Reflections: Conquering Yourself Before You Conquer Your Business
After 23 years away from the sport, I’ve recommitted myself to wrestling. And let me tell you, the experience has been nothing short of incredible. Recently, I’ve had the honor of competing in some high-level tournaments, even winning a few high ranking accolades along the way. This journey has given me a refreshed perspective, not just on wrestling, but on the parallels it has with business and life.
Wrestling, at its core, isn’t just about the match. It’s about overcoming yourself first. Before you face your opponent on the mat, you’ve got to conquer your own mind, body, and limitations. The battles that happen in the wrestling room are more than physical - they’re mental, emotional, and spiritual.
As I’ve spent more time on the mat, I can’t help but draw connections between the lessons learned in wrestling and the lessons I apply in business every day. Perseverance, self-discipline, optimism, learning from failure, physical and mental fortitude, mindset - all of these lessons, though learned on a wrestling mat, are the same ones that shape my approach to entrepreneurship.
Here is why wrestling is so much more than just a sport and how its lessons can set you up for success as an entrepreneur.
Overcoming Yourself
I often say, “If the only thing you learn from wrestling is wrestling, you’re missing the point”. Wrestling isn’t just about learning the moves, the techniques, or how to pin your opponent. It’s about overcoming yourself, developing grit.
Think about it. When you step onto the mat, it’s you versus you first. You’ve got to conquer your own fears, doubts, and insecurities before you even face your opponent. Conquer conditioning, your mental game, and your confidence are all put to the test. And once you’ve conquered yourself, only then can you face your opponent and hope to emerge victorious.
In business, the same principle applies. You’ve got to master your own mindset before you can effectively lead others or tackle the challenges ahead. If you can’t control your emotions, overcome self-doubt, and push through difficult times, you’ll struggle to meet your goals, whether on the mat or in the boardroom.
The Power of Perseverance
In wrestling, just like in business, it’s perseverance that separates the winners from the losers. Putting in the extra reps, workouts, and dietary systems is crucial to breaking through. When you’re up against a tough opponent, you don’t just give up after the first setback. You push forward, adapt, adjust and score the next point. You get back on your feet, even when you’re physically exhausted or mentally defeated.
As an entrepreneur, you’ll encounter setbacks, failures, and roadblocks. How you respond to these challenges determines whether you succeed or fail. It’s easy to give up when things aren’t going well, but those who persevere are the ones who come out on top. Wrestling teaches you the value of sticking with something, even when the going is tough, and tougher than the rest.
Self-Discipline
Your self-discipline needs to be unwavering when it comes to wrestling. You can’t just show up to practice and expect to win. You’ve got to train, put in the work, and make sacrifices. The same is true in business. Success doesn’t come overnight. It takes self-discipline to build a business; the discipline to stay focused on your goals, work on your weaknesses, and keep going even when it feels like you’re not seeing results immediately. Train when you're tired, workout when everyone else is relaxing, study instead of scroll, and fuel yourself with clean energy when everyone else is eating fast food and sugars.
Optimism in the Face of Adversity
Wrestling is a grind. It’s tough, it’s exhausting, and it’s mentally draining. But throughout it all, there’s one thing that keeps you going: optimism. Even when you’re down on the scoreboard, even when it feels like you can’t go any further, optimism allows you to keep pushing. It’s the belief that the next point could be yours, that you can still turn the match around. “If there’s time on the clock, then there is still opportunity!” -Rulon Gardner
In business, you’ll face challenges that seem insurmountable. There will be times when you feel like giving up. But the key is to stay optimistic. Optimism fuels perseverance. It’s the hope that, no matter how tough things get, there’s always a way forward, always a path to success. Optimistic that you will grasp ahold of that vision that drives you.
Learning from Failure
Wrestling teaches you to embrace failure as a learning opportunity. Losing a match doesn’t mean you’ve failed; it means you’ve learned. After each loss, you analyze what went wrong, adjust your strategy, and come back stronger. The same approach should apply to business. When you fail, take it as a lesson, not as a defeat. Failures are stepping stones toward success, and every successful entrepreneur has failed at some point. Every failure needs to lead to improvement of self and systems.
Physical and Mental Fortitude
Wrestling demands both physical and mental fortitude. Your body has to be in peak condition, but your mind has to be just as sharp. Mental strength is just as important as physical strength on the mat. You’ve got to stay focused, stay calm under pressure, and be able to push through fatigue. Develop the feel of wrestling, the tiny nuances that give away your opponents next move.
As an entrepreneur, mental fortitude is just as important. The grind of building a business can take a toll on you physically and mentally. You’ve got to be able to handle stress, overcome obstacles, and stay committed, even when things get tough. The ability to push through the tough times is what separates those who succeed from those who quit. Many say the number one quality of the most elite and successful across all areas is grit. And wrestling builds grit!
More Than Just a Sport
At the end of the day, wrestling teaches you more than just how to grapple with an opponent. It teaches you how to wrestle with life’s challenges and win. The principles of perseverance, optimism, self-discipline, and learning from failure are universal, and they can apply to your business journey too. Wrestling makes doing hard things seem normal and everyday. “Once a person has wrestled, everything else in life is easy.” ~Dan Gable
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