Mental Training

No one ever said a fighter’s life is easy. Their mental toughness is tested, they put their bodies through hell and have their willpower challenged on a daily, sometimes a second-by-second, minute-by-minute basis. This has to make most fighters who pursue the sport ask at one point or another, “Is this really worth it?”

It is if it’s what you’ve chosen to do and you understand what’s at stake. Whether it is in life or the ring, we live with one burden: the weight of DISCIPLINE or the weight of REGRET. They are not equal. Discipline feels like ounces, while regret weighs a ton.

What makes up that weight-differential is that discipline can be managed and tackled on the spot. It can be addressed head-on and dealt with in the moment. You can conquer it right then and there. On the other hand, regret builds up over time. It takes on more relevance and grows in size. Regret has an accumulative affect. It feels bad and as time passes, it gains size and relevance. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, it can take on more and more of what created it in the first place, so the feelings of regret increase. When you didn’t do the easy discipline (immediate action), regret wins out, because you weren't willing to take charge and get it under your control right then in that moment.

Whatever it is TODAY, decide to conquer it TODAY. Right now. Get it done and over with. Don’t let it weigh on you and become a regret you struggle with or have to face when "now" has passed.

DISCIPLINE yourself to:

• Show up at the gym every day this week.
• Put in an extra round, every session.
• Eat right, every meal.
• Do that extra mile of roadwork.
• Go to bed thirty minutes earlier than normal, every night.
• Fight through mental self-doubt and physical pain. Both are temporary; don’t give in to them.

Sacrificing a little now to get more in the long-term is on you. So get it done and decide to do it.

Discipline yourself to act in the moment so you will regret nothing, knowing that you put forth your best effort.