passed many times. But it also improved my overall skills by a quantum leap when I went back to training with both of my arms!
When my parents would train people for kettlebell lifting and there was an injury of some kind from outside events or freak accidents in life, they would always find a way to make a workout still happen. A shoulder is injured? Double up on the other side with a light bell. Work your legs and lower body mobility. Study up on something new to help when you make a full return.
Injured your lower body? Seated workouts became the new thing to do! Just because one ride is broken doesn’t meant the whole park gets shut down! Suffering a terrible lower back injury was a rough one. During that time I found DDP Yoga and made great strides towards getting back to the mat more quickly.
When you suffer a blow or are hit with a block, your mind needs to find a way to come out on the other side in a better condition.
At the end of the day: Winners Win.