Be Accountable for Your Own Success
There are so many imposters out there..everywhere. In a digital ridden age, it quickly gets difficult to decipher real from fake, true from false, clarity from clouded. The reason? Because being true to yourself and the image you produce may have a longer growth curve than from those who develop an online façade. Quality results takes time, time takes effort, and effort requires energy. These are all things that many refuse to sacrifice in order for themselves or their businesses to grow. Getting better at Jiu Jitsu takes years, decades even. The same can be said for inside the weight room as well. Things that are difficult to attain, in the end usually have the greatest benefit for the overall happiness in your life.
Owning your own business, for example, is one of the most fulfilling things a human being can do in the modern age. To be able to sleep at night knowing that your successes, as well as your failures, all fall on you is an enriching and terrifying feeling. However, getting to that pinnacle of success takes years and years of honing your craft to where it’s successful. This uncertainty of financial growth is what drives many to give up after only 6 months, a year, or two years in. Therein lies the obvious thorn, are you in it for the money or the impact you’re creating. Those that are truly in it for something greater than themselves, are 100% transparent with their intentions. They have no reason to use smoke and mirrors against those who in turn make their life possible.
Entering the gym after a number of years without steel in your hands can be intimidating, which is why you must do it. Things that are relatively safe, yet still frighten you, are put in your path to test your will to persevere. The iron humbles you and will bite if you’re not paying attention. After so many years, you may have to start from the beginning in order to build yourself back up. That in itself should draw anyone in that wants to create a new version of themselves. But alas, those moments of self-doubt and fear from the judgment of others creep in and steer all too many off course. It’s up to you to hold fast and manage your ship through all the storms you may encounter. You are the only one responsible for your personal health and well-being.
From my first day as a white belt to now many years later, the mat is always a place to put the ego in check from ill intentions. In our current era, there is no better way to develop the utter savagery that we all as humans still have inside us. Centuries of cultural evolution may have made us a tad tamer, but the barbaric tendencies are still there…dormant…sleeping. It is through the genre of grappling where you learn to become comfortable being uncomfortable. Where every breath, movement, and grip have a purpose. It’s where you are pitted against another individual that is purposely attempting to prevent you from doing what you want. There is no greater form of transparency than getting submitted multiple times for six to eight minutes straight, and then giving your partner a hug only to go at it again.
Just as with the weights, you cannot lie with your snake oil on the mats for long. Although, in business, you may have a longer “lifespan” per se. The truth will come to the surface inevitably though, and everyone will know who the person is behind the curtain. In the end, being clear in your motives may be a long road to travel. The people you meet, the things you learn, the bonds you foster and the success/failures you create on your journey make for a far better trip anyways.
Written by: Ian Strimbeck