Hey! Wanna know a secret? How about three?

Now that we are through the initial phase of "Back to School" season we'd like to introduce you to the three secrets we teach our martial arts students of every age to help them persevere and reach their goals. These three secrets will get you through the tough times in martial arts, school, or any other long-term process you begin and hope to finish on your terms.

SHOW UP! There will be countless times when you don't feel motivated to physically show up. Sometimes, if you’re able to muster the motivation to physically show up we might then forget to bring our best mental focus and warrior spirit along. If we forget those, we aren’t fully present. But first just find the motivation to physically get where you need to be! Be careful though, motivation is cheap. It's an external temporary catalyst we rely on to help us do what’s needed. But when those external factors disappear or stop working because we’ve become numb to them the only real thing we can rely upon is discipline. Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Conner McGregor, Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Marc Cuban, Abraham Lincoln, and anyone else’s name you’d recognize probably had a time or two they didn’t "feel" like showing up. Discipline was why they showed up and never quit, and now you know there names. Show up no matter how you feel. It will always give you a sense of accomplishment and pride knowing you did instead of wishing you had.

PRACTICE! Do the things you’ve been coached on as often as you feel is necessary to improve or progress toward your goal. Set a plan that includes how often you’ll practice, how many times you’ll repeat your effort during those sessions, and maybe even decide what specific element of the thing it is you need the most work on - divide and conquer!

DONT' QUIT!  Easier said then done. There are several excuses we make about why we can't or shouldn't but there’s hardly ever a real reason. It’s easy to buy into our own excuses and believe they have weight behind them. This is why we have to associate with positive stories and a strong-minded community that will help us realize when we are succumbing to our own excuses. Have you ever come across amazing stories of amazing people doing amazing things while surrounded by the most soul-crushing circumstances, who some how never gave up or took the easy way out? What's the difference between us and them?  Mostly just attitude and discipline. They've learned to think strong and adapt to the circumstances surrounding them. This is the mind of a champion.

Apply these three things and discover your own result. If there’s been something in your past you at which you didn’t succeed or perform well, ask yourself if you met all three of the above!