Fight 2 Win Pro

Fight 2 Win Pro Boston was the toughest battle I've had to date. The pressure was undeniable. It felt different than the tournament circuit. This was a show, and a hell of a show it was. I have issue with performing, and especially in front of a large crowd. It took a lot of mindset work for me to not crack under the pressure. For some, crowds invigorate them. For me, I cringe. My team, North Shore Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, was an unbelievable family. They believed in me in 100%, even when I had my doubts.

You can go see the fight on http://flograppling.com

My opponent, Trevor Gudde, is a 3-0 MMA fighter. In fact, he's fighting for a belt in November. He stood nearly a foot taller than me, and brought the ruckus! He was an animal. He was easily the toughest opponent I've faced to date. He wouldn't tap to any of my attempts. He also happens to be a true gentleman, and martial artist. We talked after, and I was impressed with how professional the guy was. He took it in stride. I was able to pull off the win, by decision. I look forward to facing him again in the future. He has a long successful career ahead of him.

I was thinking a lot about this test of battle. I was contemplating the power of mindset. I thought about how useful it is to have positive people in your corner. A lot of us have to work with negative nancy types in the work force. It is unavoidable. This can be an energy suck. We need to keep the emotional gas tank full. It isn't hard to replenish. We can adopt an abundance mindset to begin with. We can also surround ourselves with high quality people, and it becomes fuel. I have the best team in the world. I love my BJJ/MMA people. My crew in Brooklyn (Williamsburg Mixed Martial Arts Academy) were also supportive, and thrilled for my success. Martial Arts brings out the best, and worst in us. We are faced with our shortcomings, and need to confront them head on. My team kept me honest, made me tougher, and had my back. I wasn't a great competitor in my 20's. I spent too much time chasing skirt, and partying to be good at it.

I made the switch when I worked on my mental. We typically don't learn this in school. Never have I ever had a class to teach me how to operate my "software". I took gym class, just any other kid, and learned how to develop my "hardware". Nobody taught me how to work on the mental. I learned that in part from Mike Cernovich, "Gorilla Mindset", and Scott Adams. These two guys broke down the language of mindset. I absorbed what I needed, and made the choice to implement it.

I went for a bike ride the next morning. I was trying to clear my mind, and get the blood flowing. I blew a tire, and had to walk an hour to the bike shop. I had the opportunity in this moment for everything to slow down. I considered what competition meant to me. Why do it? I don't think competition is important for everybody. For the majority, it isn't important. You can still grow immeasurably without it. The BJJ lifestyle is enough to keep you honest, improve yourself, and gain knowledge. Why compete? Why subject yourself to potential injury and humiliation? I chose it, because I wanted to test myself under pressure. I did the same thing taking a 101 class at UCB. We have one life. It's a strange journey; living.

We have options in life. We have decisions to make. I have an old saying. My bestie, John and I use to repeat it to each other like the code phrase of a cult: "Dying is easy, because living is hard."

Truly living should be a battle. When we are passive, and don't engage with the world we miss out on truly living. I made the decision to live as fully as possible. I implemented mindset in order to achieve my goals. I share my knowledge of mindset in order to help those around me. Everybody is capable of riding life like a bull rider taming an enormous beast. It's a wild rodeo out there, and we got to ride. You too have the option to get out there, in a multitude of ways, and engage with life!

I'm doing it my way. I'm fighting, drawing, writing, and tasty danish-ing my way through the cosmos! To quote an old comic book legend, Excelsior!