The Reality Of Change

Today as I was listening to the Joe Rogan podcast, I heard something that really stood out to me, and I wanted to share it with you guys.

Joe and his guest (Katy Bowman, episode #601) were discussing disturbing trends in health and fitness. Specifically, they were discussing "quick fix" diet pills. Bowman said that what she found most offensive about these kinds of products is that they ignored "the reality of change." That reality, she stated, is that change requires time and effort.

Change=time+effort

So elementary, and yet incredibly profound.

We live in a quick fix society. Very few of us are willing to put in the time and effort required to produce real change in our lives in any area; be it our physical health, our Jiu Jitsu, our addiction, our marriage, etc... Name the arena, and we could probably use quite a bit more discipline.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone says to me, "Man, I wish I could just come up here and do Jiu Jitsu all day, but I got a real job," as if I rolled out of bed one day and acquired my Brown Belt on a whim. I changed and improved as a practitioner through time and effort. Lots of each. Much of it uncomfortable. But this was the cost, and I was willing to pay it.

There is no magic pill. There is no secret sauce. There are no secret techniques or magical teachers that have the tricks that will set you apart from everyone else. There is only time and effort. The longer the time and the greater the effort, the more profound the change.

There are no overnight successes.

Everyone is crazy over Eddie Cummins right now (rightfully so, might I add). But he didn't magically become a lethal footlocker over the course of a week. Change came to him, as it does all, as a result of time and effort.

As I heard Renzo Gracie eloquently state it once, "You have to be the nail for a long time before you get to be the hammer."

So Ronins and white belts, take good courage. You don't have to worry about finding all the secrets on YouTube anymore. You don't have to spend your money on the newest DVD hoping that it will have the technique that finally gets you that coveted Blue Belt. Those things are nice resources and really helpful, but they are not the magic pill.

Do you want to improve your marriage? It took 10 years to let it fall apart, it won't get fixed overnight. Time and effort are your friends. Do you want to lose weight? It took you 10 years to gain that 40 pounds, don't expect to shed it in a month. Time and effort.

This is the great gift that the martial arts really give those of us who truly embrace them: excellence as a result of discipline. The mats don't lie, and they expose us all as products of our own time and effort.

Here's to hoping that 2015 is a year of tremendous positive change in all of your lives. Whatever change you need in your life can realistically be achieved, no matter how far-fetched it may seem. The question is, are you willing to pay the price to achieve the dream you dream? It really is a simple equation.

Change=time+effort

Brandon Mccaghren

What I needed to hear when i needed to hear it. Thank you Brandon! GOOD SHIT

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

Today as I was listening to the Joe Rogan podcast, I heard something that really stood out to me, and I wanted to share it with you guys.

Joe and his guest (Katy Bowman, episode #601) were discussing disturbing trends in health and fitness. Specifically, they were discussing "quick fix" diet pills. Bowman said that what she found most offensive about these kinds of products is that they ignored "the reality of change." That reality, she stated, is that change requires time and effort.

Change=time+effort

So elementary, and yet incredibly profound.

We live in a quick fix society. Very few of us are willing to put in the time and effort required to produce real change in our lives in any area; be it our physical health, our Jiu Jitsu, our addiction, our marriage, etc... Name the arena, and we could probably use quite a bit more discipline.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone says to me, "Man, I wish I could just come up here and do Jiu Jitsu all day, but I got a real job," as if I rolled out of bed one day and acquired my Brown Belt on a whim. I changed and improved as a practitioner through time and effort. Lots of each. Much of it uncomfortable. But this was the cost, and I was willing to pay it.

There is no magic pill. There is no secret sauce. There are no secret techniques or magical teachers that have the tricks that will set you apart from everyone else. There is only time and effort. The longer the time and the greater the effort, the more profound the change.

There are no overnight successes.

Everyone is crazy over Eddie Cummins right now (rightfully so, might I add). But he didn't magically become a lethal footlocker over the course of a week. Change came to him, as it does all, as a result of time and effort.

As I heard Renzo Gracie eloquently state it once, "You have to be the nail for a long time before you get to be the hammer."

So Ronins and white belts, take good courage. You don't have to worry about finding all the secrets on YouTube anymore. You don't have to spend your money on the newest DVD hoping that it will have the technique that finally gets you that coveted Blue Belt. Those things are nice resources and really helpful, but they are not the magic pill.

Do you want to improve your marriage? It took 10 years to let it fall apart, it won't get fixed overnight. Time and effort are your friends. Do you want to lose weight? It took you 10 years to gain that 40 pounds, don't expect to shed it in a month. Time and effort.

This is the great gift that the martial arts really give those of us who truly embrace them: excellence as a result of discipline. The mats don't lie, and they expose us all as products of our own time and effort.

Here's to hoping that 2015 is a year of tremendous positive change in all of your lives. Whatever change you need in your life can realistically be achieved, no matter how far-fetched it may seem. The question is, are you willing to pay the price to achieve the dream you dream? It really is a simple equation.

Change=time+effort

Brandon Mccaghren

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Very awesome post, I agree 100%. Dedication, time and effort will take you anywhere

Beautifully put, and absolute truth. Sometimes I forget this simple "law" myself. Its always great to have a well worded reminder.

Great read.. Droppin serious knowledge on us! Thanks a lot brotha :)

Awesome stuff Brandon. Such a good read and thanks.

I am going to share your words with my friends on facebook for sure because it is so true that so many people want a quick fix. The quick fix never solves or achieves anything because it only fails that individual in long run when he or she has to deal with the problem again. I have faced all three of those moments, my marriage needed to be repaired but I took a lot of time and faith in God to fix it. Jiu Jitsu I struggle with constantly and primarily when I compete, and I'm working hard to achieve my blue belt, but I know it takes so much more than winning and subbing people. Last, weight for me only occurs during a cut which (as I write this) am going through. Sometimes it can be easy and feel great while like tonight I feel sick and tired. All these areas are difficult, but no truer words could be spoken that in order to CHANGE you need to put in the time and effort. Dedication and determination go a long way, so do not give up when that wall in front of you does not seem to move, your heart and will, will prove to be insurmountable and you will overcome that hurdle. Thanks for the great words of motivation, just what I needed after feeling completely beaten after rolling tonight.

Well said, sir! You are inspirational as always, thank you for sharing!

Love this mate :D

Awesome post. I put it up on our Northwest Training Center/10th Planet Eugene fb page. Thanks for putting that out there.

Wow, this was deep! But the truth

Consistency is key!

Boom!

Awesome knowledge! Thanks for sharing!

There are no overnight successes, but the flip side is that there are no overnight failures either...both take time (as you alluded to with the marriage example). You have to quit trying forever to fail (essentially). Progress may be slow depending on the time and effort invested to get to that ever elusive 10,000 hours. Think of tying your shoes...u probably dont even remember tying them, and if you really focus on it...its actually quite complicated (try teaching it to a child). We have been "drilling" this technique every single day since we were 6, so now we do it fast and efficiently. Imagine if we did this with our jiu jitsu, with our relationships. Time + effort.

A quote I saw yesterday that struck me as relevant:

“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.”

I'm calling bullshit on this BMAC...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

as if I rolled out of bed one day and acquired my Brown Belt on a whim. I changed and improved as a practitioner through time and effort. Lots of each. Much of it uncomfortable. But this was the cost, and I was willing to pay it.

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...you truly are a combination of Fergie and Jesus....you're like a unicorn, I can't even look at you right now.

Naw, well put brother. I know there are a lot of folks that this comes naturally to them and they advance through the ranks faster, but people can get it twisted...there's a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that go into it as well. I wish I could do jitz all day too, but the truth to that is in what they said; "all day"...there's still a lot of time and effort being put in right there. Not all of us can do it all day, but that's why you bust your ass whenever you can and as often as you can. I always tell my guys that you will get out of it what you put into it...you want 100% improvement, you put in 100% effort. You come in and half ass techniques and fuck around on the mats, that's exactly what you're gonna get out of it. My dad always told me that if you can't find the time to do it the first time, when are you gonna find the time to do it the next time. Thanks for the post and I fuckin love that Renzo quote!

"My dad always told me that if you can't find the time to do it the first time, when are you gonna find the time to do it the next time."

Damn...all dad's have quotes similar to this, but this says it best. Stealing...can't wait for my kids to get home from school today so I can segue into this quote. Most excellent!!!

Well said. If you read Mark Cuban's blog (BlogMaverick), he has a lot of discussions like this. I distinctly remember him talking about time and effort in the context of becoming a billionaire, but this could all also apply to martial arts.

great post

Beautiful.

I really needed this.

Inspirational BMac! Thanks for the kick in the a $$!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

Today as I was listening to the Joe Rogan podcast, I heard something that really stood out to me, and I wanted to share it with you guys.

Joe and his guest (Katy Bowman, episode #601) were discussing disturbing trends in health and fitness. Specifically, they were discussing "quick fix" diet pills. Bowman said that what she found most offensive about these kinds of products is that they ignored "the reality of change." That reality, she stated, is that change requires time and effort.

Change=time+effort

So elementary, and yet incredibly profound.

We live in a quick fix society. Very few of us are willing to put in the time and effort required to produce real change in our lives in any area; be it our physical health, our Jiu Jitsu, our addiction, our marriage, etc... Name the arena, and we could probably use quite a bit more discipline.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone says to me, "Man, I wish I could just come up here and do Jiu Jitsu all day, but I got a real job," as if I rolled out of bed one day and acquired my Brown Belt on a whim. I changed and improved as a practitioner through time and effort. Lots of each. Much of it uncomfortable. But this was the cost, and I was willing to pay it.

There is no magic pill. There is no secret sauce. There are no secret techniques or magical teachers that have the tricks that will set you apart from everyone else. There is only time and effort. The longer the time and the greater the effort, the more profound the change.

There are no overnight successes.

Everyone is crazy over Eddie Cummins right now (rightfully so, might I add). But he didn't magically become a lethal footlocker over the course of a week. Change came to him, as it does all, as a result of time and effort.

As I heard Renzo Gracie eloquently state it once, "You have to be the nail for a long time before you get to be the hammer."

So Ronins and white belts, take good courage. You don't have to worry about finding all the secrets on YouTube anymore. You don't have to spend your money on the newest DVD hoping that it will have the technique that finally gets you that coveted Blue Belt. Those things are nice resources and really helpful, but they are not the magic pill.

Do you want to improve your marriage? It took 10 years to let it fall apart, it won't get fixed overnight. Time and effort are your friends. Do you want to lose weight? It took you 10 years to gain that 40 pounds, don't expect to shed it in a month. Time and effort.

This is the great gift that the martial arts really give those of us who truly embrace them: excellence as a result of discipline. The mats don't lie, and they expose us all as products of our own time and effort.

Here's to hoping that 2015 is a year of tremendous positive change in all of your lives. Whatever change you need in your life can realistically be achieved, no matter how far-fetched it may seem. The question is, are you willing to pay the price to achieve the dream you dream? It really is a simple equation.

Change=time+effort

Brandon Mccaghren

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Respect 😊

this is why i love 10th p

Well put. Usually things I want to do come fairly easy to me. I'm not gonna say I can be an expert at the activity or subject but generally I can do what I want with a decent amount of success. Unfortunately, BJJ and most athletics do not come naturally to me. I really have to consistently remind myself "where were you 6 months ago compared to today". Its only then that I can rationalize why I continue to train in BJJ and other forms of grappling (especially now that we have been doing alot of wrestling and I really suck at it). There is improvement albeit very small increments. I can't even count how many times I had that "aha!" moment .... when something I learned a year or more ago finally clicked. Usually, it is when I am learning another technique and somehow it translates to performing something I never could before. Thanks for breaking it down for us the way you did. I need to put this somewhere that I can consistently look at it. I don't know what it is about this struggle that keeps me coming back. Thanks Brandon.

Great post Brandon! People are going crazy over Eddie Cummings? He is one of Danahers guys from my way...hes got some nice foot locks but I don't remember him winning anything of significance around here (I saw him in a PGL match a few months ago)? I know hes good friends and trains with Gary T. so my guess is if hes getting pushed its via Gary. Not saying hes not good or he doesn't deserve it...hes excellent from what I've seen...just surprised to see his name in your post and that people know who he is....

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Originally Posted by VJ Bella

Great post Brandon! People are going crazy over Eddie Cummings? He is one of Danahers guys from my way...hes got some nice foot locks but I don't remember him winning anything of significance around here (I saw him in a PGL match a few months ago)? I know hes good friends and trains with Gary T. so my guess is if hes getting pushed its via Gary. Not saying hes not good or he doesn't deserve it...he's excellent from what I've seen...just surprised to see his name in your post and that people know who he is....

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People in the know are hot for him right now.

We all watched him rip through the ADCC Trials in December. Lost on points in OT to Enrico Cocco, but had him on the run the entire time.

I heard he is confirmed for EBI 3, as well. Should be interesting.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

People in the know are hot for him right now.

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Attachment 3190

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

Today as I was listening to the Joe Rogan podcast, I heard something that really stood out to me, and I wanted to share it with you guys.

Joe and his guest (Katy Bowman, episode #601) were discussing disturbing trends in health and fitness. Specifically, they were discussing "quick fix" diet pills. Bowman said that what she found most offensive about these kinds of products is that they ignored "the reality of change." That reality, she stated, is that change requires time and effort.

Change=time+effort

So elementary, and yet incredibly profound.

We live in a quick fix society. Very few of us are willing to put in the time and effort required to produce real change in our lives in any area; be it our physical health, our Jiu Jitsu, our addiction, our marriage, etc... Name the arena, and we could probably use quite a bit more discipline.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone says to me, "Man, I wish I could just come up here and do Jiu Jitsu all day, but I got a real job," as if I rolled out of bed one day and acquired my Brown Belt on a whim. I changed and improved as a practitioner through time and effort. Lots of each. Much of it uncomfortable. But this was the cost, and I was willing to pay it.

There is no magic pill. There is no secret sauce. There are no secret techniques or magical teachers that have the tricks that will set you apart from everyone else. There is only time and effort. The longer the time and the greater the effort, the more profound the change.

There are no overnight successes.

Everyone is crazy over Eddie Cummins right now (rightfully so, might I add). But he didn't magically become a lethal footlocker over the course of a week. Change came to him, as it does all, as a result of time and effort.

As I heard Renzo Gracie eloquently state it once, "You have to be the nail for a long time before you get to be the hammer."

So Ronins and white belts, take good courage. You don't have to worry about finding all the secrets on YouTube anymore. You don't have to spend your money on the newest DVD hoping that it will have the technique that finally gets you that coveted Blue Belt. Those things are nice resources and really helpful, but they are not the magic pill.

Do you want to improve your marriage? It took 10 years to let it fall apart, it won't get fixed overnight. Time and effort are your friends. Do you want to lose weight? It took you 10 years to gain that 40 pounds, don't expect to shed it in a month. Time and effort.

This is the great gift that the martial arts really give those of us who truly embrace them: excellence as a result of discipline. The mats don't lie, and they expose us all as products of our own time and effort.

Here's to hoping that 2015 is a year of tremendous positive change in all of your lives. Whatever change you need in your life can realistically be achieved, no matter how far-fetched it may seem. The question is, are you willing to pay the price to achieve the dream you dream? It really is a simple equation.

Change=time+effort

Brandon Mccaghren

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With Jiu-Jitsu being the truest example of this equation I have ever seen. Great post as always Brandon :)

But I need to lose 50 lbs NOW Brandon!!! :-(

Lol, but seriously. So true.