5 Life Lessons from Wrestling

Wrestling, unlike a lot of sports, is unique in its similarity to life in terms of having to compete and train individually with nothing to stand behind but your own grit and will power. Because of this, wrestling provides many life lessons through the sport that can parallel directly with how to live a successful life.

Lesson 1: No matter what, always keep your feet moving.

The only time you are really vulnerable is when you stop moving. Continuing to move is how you open up opportunities for success, and even when your down and losing, it is the constant pursuit of scoring that will allow you to find a way to win.

Lesson 2: It’s never going to go the way you expect. Find a way to win in imperfect situations.

It’s good to have an idea on how something “should” go, but the reality is nothing will ever go exactly as planned. The perfect opportunity does not exist, it is our preparation, execution, and ability to keep going despite adversity that will determine our success.

Lesson 3: Anticipate but don’t predict. Flow with the rhythm and allow your instincts and knowledge to surface.

The fun part of competing is the uncertainty of how any given situation will go. We can anticipate how things will go based on experience but predicting it will go that way and creating a plan could ultimately be our downfall, especially if we predict wrong. Anticipating allows your instincts and knowledge to take over and flow with the movement, and it is in that flow that we can respond more efficiently to uncertainty and adversity.

Lesson 4: Incorporate what you learn into your own style. Don’t seek to replicate but evolve what you know into something that is truly your own.

The best thing you can be is the most you version of you, and the only way to find that is to learn, evolve, and progress a style and identity that allows you to maximize every quality and strength you possess. Learn from others, discard what you don’t like, and incorporate what you do like in a way that best meshes with who you most are.

Lesson 5: Self-honesty and committing to the process is the fastest way to improvement.

To reach your truest potential, the one thing you have to be is honest with yourself about your strengths, weaknesses, points of improvement, and where your capabilities are in comparison to where you want them to be. Both arrogance and being over-critical are the biggest enemies; the fastest way to continually improve is by being honest, committing to the process of improvement, and having confidence in your ability to eventually succeed.