Keep showing up!

I’ve learned again how important it is to just keep showing up.  The last couple of weeks at my Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) class have proved it true.

I’ve been training in the Martial Arts since 2008.  I’ve earned a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ).  During that time, from 2009 – 2012, I actually worked for the studio where I trained.  However, about the time I earned my current rank in each of these disciplines I began having chronic respiratory problems.  It wasn’t until last summer (2012) that I was diagnosed with asthma.  Since then, I’ve had significant improvments in my health.

I tell you all of that so that you have a little more context for the rest of this post.  You see, I earned my current rank in December of 2011 and since that time, until about 3 months ago, I trained very little (maybe 2 months total) due to my health problems.  I began training again, in MMA (which includes the BJJ training), in April of this year.  Because of my current schedule I’ve had to limit my training to just the MMA program, and my attendance has still been hit and miss.  But, when I can, I show up!

We have a saying when we train that goes like this;  “Sometimes you’re the pigeon, sometimes you’re the statue.” Meaning basically, sometimes you have all of the moves and other times you just seem to stand still and get “pooped” on.

Well, needless to say, I’ve spent a lot of time being the statue since I started training again.  Just like anything else that you don’t do for a long time, it takes time to get the brain and the body on the same page.  The best way to line things back up?  You guessed it; keep showing up.  I’ve continued to show up over the last 3 months as often as I can and the last 2 weeks things have really started coming together.  I actually gained my first submission since being back in class.  I can’t describe how excited I was.  To top it off, it was a triangle choke, and I’ve never finished that submission before; ever!  All of this because I just kept showing up.

I want to encourage you, that in whatever it is that you’re doing or trying to win at; whether it’s a job, a hobby, a relationship, that “just showing up” is more than half the battle in accomplishing your goal.

Keep showing up!