Talking Stick with Ty Haguewood

Episode #3

Embrace The Grind

I was recently watching footage of Darren Till, a UFC fighter, cutting weight before his weigh in. I have known for a long time about the difficulty that fighters go through to make weight for their fights.

This video stood out to me simply because I had never stopped and watched footage of a fighter actually doing this. I sat and watched this footage with tears in my eyes realizing that these fighters go to war against their bodies in order to make weight and be able to fight.

I was sitting their looking at this guy torturing himself in order to make the fight happen. The crazy thing is this happens all the time. Fighters are known for this brutal process. It is part of the fight game.

I could not help but get frustrated as I was watching this video because I don’t know that I have ever worked as hard as some of these fighters. I mean the intensity. focus, and strength it takes to train for months, have to cut a lot of weight, and it is all for the sake of that one fight. It’s the process that makes these fighters elite.

I know that the average person will probably never know what that exact process feels like but I do think that we can learn a lot from these fighters.

Fighters know that the preparation and focus leading up to the fight is a massive factor in determining if they will win the fight. This is not profound, it’s just true.

We as people don’t always approach our goals and dreams like a fighter approaches his upcoming fight. I contest that we need to start.

Ultimately you and I have some dream off in the distance that we hope to achieve one day. I know that the surest way to ensure that you will not achieve the dreams is by simply not trying. Not trying typically looks like not being content with the process.

You see most people want to achieve their dreams but few people are willing to endure the process it takes to get there.

You can be different.

You can be like the fighter who trains with a high level of focus and precision knowing that the more effective your training and preparation is, the more effective you will be on the day of your fight.

The first thing you need to identify is your goal/dream. Is it certain job? Is it a house on the beach somewhere? Is it that new car you have seen all over social media? Is it losing a bunch of weight?

You pick your goal. Make sure that it is something that you actually want to do / accomplish. This is not the time to let someone decide this for you!

After you pick your goal, you must take a realistic look at where you are and ask yourself, “What will it really take to accomplish this goal?”

After you start to get an idea of what it is going to take, it’s time to start the journey. The journey is where all the growth takes place. The grind is where growth flourishes.

What is often discovered is that the journey, the grind, the process is actually the greatest part of achieving your dreams.

The process teaches you things about yourself like your weaknesses, your strengths, your breaking points, your frustrations, your high moments, your low moments, your habits, etc. The process teaches us so much.

It is important that you actually want that goal or dream and that you are not just saying you do. You will not have the focus to endure if you have never truly had your eyes set on that dream.

The process reveals what you really want. It reveals if you like the old you and all the comforts of that life or it reveals how willing you are to achieve your goals.

Elite fighters want to win bad enough that they are willing to push through the pain of the process to enjoy the product of their preparation.

Are you willing to endure the process or will you cave in? Are you willing to embrace the journey or will you choose to miss your dreams?

Press forward today!

You can watch the footage of Darren Till’s weight cut here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhIhYQFBIMk