I Forgive Myself for Not Having It Today

One thing that’s been on my mind this week is how often (when it comes to regular everyday training) we place too much pressure on ourselves to perform and to win.

You know what I think about that?

Lets be clear, we all want to win. It's normal not to like losing, that’s okay. The desire to win is actually a good motivator. It pushes you to work harder and keeps you striving.

But coming into training every day feeling like you have to fight, like you have to win every round, every exchange…or even to complete every conditioning exercise, that’s tough. It’s not sustainable.

It’s already hard enough to get yourself to the gym on days when you’re feeling tired and unmotivated. Adding that kind of pressure on top of it—day in and day out—just makes it heavier, especially on the days you’re already running low.

In the early years of my training, this was something I struggled with too. So what was my solution?

Just show up! On the days I don’t feel like training, I make "showing up" my only goal. No expectations. No pressure. Just show up.

I do what I can. I go at my own pace. I don’t need to go all out on every conditioning drill. I don’t need to win every round. I’m okay being put in disadvantageous positions. I work on defense.  I work on escapes. I take longer breaks if I need to. I tell my partner to slow down or lighten up if things are going too fast/hard. I tap more often..  And most importantly, I forgive myself for not having it today.

And suprisingly enough, at the end of the session, I feel like I’ve won.  Just by showing up.

So be kind to yourself folks, and happy training.

-Bao