Yin vs YangThe Battle for Success in Life

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on twitter.

I recently was lucky enough to get to meet world renowned Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master, Jeff Glover. For those that don’t know, Jeff Glover is one of the best in the world, having won the No Gi Championship in 2007. Here is a great rundown on Jeff from the ADCC website…

This 145 pound black belt is a product of Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller. Now a days Jeff Glover is a teacher in a huge gym called Paragon Jiu-Jitsu, with four training centers in California. He was recently quoted in Gracie Mag to have “the most respected guard in the United States”. In 2007 Glover won gold in the no-gi World Championship.

Now, I have met and trained with, or taken seminars from, many world renowned Martial Artists. However, Jeff is the youngest I have ever encountered and what struck me was his personality. He is funny, over the top, and down right a joy to be around. Now, in a sport where you need to be tougher and smarter then your opponent, this may seem like a strange trait. However, to me, this is exactly why Jeff is a champion. He is himself at all times, and simply enjoys every minute of his day doing what he loves.

Jeff, himself is quoted on the ADCC website as saying…

I’ve been involved in jiu-jitsu for over ten years now, and my love for the art continues to be the driving force in my life.

That is something we at Yin vs Yang have been preaching forever. With the economy in ragged shape, housing at an all time low, and the majority of the world struggling to stay afloat, Jeff is a constant reminder that if you do what you love, none of that matters. He didn’t set out to make money by becoming a Jiu Jitsu champion. He simply started out wanting to train and get better. He told our school that he would get tapped over and over and over again, continually just trying to find his game. Eventually, his persistence paid off, and he even became known as having one of the best guards around. He mastered the deep half guard game, becoming an expert and revolutionizing its use. He did all this because he loves to.

Sometimes in life, we set goals for ourself that are far away. In Jiu Jitsu, you don’t set out to be a world champion. That is a great accomplishment. Truth is, you set out to train every day. Eventually, the opportunity presents itself because of the hard work you put in. Then, when you enter the tournament, that is when the goal of being a world champion sets in.

To be happy in life, we must set out with one goal: find what we love to do, and do it every day no matter what. In another words, “When the Passion is There, Success is Easy”

For more incredible videos on Jeff Glover, check out Grappler’s Quest ‘Best of Jeff “The Pipelayer” Glover’ video list.