No one’s waiting to mark you present or absent on an attendance sheet. 

No one’s tracking your progress or checking to see if you’re doing the work. 

It’s just you.

Your goals. Your commitment. And whether or not you’ll show up.

This is both liberating and terrifying.

With the New Year (2025) approaching, I always like to spend a fair amount of time in December reflecting on the previous 12 months and setting some sort of goal, or rather a standard for the following year. 

A standard differs from a goal, in that it is NOT an one-time achievable feat, but more willingly something you need to live up to every day.  

It’s kind of a ‘New Year Resolution’, but more so, a daily reminder to help me transform into the person I want to become. 

Finding the perfect gift for a jiu jitsu enthusiast can be challenging. Whether they’re a beginner or seasoned competitor, these gifts will enhance their training, recovery, or overall love for the art. Here are ten well-rounded options with something for every budget and experience level.

During the next few months, when most people are ‘over-ing’ (over consuming, over eating, over relaxing, over drinking).

I like to be getting overly fit.

But how?

All we have is reminders to do the opposite.

The process is in the pudding, using these reminders to intentionally condition your own mind.

Jiu Jitsu, known as the "gentle art," is a martial art that prioritizes leverage, technique, and strategy to allow individuals of any size or strength to control and submit larger opponents. Focusing on grappling and ground control, jiu jitsu teaches practitioners how to dominate by using precise body mechanics rather than brute force.

Is “loves to travel” in your dating profile bio? 

That said, traveling also requires transportation, planning, and delays: meaning airports, language barriers, lost luggage, flight cancellations, and aimless wandering – clearly, not everyone’s cup of tea.

In this tale, a farmer plants a tree with great enthusiasm, boasting to all his neighbors about how it will bear the sweetest fruit.

However, as time goes on, he fails to water and care for it properly. He misses one day, then the next, and then the next.

Years pass, and the tree grows weak and barren.

Meanwhile, his neighbor silently tends to his tree, putting in the work daily.

Over time, the neighbor’s tree bears abundant, delicious fruit, while the farmer’s tree withers away.

The list now includes a broader range of topics, from physical conditioning and mental discipline to leadership principles and personal development. Each of these podcasts provides a unique perspective, ensuring that jiu jitsu practitioners can find valuable lessons no matter what aspect of their training they're focusing on. Whether it's technical analysis, strength and conditioning, or philosophy, this list has something for every type of grappler.

Consistency is often looked at as the secret ingredient to success, mastery, and progress. 

And in my opinion, it is.

Being consistent is hard. It requires discipline, effort, and resilience. Especially in the beginning. 

Show up every day, put in the work, and eventually, you’ll get what you want. 

It’s that simple, right?

No, not quite.. .

Because there is a shadow side to consistency.  

Life can sometimes throw curveballs that keep us off the mats, whether it's work, family, or unexpected events. As much as we strive to train five days a week, the reality is that there will be times when our priorities shift.