5 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Before You Fall Off a Cliff
It took a tumble down a mountainside for MMA superstar Kenny Florian to realize his accounting career was a dead end. Ask yourself the same questions Kenny did in that moment… without ending up in the hospital.
Most of us think of “transformation” as an act of the body. Wake up, work out, cool off, live life, and try to fit laundry in there somewhere too. But the most profound transformations, even physical ones, originate with an often undertrained muscle: the mind. If your biceps fatigue before your lats, then your pull-ups are done. If your willpower fatigues before your body — same thing happens. Every workout originates with a mental commitment. True transformation doesn’t come from routine regimen, rather your own constant self-assessment and determination to grow. If you don’t feed your determination, then it doesn’t matter what you’re feeding your muscles.
But don’t just take our word for it, listen to UFC superstar Kenny Florian talk about the transformation that took him from an unfulfilling accounting career to MMA glory. Ask yourself the same tough questions he did. Compare your journey of “relentless self-assessment” with K-Flo’s.
1. How would you feel about your life if you knew you were going to die today?
Kenny hit rock bottom harder than most. He literally fell off a cliff. Luckily, the rock that broke his fall saved his life, and transformed it for the better. It made him re-think his whole existence.
2. Why would you leave a safe job and a start a new career at an age when most people would retire from it?
A UFC career would mean a total lifestyle change, abandoning stability for something that could in no-way guarantee him a steady income or professional longevity, but Kenny knew that his passion was in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Listening to himself and ignoring the crazy odds stacked against him set Kenny on a new path toward, as he describes it, “life magnified”.
3. How do you find the right path when there isn’t a rulebook for what you’re doing?
Kenny’s journey was unpredictable and almost unprecedented for someone his age. He started fighting at age 29, most UFC fighters are considering retirement before age 30. But Kenny saw this lack of structure as the ultimate opportunity: total freedom.
4. How do you stay positive through repeated defeats?
Kenny’s key to a positive outlook is surrounding himself with positive people. Their energy has a tremendous effect on his mindset. On the other side of the equation, it’s hard to see life’s challenges as mere hurdles when everyone around you describes them as knockouts.
5. What motivates you to get up and keep going?
When you’ve got someone who’s training to beat you up everyday, that’s a pretty good motivation.
Okay, so YOU might not have someone lined up to kick your ass in a steel cage next month… but there’s always something trying to keep you down isn’t there? And if there aren’t any challenges on your horizon, make it a goal to find one. It won’t be hard. The biggest challenge can swiftly become the most powerful motivation.
Evolution doesn’t happen overnight. Anticipate the fear, but don’t let it cripple you; use it to fuel your own transformation. Ask yourself the hard questions, even when the answers might reveal that you’re on the completely wrong path.… because wouldn’t you rather know now than miss your opportunity to start heading in a better direction?
Check out Kenny’s full Inside Quest interview below for more earth-shaking insights.
