A different way of thinking

People ask how I did and when I respond by saying “I went 1–2 but had an amazing weekend,” I’m often met with a blank stare — as if they’re assuming a losing weekend would qualify for a bad experience.

That used to be the case — but not so much anymore!

I used to tie my emotions and self worth to my record — rising with the wins and falling with the loses. I, much like the majority of athletes, lost the true essence of competition when I stopped focusing on having fun and wrestling hard — instead focusing on the external conditions of winning and losing.

I would’ve loved to have won — I would love to call myself a US Open Champion — I’d love to be a collegiate National Champion — and I’d love to have been a 4x high school state champion, but that didn’t happen and I’m still okay.

After my college career I struggled and felt like a failure — why? I lost sight of what really mattered.

I started all 4 years, nearly won 100 matches, was a team captain, and competed in the D1 NCAA Championships 3 of my 4 years.

Although I found certain amounts of success on the mat I still fell short of my expectations for myself. Throughout the years I began losing the fun that got me started in the first place — It became work, rather than a passion.