Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

In this day and age of the McDonald’s drive-through instant gratification culture, I feel the importance of grinding our way through life has been lost in the shuffle.

To be clear, I believe in grinding through any problem, obstacle or challenge. To me, it’s the only way. Being born deaf leaves me no choice but to grind in my studies, sports, and martial arts. While others may give you a break here and there, ultimately you have to make your own breaks.

Aside: my life isn’t all about grinding. You have to make room for an enjoyable life filled with an active social life and fun activities. You can’t be Ebenezer Scrooge 24/7/365 for God’s sake!!

Anyway……

What do I mean by “grinding?”

Basically, grinding is working your ass off to achieve a goal or to power through an obstacle. The grinding mindset recognizes that there are no shortcuts to solving a problem or meeting an objective.

https://youtu.be/EIdhdZEdMKc?si=M1tHaOpmQFozTmkh

If you are not able to view the video, go here.

For example, classroom discussions during my law school years were quite problematic. While I had great note-takers assisting me, I always felt I was missing out on the legal nuances of the cases assigned for that class. As a result, I buried myself in reading extra case law late at night in the law library. I just wanted to make sure that I covered the bases.

Hell, I was trying to survive in law school.

Another example concerns my bar exam experience while living in Columbus, Ohio. Virtually everyone taking the bar exam will participate in a six-week bar review course. I took the February 1991 bar exam. The bar review courses were available only in Cleveland or Cincinnati for this particular bar exam. Don’t ask me why. I decided against this option. The second option was to listen to bar review courses on audiocassette tapes. That option was out since I needed to read lips.

The last option was to study written bar review materials. I went with the most boring option possible to maximize my chances of passing the bar. What’s worse, I was new to Columbus, having moved there six months prior. Other than a six-month legal internship, I didn’t know anybody and didn’t have a job lined up.

It was a make-or-break time for me. I literally could not afford to fail the bar exam. I had no discernible future in law. Fail the bar exam and no law firm or state agency would be interested in interviewing me.

I had no choice but to buckle down and study 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Two weeks before the bar exam, I increased that to 16 hours daily. I was so stressed that I lost 12 lbs during those last two weeks.

And I passed the bar exam on the first go around. Damn, I was so relieved when I got the result.

This immediately opened doors, leading me to a great job at the Industrial Commission in Columbus for 17 years before moving to Canada.

At this point, it should be evident that I believe in the importance of grinding!

But I wasn’t always that way!

I coasted through high school, settling for B+ grades. More than once, my parents got on my ass and told me that I could do better. Instead, I tuned them out and preferred to hang out with my friends playing street baseball and basketball.

You know what? My parents were right. Obviously, I was not a grinder back then.

My freshman year at Notre Dame was a rude awakening. I felt as if everyone was smarter than me and I was floored by the amount of work that I had. I adjusted in a hurry and developed my work ethic which hasn’t changed to this day.

Grinding will not always end in success. You will encounter failures. Failures can be a stepping stone to success. Embrace failure and learn from it.

After a failure, you have two choices. Either blame the world or others for your downfall. Or look in the mirror and take full responsibility. Every failure or loss in my life was my responsibility and can be traced to actions that I took or did not take. Lack of preparation is the most common reason for failing.

Find out what went wrong and get back to the grind.

How often have you heard a coaching great, after a devastating loss, admit “I did a poor job of preparing the team for this game?”

They don’t blame the referees or some external factor. They just go into the film room and diagnose the issues and then kick ass in practice. None of the victim mentality crap. They just grind.

If you are not able to view the video, go here.

Before you get on me, no, I’m not the biggest fan of Nick Saban. But there is a reason why he is the greatest coach in college football history.

Anyway, back to the grind…..

The grind teaches us discipline, which demands consistency and regularity.

And so it is with martial arts.

I’ll take the grinders over the lazy, talented types every day of the week! They are willing to learn and work hard. The grinders train consistently and ask questions. They dig multiple repetitions of the same technique. Just to make sure.

How many of you practice kata or techniques between classes? How many of you have asked your instructors for martial arts homework? Do you watch videos? Film yourself?

Since my hip replacement surgery in January, I’ve had to re-embrace the grind. The hip exercise regimen can be repetitive and boring, but guess what? I’ve had to grind through it so that I can get back to full speed. I’m at 85% and aim to be 100% by the end of the year.

I also gained a fair bit of weight that needs to go. Hence, my 400 Day Challenge. I am disgusted at my physical appearance. I’ve been taking shirtless selfies to keep me from sliding into denial. I’m gonna say my prayers and eat my vitamins……oh wait, I’m not Hulk Hogan.

Okay, whatever. You know what I will do until my 60th birthday in September 2024. I’ll be grinding to get back into the shape I want to be in.

Speaking for myself, on days that I don’t grind, I feel aimless and feel like crap. Yes, absolute crap. If I don’t grind, I’m not moving forward. Simple as that. There is no progress without hard work. I won’t deny that there is a psychological component to grinding.

Embracing the grind means working hard and continuously improving ourselves. It’s about having a positive attitude, persistence, and learning from failures and successes. When we fully commit to the grind, we unlock our potential and open doors to endless possibilities.

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