Give 100% in Everything You Do

This is my second principle. It is one we’ve all heard about one-million times. It is even cliché in many ways. We have so many things we do every day, how do we expect that we will be able to give 100% effort to all of it (the discussion on multi-tasking is one I’ll save for another day, or let you do your own research). There is more to the idea of giving 100% however, than the, often, short-sighted thought or view-point we give to it.

Most of us apply this principle automatically to the things we are passionate about; the things we care about personally and the things which will give us measurable gains in some area of our lives. If we know or expect we realize some gains from our endeavors, we give extreme effort toward the conduct of our business.

Here is the principle in application. What we have to do is ensure we are applying a deliberate decision-making process to every task we are given. Here is the process I use. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. “Is this worth 100% of my effort?” If the answers lead to “yes, this is worth doing,” then give it 100% of your effort. If “no,” then ask the following question.

2. “Is there a good reason to do it?” If the answer “yes, there is a good reason,” then give it 100% of your effort. If “no,” move on to next, tougher question.

3. “Why am I doing this, is it even worth doing?” Often, if we reach this point in the decision process, we have to actually start asking outside sources. We often have to go to the person asking us to accomplish the task and ask them the questions. Sometimes we have to challenge our superiors on the tasks they’ve given us. If the reasoning can be explained and you are convinced it is worth your time, then give it 100%.

           We always have to ask ourselves if things are worth doing. If we can’t think of a reason, then we have to ask our superiors the tough questions and seek clarification. We need the clarification in order to give the appropriate amount of effort to the appropriate tasks.

           The bottom line I’m trying to get after with this principle is we can’t do everything, but anything we do should be to the absolute best of our abilities. Giving the appropriate amount of effort (100%), ensures we are getting our work done to standard and builds trust in ourselves and between us and our subordinates, peers, superiors, friends, and family.

Stop utilizing utilize! Try using utilize or even use.

I have really started to hate the word utilize. Well, that statement may be aimed at the wrong target. I don't actually have any issues with the word, in fact I think it's a great word, I hate the way people are over using it.

I've been sitting here trying to figure out why people utilize utilize so often and improperly. My grammar is far from perfect, but I think we can all try to speak and write more clearly and concisely. So far, I've really only come up with three reasons people utilize utilize improperly.

1. They want to sound smarter than you. I think this is probably the most common reason for the incorrect utilization of utilize. The syllable words are bigger than single syllable words (utilize vs. use), and therefore make you sound smarter (or like an idiot).

2. They want to speak better than you. I think some people actually have who problems that lead them to believe they are legitimately better than the rest of us (narcissism). I'll admit I do suffer from this issue sometimes, but please refrain from deliberately advertising your narcissism to the world.

3. They are too lazy to use a dictionary. This is probably pretty common as well. I don't know how often the average person picks up a dictionary before they use a new word, but its a practice that should be performed more often.

Believe it or not,  there are definitional differences between use and utilize. I'll let you look up the definitions, but I will share the way I understand it:

Use is used when something is used as it is intended.

Utilize is used when something is utilized in a way that it was never intended to be used.

Example: You use a hammer to drive a nail. You can not utilize a hammer to drive a nail.

You can utilize a rock to drive a nail.

There is some leeway when using use. There is no leeway when using utilize.

Cutting Weight For a Tournament

Cutting Weight

Back in high school wrestling I used to always make weight at one weight class, but I almost always ended up wrestling up a weight class (I wasn't that good, and that was the only way I was always going to have a slot on the Varsity Team).  I never really had to struggle with cutting weight like some of the real small kids did though.  I had NO problem making weight at 172 (and wrestling at 189), and I remember distinctly how much some of the other guys had to put themselves through just to make weight at 103, 112, and some of the other weight classes.

Now that I'm an adult, and involved in grappling again, I've started to see the real value in being the big guy in a smaller weight bracket.  A year ago, I was weighing about 225.  My Jiu Jitsu, and other motivating factors, has brought me down to a walk around weight now of about 195.  Obviously, losing those thirty pounds has really helped out my health, and helped me get better in my Jiu Jitsu as well.  But I've found myself in between weight classes.  Typical cutoffs are 190 and 205.  Now, weighing 195 (NOT at all "cut") going against guys that are walking around at 225 and cutting to 205, makes for a pretty tough fight. 

I've got a tournament on Saturday, and I'm trying to cut to 181 lbs.  I have to tell you though, that I didn't realize that the weight class required me to get to 181 until yesterday.  So basically, while I had been working on it, I wasn't quite prepared for the extra 8 lbs that I suddenly needed to lose.  DISASTER was my immediate reaction.  I thought about giving up on the cut, but instead I've decided to re double my efforts.  So, we will see on Saturday morning whether or not I make the weight. 

So you might be wondering how I'm going to lose that much weight, that quickly.  Well, the truth is, that it will not be a permanent weight loss by ANY MEANS.  And it will not be the healthiest of weight losses either.  Basically, at this point, the plan is to dehydrate myself to the point that I make weight.  I'm spending a lot of time outside in the heat, doing lots of cardio, continuing to train, eating VERY little, drinking VERY little, and taking salt-water baths.  Basically all the things that make you sweat and pull the water out of your body.  The good news is that up until this point, I have been very well hydrated.  I make it a point to drink AT LEAST 1.5 gallons of WATER a day.  Right now, I'm down to about a quart per day, and if I have to tomorrow, I will completely stop taking in liquids.

Obviously, this is NOT what you would consider a typical weight loss scenario.  In fact, it's pretty hard on the body, very difficult to maintain, and can be down right dangerous.  It's VERY important that if you've never cut weight like this before (I have done it a couple times before), that you don't try to do more than you can handle.  It is possible that you could literally kill yourself in the process.  So no, I don't advise doing it this way.  If I had been paying better attention to the weight classes for this specific tournament I would have done this smarter, and actually tried to lose the weight in a more healthy manner.  I have a tournament coming up in august actually that will require a similar weight, so for that one, I will take my time and do it right.  Basically, starting now. 

Well, that's all, I just wanted to write quickly about cutting weight because my mood is not currently very good, and I needed to do some venting.  If I can offer any advice, it is this:  Pay close attention to the weight classes in tournaments you plan on competing in.  But it sure will be nice to be one of the bigger guys in the weight class. 

Remember, your support is motivating!

Update as of 16 JUNE.

I made weight.  It was a good feeling to make the weight.  What I didn't talk about earlier, was how to recover from something like this quick enough that you have a little energy during the actual competition.  Of course, adrenalin helps a lot, but it's not enough by itself. 

What I did was eat a small "Balance" bar every hour.  I think these have a VERY good mix of nutrition and the calories come from a variety of places.  The calories come from a pretty even mix of fats, proteins, and carbs, so your body gets everything that it needs.  Also, by eating bars, one at a time, over the course of several hours, you get small, easily digestible meals that your body can use without the feeling of a brick in your stomach.

To rehydrate I drank LOTS of water, and a little bit of watered down powerade.  I drank about a gallon between 7:00 and 12:00.  So I was ready to go when it was time.  Good luck to all those cutting for ANY competition.

Should the IBJJF World Championship Require Qualifying Rounds?

For this, I'm just curious what everyone else thinks.  Should the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) require athletes to qualify for the Mundials?  If so, what would be a good standard to meet in order to "qualify?"

I was having this conversation with a friend of mine as we were watching the Mundials this evening at his house (I owe him a huge thanks for having my family and I over).  We were thinking that you would get a more realistic definition of "world champ" if the IBJJF required athletes to participate in certain qualifying rounds.

Currently, there is no requirement, and anyone can compete in the "World Championship."  Now, for people who live in far-off lands, don't have IBJJF competitions in their country at all, or simply can't afford to compete more than once a year, this is perfect.  It allows anyone and everyone, regardless of their record, to take a shot at the title.  There is a certain aspect of purity involved in running the competition this way.  It's the very definition of the American dream, coming from nowhere, and making something of yourself through nothing more than merit.

Some might argue however, that this isn't reason enough to allow everyone in to the competition.  Should people have to qualify?  With the Mundials occurring in southern California (a dense population of jiu-jitsuka), anyone in the area can compete.  There is a certain fairness factor here that is violated for the guys who are truly great, have competed time and again, travel the country to go to multiple competitions, and have to fly from all over the country just to get to the competition.  I have a friend in my gym that competed this year.  He did phenomenal.  But he competes regularly in competitions up and down the east coast, and spends, literally, thousands of dollars every year just to compete.  The trip to the worlds alone cost him a lot of money, while the "locals" may ONLY pay the entrance fee.  Obviously, the IBJJF has nothing to do with how much it does or doesn't cost a competitor to travel, but they can eliminate those who have not "earned the right" to compete in the worlds, don't suffer from jet lag, and treat the Mundials as nothing more than another tournament.  If I were a top competitor from Europe for example, and came here only to get injured by someone who has never competed and doesn't even fully understand the rules, I would be furious. 

Lets take the rule set as it currently applies, and apply it to the UFC.  Let's pretend for one second that there is no requirement to be "asked" to fight in the Octagon.  Let's pretend that UFC 200, is going to be an open format tournament, and anyone can compete.  Is it fair for the Pros to have to fight their way through people who have never fought, just so they can make there way back in to the group of elite mixed martial artists where they belong?  I'm not so sure that it is.  Though the rule set is awesome for the dreamer that simply hasn't been discovered yet, I think this is the wrong format for him to be discovered.

So I guess you understand my stand-point on this debate.  I'm curious what others think about this.  Please, comment and let me know, ESPECIALLY if you agree with how the rule set is currently.  I'd really like to hear the other side as well.  It's possible that I just don't understand it.  Or maybe I'm just jealous of all the other blue belts that live in southern California and only have to drive an hour to compete at the worlds.  I'm pretty sure I would be there, but I also compete in other tournaments, and would still respect the tournament if it wasn't open to guys like me, who have not earned the right to be there.

Why Compete? What is the Point and Why Take the Risk?

Why Compete?

Many people in martial arts and BJJ often ask this question. What is the point in competing?  If I train, learn as much as I can, and make improvements, what's the point in competing?  Outside the realm of martial arts, the same questions can be asked. Runners, weight lifters, and people in their work places may all ask these questions and find similar answers as to why not to compete.

I will tell you that in most things in life, competition can be healthy. Consider this analogy: An incredibly bright and gifted student goes on to med school. The student goes on to be the leading MD in his field, and completely rids the world of the ailment he has spent so many years working to cure. Now what?  You see, you can be the best at something, but unless you are faced with challenges appropriate to your skill set, then you may as well have no skills at all. But competition can go deeper.

Competition as a Training Aid

First and foremost, I see competition as the greatest training aide there is. For the runner, races provide motivation to train. The upcoming race, which the runner has paid out of pocket to enter, will give the runner a reason to train more consistently and harder than he has ever trained before. For the martial artist, the same is true. Inside the average person has a real desire to do well. When you have a pending competition, you are less likely to skip your training sessions. In martial arts, you also have training partners that rely on you for their own training and most people also have a huge problem with letting other people down.

Competition teaches us lessons. A famous practitioner of BJJ once said that you either win, or you learn. I think this is very true. The caveat to that is that you actually have to look for the lessons, and reflect on them to some degree. I have lost far more matches than I care to admit, and I can tell you there is a difference between losing and learning. If I was paying attention to what tripped me up, if I thought about it after the match, then I would have something to focus on in my future training. If I wasn't paying attention, if I let the loss get to me, then all I really did was lose.

Competition as a Reality Check

Aside from motivation, and learning,  competition gives us a realistic look at how we compare to our peers. There is no mistaking results. Sure, a ref can make a bad call, we can all have bad days, or just get caught in something that we didn't expect.  At the end of the day however, whether or not you wear a medal around your neck is based primarily on your own individual skills and is a pretty concrete set of data that shows us where we stack up against our peers.

Additionally, competition is the closest thing to a real fight that we can safely see. A lot of guys in martial arts gyms figure that they get enough live sparring with their training partners. The reality however is that things are different in the ring. In competition, unlike in the training environment, adrenalin is present. Peoples’ desire to do well, to win, causes the body to actually produce and release adrenalin into the system. What that means is that you will be facing someone who isn't going to let go when things get a little uncomfortable. And neither are you. What you will learn in competition is that you can take a lot more than you thought you could, and so can other people. This is what makes competition so important, because ultimately, many martial artists train as a means of self protection. I will tell you that if you have never competed, than you don't know what a real fight will be like when both you and your attacker have adrenaline running through your veins. And no, they do not cancel each other out, adrenaline simply enhances both of you, in ways that are very difficult to explain to someone that has not experienced it.

Why Compete?

So all of these reasons are why I would tell you that competing is a good thing.  Yes, there is greater risk involved.  But in my eyes, the benefits that can be gained from competitions far outweigh the risks associated with it.  You will learn more about yourself, your technique, and your peers than you ever will in the same gym you go to everyday.  If you have the opportunity you should compete on a regular basis.