5 Principles for Success in Wrestling, Lifting, and Life

What are your principles? 

What do you stand for?

How do you behave in adverse conditions?

What is your backbone?

What is your foundation?

These are all questions that lead you to do some thinking. Ultimately, the reason I ask myself these types of questions is because I want to get the most out of my potential as a person and I want to get the most out of my life. We have tremendous talents, inspiration, influence to give to the world. But the distractions and attention-grabbing stuff (TV, social media, marketing, advertisements, other people), natural tendency towards laziness and energy conversation, and the negative experiences and self-doubt, they creep in and then take over our lives. Mediocrity establishes its place in our lives and sits heavy. We can fight back. The way we do so is leaning on discipline and principles. It guides our decision making. 

I have come up with 5 principles that guide me in my daily life. I believe these 5 principles can lead to success in any area of life including wrestling and lifting. Why did I specifically call those out? Well, I love those two activities and there's a lot of wrestlers watching my content. They are young and hungry. They are eager to learn. They want to dominate the wrestling mat. They want to win in wrestling and life. Those are my kind of people. So, it's fitting that I can influence them to go even further, think even clearer, and jump levels even faster using these 5 principles.

Why listen to me? I wasn't an NCAA Champion. I am not "the best" whatever that means. I am not ashamed of that. Success is a culmination of a lot of factors. I am proud of who I am now and who I was. Why? Because I gave my maximal effort. I gave what I have with where I was at and with who I was with. That's a famous Teddy Roosevelt quote that I cite all the time. I do believe there's a lot of importance in credibility and reputation. I believe through my content, knowledge-sharing, explanations that I can show that a successful mindset comes from within. There's plenty of champions walking around this Earth without a gold medal. They have that internal fire, the requisite skills, and championship traits. They just haven't realized them fully yet. I feel that way about myself. I hope you can feel that way about yourself, too. 

More than the accomplishments, I love to identify as a striver. I am a learner. I am a reader. I've read countless books (over 500+ in my Audible account and 200+ on my book shelves). I love watching the interviews of champions. I love learning the inner monologues of the greatest athletes even outside wrestling. So, it's not just my personal experience. It's far greater. 

Principle #1: Show up.

Put in the time. Consistency compounds. What does that means? It means that when you show up 1x, it doesn't do a whole lot. But when you show up 1000x, it starts adding up. More than adding it, it starts to multiply. The compound effect starts to take place. Read "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy and you will be fired up about the value of consistency and its compounding nature. It's a powerful concept. This especially applies to skill development things like wrestling or lifting. The feel you will have from drilling techniques thousands of times will be invaluable. You only can achieve that level of mastery through repetition, time, and consistency. 

Showing up extends even beyond showing up to a practice for something fun like wrestling or martial arts. It's about showing up for family when they need you. It's about showing up on the days you don't feel like it. It's about showing up for a friend that needs you. Showing up in relationships is going to be one of the most impactful things we can do in our lifetimes. It's not only about hammering away at our craft, our wrestling, and our personal interests. It's about being present and active in the lives of people we care about. 

Principle #2: Continuously improve.

Every moment and day is an opportunity to get better. Even just getting to writing blog right now, I used it as an opportunity. I posted on my story how I was going to do a blog today, I waited several hours, and, then, I said, "Nope, I'm not waiting any longer. Let's get to it right now." So, I did that. That's a level up. It seems small. But, it's another example of discipline in my life. I now have yet another thing that reminds me of that I am a disciplined person and take disciplined action. Boom. Let's go. 

Continuous improvement extends to every single area of life. Once you have a continuous improvement mindset, you will not go back. I'm telling you. The very first personal growth (another name for continuous improvement) book I ever read was "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. Man, that was a great book to start with. It talks about being proactive, controlling what you can control, thinking ahead towards your long term goals, sharpening your skill, and more. It got me thinking in a "how can I get better" mindset. 

Whether it's improving your skill on the wrestling mat, building a better relationship with a coach, friend, family member, learning something new like fly fishing, mastering a martial art like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, working on your math homework even though it's initially hard for you, or whatever life brings at you, we have a responsibility to be the best we can be. Why? Our personal fulfillment and the people around us rely on this process. If we sit back, if we don't give it our all, if we don't realize our potential through continuous improvement and personal growth then we're going to be less confident and capable. I love having that sense of responsibility. It drives me. Some may say it comes from a place of inadequacy. I disagree. I feel it comes from a place of inner drive and determination. That's something I value. That's something I want to lean into. The chase for continuous improvement is satisfying. Keep getting better. Continuously improve. 

Principle #3: Do the next right and best thing.

Setbacks are inevitable. Challenges are guaranteed. Obstacles are imminent. So, what do we do? We forge on. Do we get into an existential crisis about how we cannot do something? About how we aren't going to reach our goal? No. We stay present. We crush the obstacle that's right in front of us. We do the best with what we have and where we are (again, yes, it's that good of a concept that I mention it again). And, we take the next best thing. Sometimes, in the context of a wrestling tournament, that may be a 3rd place finish. You got knocked down with a loss in the winner's bracket and now you are in the consolation bracket. Swallow your pride. Have a short memory. Reset yourself. Go to work on the backside. Dominate. You have that ability.

Now, not only do we want to do the next best thing, we also want to do the "right" thing. What is "right"? It's the moral choice. We have that responsibility. It may be a more difficult choice but it's the right one. Make that tough call. 

The person who can take on an obstacle, see the difficulty in it, recognize that "Yes, this sucks but I can work through this", and get back into a positive mindset... man, they are unstoppable. Their attitude is amazing. And, let me tell you. These situations are coming. They happen. We get an opportunity to practice these on the wrestling mats in a controlled environment. Use that opportunity. Do not waste it. Because life will throw these things at you and it will not stop. Life will just continue to throw up obstacles. The more resilient, the better decision making, the quicker we get on track, the better off we are. Do the next best and right thing. 

Principle #4: Fundamentals first and forever.

This is one of my favorite sayings. Basics win. I was just in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament and the position that I lost in was a position you learn on your first day. What a classic reminder! Why are fundamentals so important? If you look at any master of anything, they execute their craft with smoothness and simplicity, you think, "Oh, that looks easy." No, they are making it look easy because of their mastery of the fundamentals. Fundamentals also lead to more advanced techniques. You are able to level up because of that base. A simple example is push-ups and pull-ups leading to Muscle-ups. If you can crush 100 push-ups in 2 min and 20 full range of motion, strict pull-ups, the transition to and acquisition of Muscle-ups is going to be a matter of technique. It's not a strength issue. 

Time and time again, I see this principle rear itself. On social media, everybody LOVES the flash. They like seeing people hit the huge and complicated lifts or the weird and sensational complexes. A jacked dude is doing a kettlebell flow that clearly did not get him that physique. He's lying to the audience. I can't stand that stuff. Instead, be different. Become somebody who 1) sees the value of the fundamentals 2) executes the fundamentals 3) refines their fundamentals knowing that they are never fully "finished" or "perfect" 4) keeps them in their programs and life because of #1 (their value) 5) preaches their benefit to those around them 6) understands the compound effect of nailing the fundamentals 7) does not look down upon the fundamentals. 

Forget the fancy. Fundamentals first and forever. 

Principle #5: Thrive under imperfect conditions. 

You go into a competition. Maybe you didn't have all your normal food. Maybe your shoe gets a rip in it. Maybe you forgot your headgear. These little nuisances can throw some people off. Not us. Not with our mindset...

If you need perfection to perform well, you are weak. Those who can take an imperfect situation, look at it and be like, "This is expected and normal" and just roll with it and never lose a step... those individuals are resilient and strong. That's where we want to be. We expect challenge. We expect inconvenience. We expect changes. And we overcome. We adapt. We stay ready. 

Our days are filled with imperfect conditions. Yes, we strive to control as much as we can. We want to be prepared. We want to check our gear. We want to be in shape. We do everything in our power to make perfect conditions. Yet, we understand that some external chaos will ensue. We don't overemphasize it and manifest it into our lives but we know it's out there. When it arrives, we handle it. That's it. Simple as that. 

Thrive under imperfect conditions. Day in. Day out. Do not get knocked off the path. You already know it's uphill with branches across the trail, side trails that lead to dead end swamps, and limited lighting to confirm you're going the correct direction. That's where belief, conviction, confidence, navigation skills (decision making), and resilience all come into play. 

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These 5 principles can be a foundation for success. Make this your base. Know them. Repeat them. Study them. Think about them. Are these 5 everything? Of course not. There's endless principles out there that may serve you given a certain time, place, and situation. Seek out other principles. That's part of continuous improvement, isn't it?! But come back to time and time again to these 5 as your base model. It will serve you on your path to success!