photo credit

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

Every Monday is personal development through Jiu Jitsu…

This past weekend, a very good friend and training partner of mine fought in his 3rd amateur fight. It was a close decision after a 3 round bout, with my friend losing 29-28 on all cards. For those that do not follow Mixed Martial Arts, basically my friend and his opponent battled for three rounds, and the judges decided that the opponent won 2 of those 3 rounds.

My friend was very disappointed, as any fighter is with a loss. When you have a fight, you have to train hard for months, making sacrifices in your diet, sleep, work and regular life. Imagine all those months of your hard work rolled into 15 minutes, or less, depending on the outcome. You can understand after a commitment like that how a fighter is upset after a loss.

However, it was not the first loss of his career that was really bothering him. Every fighter loses at some point. My friend was more mad at himself because he knew he was much better than his opponent. Honestly, he was heads and shoulders better than him, but he failed to show it. I have certainly been there, as I’m sure you have as well. I’m not talking about fighting in a cage. I’m talking about not seizing the moment when it’s there for the taking.

Carpe Diem

Lets not get it twisted. Life is complicated as hell. There are so many choices, chances, opportunities, and decisions, that it can make you crazy. However, if you break down life to its very essence and whittle it down to the smallest possible point, you will come up with this basic idea…

Life is made up of moments.

Life is simply moment after moment after other moments. They never stop until your life does. Each moment is special unto itself, bringing about some change in ourself. In fact, it is the culmination of these moments that define who we are. Without some of these moments in life, would we really be who we are?

The problem for us all, especially a fighter, is learning to seize the moment when we have the chance. Seizing the moment means that you fully understand and appreciate the moment during the time it takes place. You are completely aware of the moment, and nothing else. The future does not matter. The past does not come into play. You are simply living in the moment, unaware of anything else but what that moment brings.

The Latin term for this is Carpe Diem, popularly translated as ‘Seize the Day’. However, the meaning is inferred from the literal translation to ‘pluck, pick, or gather’ a flower. It was used to describe the joy of living in the moment and getting the most out of life. 

Getting Rid of Distractions

For a fighter, there are many distractions that can take you out of the moment. For example, thinking about the outcome of the fight, or what your friends might say, or what happens if you get knocked out. These are thoughts that go through every fighters mind, but they are not thoughts about the moment.

The moment of a fight is rather simple. You have an opponent in front of you who you must defeat. They will be coming full force at you, and you better be coming full force back. The fight itself is made up of many moments. Some will be triumphant, and some will be dangerous and test every ounce of your willpower. However, it is the culmination of these moments that determines the outcome.

The important thing, is learning to live in the moment. It is the only thing we have total control over. The object of a fight is to do your best, calmly, and efficiently, during every moment. The great fighters look like it’s a day at the beach when most people would be crying. They will look like they are about to lose, yet they are calm as can be. This is cause, to them, it is just another moment in the fight.

Living in the Moment

Growing up, I can think of a myriad of moments that I wish I had seized. If given the chance now, I’m sure the outcome would be different. The fact is though, once a moment passes, it is gone forever, never to return exactly the same. In fact, one of these moments was the day I had to fight for my blue belt. I got choked out by my same friend from this fight. He seized the moment after I tried to just pull off a lazy, highlight reel type move. It was a lesson I never forgot.

Inspired by my friend’s experience, and the fact that I have failed to live up to many moments myself, I have come up with a list of….

5 Tips To Help Seize Any Moment

photo credit

1. Clear Your Mind

The pressure is off. All you have to concern yourself with is the task at hand. There is nothing else.

2. Focus

What is the task you need to accomplish? Remember, I asked the task, not the outcome. If this was a fight, the task would be to beat up your opponent. It would not be to win.

3. Breathe

The most important part of any moment is breathing. It is necessary, and has incredible relaxing power. Take a few deep breaths to remind yourself of the moment you are in.

4. Enjoy it

No moment ever returns exactly the same so you might as well enjoy them all. Whether a good, or bad moment, there is always the gift of experience. Learn to love the moment, and watch how you flourish in them.

5. Have Faith

The number one distraction for most people during big moments is their lack of self confidence. Have faith in yourself. If you don’t believe you can seize the moment than you do not have a chance. Trust in yourself, as worst case, you will take home a great learning experience.

——————————————————————————————–

If you like what you see, get all the latest updates right to your email…