“When I hear the word wrestler I see a person, early in the morning, I see them cold, I see them alone, but working, they’re constantly working, constantly chasing the best version of themselves, improving in all aspects of the sport.”—Kyle Snyder
If you don’t know me or read this page regularly, I love the sport of wrestling. I was never a great wrestler (or a very good one, for that matter). I wrestled three years of varsity in high school, but never won a district tournament. Nevertheless, I gained the most of what the sport has to offer—a life ethic. I still never feel like I have truly worked out unless I can wring the sweat out of my shirt. I approach every day with the desire to be the best version of myself—a better version of the yesterday me.
Wrestlers (the athletes and those who thrive in the day-to-day struggles of life) are workhorses. They are fighters. They are overcomers.
I have learned countless life-lessons from the sport and from wrestlers. (I continue to learn.) There is a saying that “in wrestling there are no losers, only winners and learners.” So it is in life. True success in life is in what we do with the opportunity.
Being one’s best today is not necessarily winning the day. It is making the most of the moment—the opportunity that is today. It is doing everything possible to be better tomorrow. It is “constantly chasing the best version of themselves”.
Wrestling coaches teach their athletes to “leave everything in this room”. Anyone who has been in a wrestling room know what “this room” is like—it is hot, smelly, and layers in sweat. It is the product of relentless effort. What leaves the room is a stronger, more confident person who is prepared to return the next day and do it all again—only better.
What the sport gave me—and I see it give others, like my teenage son—is a better version of myself. It has given me a healthy dissatisfaction with myself. In an age of feel-good self-acceptance, I would propose a that a healthy dissatisfaction with oneself is a better alternative. It is a mix of grit and self-efficacy that not only believes in what one can do in the moment but is also confident that one can and will (and must) be better tomorrow.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!