Remember Your Why

photo by Fernando Perrier

Ahhhh Sundays in Rio, the perfect day of relaxation--- I'm sitting under the shade of the BBQ here at Connection Rio, enjoying an espresso strength Brazilian coffee and typing away. The afternoon is passing quietly here in the CR garden, the only sounds being wind, rustling leaves, birds chirping, and squirrel sized monkeys chattering. It's the ability to be able to sit and enjoy life (and of course getting phenomenal training)  that led me to Rio in the first place. Being able to relax my mind and body since my fight has really helped me remember my "why?". If you are unsure of what I mean by my "why?" I hope I can put to words an explanation.

After a great BJJ session with Dennis Asche. Photo by
D. Asche

Fight camps are TOUGH. While it builds up to one single moment, the entire camp is a fight. You fight to survive (and win) against your training partners-who are all there to push you to the limits, you fight fatigue (mental and physical), doubts, aches and pains, your weight, temptations, sometimes with your significant other (sorry to my fiancé for being a bit 'prickish' leading up to a fight), and these are just a few of the fights you have to deal with. For those who haven't experienced this you may wonder, why? Why do this? Sometimes in the grind of a fight camp my reason why gets a bit blurry (I never lose site of it), but it's the time in between fights that my why comes clearly into focus.

It's difficult to put into words what my why is, because my why is the internal feeling I get from learning and creating new things, adapting them for myself, and being able to translate these things into physical action. Training BJJ and other martial arts, combining them for MMA, and them performing them whether in the gym or in competition is just FUN. Outside of fight camp I can open my mind and my game up and embrace my weaknesses and work on new training philosophies in a more relaxed setting that will allow me to gain a better understanding of the art behind martial arts. I still train very hard, but my mind is relaxed and playful, I let go of ego and enjoy the process. If I get subbed, tagged, or taken down I shake it off (or laugh it off depending on what crazy submission I got caught from the guys at Rio Fighters) and keep going. When I keep things playful and have fun the improvement comes automatically with it.

I have had the privilege to meet BJJ and MMA enthusiasts from all over the world. A vast majority seem to have a good grasp on their why, but every so often someone comes through who has lost sight of their why. These people put pressure, whether real or imagined, on themselves that in the end make training not enjoyable, feel like work (of the OMG I don't want to do this kind), burn themselves out, or worst of all make them feel alienated from something they once loved. We all face these challenges and everyday isn't always going to be fun or enjoyable but the important thing is to remember that it's part of the process and keep focused on our why. Personally, it's to learn above all to have fun, for you it can be something different. In fact those are usually my final thoughts - 'go out there and have fun, you're doing this because you love it not because you hate it'- I have before walking out and stepping into the cage or on the mats for competition. For me, that's that's my why.

 *****On a side note, this past week I had the privilege to go on the podcast From The Eastside With Love and talk about my time here in Brazil and discussed MMA. Please if you get a chance head over to their site and check it out. http://fteswl.com/2015/08/21/mma-fighterwrestling-coach-torryn-falcon-heffelfinger/ *****

photo provided by J. Moreno.