Do The Simple But Proven To Win

March 08, 2021

From today’s reading…

But his servants approached him and said, ‘Father, if the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? All the more reason, then, when he says to you, “Bathe, and you will become clean.”’” 2 Kings 5:13

We joke around at my Jiu-Jitsu school that someone is a “YouTube blackbelt,” meaning they’ve wasted a lot of time watching crazy moves on YouTube that won’t work against an actual opponent that’s countering their moves.

Yet, they continue to waste their time going down the rabbit holes instead of just doing the work.

People are lured into watching those videos searching for the Holy Grail, the Easy Button, the Silver Bullet that doesn’t exist.

My instructor is a 4th degree Black Belt under Royler Gracie.

He’s a 75x IBJJF Champion, 5x IBJJF World Champion who was ranked #1 in the world in IBJJF for the 2017/2018 season, and #2 in the world in 2018/2019.

Oh yeah. He won many of these championships after beating stomach cancer in his mid-40’s!

So he knows a thing or three about what it takes to win in competitions that matter.

Do you know what he says is the secret to his success: Mastering the fundamentals.

Which is why we start every class with a warm-up sequence that is a series of fundamental moves that build strength, agility, stamina, and the skills needed to win.

But the fundamentals are boring.

They’re not sexy.

Mastering them can be monotonous.

At least that’s true for the small-minded, corner-cutting, glory hounds who want their 15-minutes of fame with little to no effort…and they want it now.

Naaman was no different 2,500 years ago.

Fortunately, he had wise servants who were not afraid to speak up, and he listened to them.(Naaman was the army commander for the king of Aram, so you would think he had some discipline and wisdom, but we’re all vulnerable to our own pride, vanity, and desire for instant gratification.)

But he followed the simple advice of Elisha, was cured of his leprosy, and became a believer.

Stick to the simple but proven words of the chosen of God. It’s the only way to…

Stay the course.Keep the faith.Endure.

Now go sell something.