Strong ON!

I said something on the podcast that really resonated with people: “Life is just one long injury.”

This came up in a conversation with Dan John, in response to certain “critics”—let’s call them that—who like to pick on coaches for having injuries, maybe even needing surgery.

I said that’s idiotic. First off, many of the best coaches I’ve ever had were—let’s put it mildly—somewhat damaged. Why? Because they lived! They played, they fought, and they trained hard.

In fact, I think the people who make these sorts of criticisms from the sidelines (always from the B-team) reflect a wider problem in society today: a psychology of frailty and weakness. It’s the opposite of “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” These people really think humans are made of glass and that we should train in a room full of pillows, never lifting anything heavier than five pounds, never letting our knees go past our toes—and heaven forbid you ever try martial arts! They sound like paranoid grandmothers.

Here’s the truth: if you don’t find injuries, trust me, they’ll find you.

Life isn’t about avoiding injury—life itself just is one big injury. It’s about playing hard, doing cool things, and pushing the limits, all while doing your best to mitigate (not eliminate, that’s impossible!) injury. And when (not if!) injury happens, you learn from it and recover.

I’ve got my dings like anyone else. Years of competitive martial arts, all kinds of strength and conditioning, and even going all-in as a guitar player—these things take their toll. Some issues build up gradually, others happen because you didn’t use your brain, and some just happen—sometimes you get kicked in the head or crack a rib. That’s life. That’s what happens when you put yourself out there.

If your goal is to stay safe at all costs, you’re actually living one of the riskiest lives of all. You’ll probably end up being one of those people who dies tripping on the sidewalk because you’re so frail and easy to break. But if you really live—if you work, compete, and train like a monster, and push the intensity intelligently—yes, you’ll still get bumps and bruises, but you’ll be far more resilient overall. You’ll be more capable of bouncing back and fully recovering from injuries than if you spent your life avoiding anything intense out of fear.

Here’s another thing, and it’s pretty well studied: People who not only get hurt less but also recover more fully are the ones who, through experience, believe they’re resilient. Of course, it’s not all in your head, but research and experience tell me this: a lot of it is. Mindset, as always, is a major factor—not just in performance, but in resilience and recovery too.

So don’t be afraid to train hard and take risks. Life demands it, and success definitely requires it. That doesn’t mean you have to be reckless.

While you can’t eliminate all risk, you can significantly reduce the chances of getting hurt by 1) using common sense, and 2) taking seriously the advice of people more experienced than you—especially those who’ve been through it and taken some damage. Not everything has to be learned through hard personal experience; you can—and should—learn from others.

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