#146 Problems present opportunity

Last week I dislocated my big toe (or at least that’s my best description of what it feels like), it potentially may even be Turf Toe but short of an MRI I won’t know, which may not be for some time.

When it first happened, my thoughts immediately shifted to my tournament on November 14 along with the training in Oklahoma City with Rafael Lovato Jr and Victor Hugo the week prior. To add to it, I also had to shoot with Xande Ribeiro for BJJ Fanatics that Thursday… “Fuck. Why now?”.

When obstacles like this occur, your mind naturally shifts in a negative direction. Largely because changes in our circumstances make it harder for the brain to understand where we are and what’s happening around us. After a toe injury the internal dialogue can immediately shifts to “will I be able to train, is something seriously wrong, will I be able to perform etc”.

The first thing to understand is that this is a part of life. Any endeavor you so choose will have its risk. Many of us get in a car to drive to the store without thinking although thousands die every year due to car accidents.

It’s also worth noting that we are inspired by incredible athletic performances such as Khabib’s incredible title defense against challenger Justin Gaethe after having broken his foot three weeks prior. Although these situations are never desirable, think of the opportunity you have to challenge yourself.

The best realization is that in most cases you have little to lose and much to gain. We often put athletes and successful people on a pedestal who have achieved great things but they were often in no different a position than you and it all began with a decision to try.