Hitting Goals in Competition, Sport, and Life

A few weeks ago at Texarkana Jiu Jitsu, I was talking about competition and how people sitting on the sidelines can be critics without ever sacrificing anything to get into the ‘game‘ themselves.

Of course the game can be participation in any of the combat sports – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), Judo, Wrestling, Kickboxing, Boxing, MMA, …

It can also be speaking more metaphorically about achievement and hitting our goals.

Worthwhile goals always require some risk. It takes overcoming challenges to accomplish anything worthwhile.

Far too often we find it easier to criticize others than do something challenging ourselves… by putting our own efforts on the line.

I mentioned this quote from a former President that sums it up better than I could have done.

The Man In The Arena, Theodore Roosevelt

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.

Who strives valiantly.

Who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming… but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause.

Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

It’s so much better to try, to get in the ‘game,’ than to sit on the sidelines and talk about the efforts of others.

I hope that we can ALL keep this in mind when we choose to do something, to try, when others sit around and criticize both setting the goal and our personal achievements… especially, when you realize that most people won’t ever even try to accomplish anything significant.

Maybe even more important, we can and should encourage others that are going for it.

We may have reservations about whether they’ll make it or not, but they are just a little more likely to accomplish their goal with you in their corner.

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu and Fitness

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