How do you develop great relationships?…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"article":"This past weekend we had our annual summer picnic.\u00a0 It is by far my favorite social event of the year each year.\u00a0 It\u2019s a great time to get to know many of our members on a more personal level without the formalities that are required at the gym.\u00a0 It\u2019s the perfect time to unwind and forget about the struggles that we put ourselves through every day at class.\u00a0 But is precisely those struggles that bring us together and make the celebrations that much more meaningful.\r\n\r\nWhen I was in the Michigan Junior Chamber, the primary purpose of the organization was to build your leadership skills through running projects in the community.\u00a0 Along with running the projects, there were many social events and parties for people to get to know each other. \u00a0There were many people in the organization that felt the parties were the primary focus of the organization, and felt that friendships were made through the parties.\u00a0 They had it totally backwards, in my opinion.\r\n\r\nThe best friends I ever developed in that organization were the people that I was in the trenches with, fighting the battles needed to put large projects together.\u00a0 It\u2019s in the trenches that you very quickly see the people that you can count on, and those that crumble when the going gets tough.\u00a0 When you struggle together with someone, you really get to know who they are at their core.\u00a0 There are people in the organization that I haven\u2019t talked to in years that would be there for me in a heartbeat if I needed their help.\u00a0 Relationships are built in the trenches, and the occasional party is there to celebrate those victories.\u00a0 But if you only get to know people during celebrations, when everything is positive, you are only getting to know those people on a very superficial basis.\r\n\r\nEvery single day in the gym is a struggle, and quite honestly, it SHOULD be a struggle.\u00a0 If it was easy, then where would the personal growth come from?\u00a0 It bothers me greatly when people come into the gym looking for certain benefits, then after we show them that we can provide those benefits, they walk out saying they \u201cneed to think about it\u201d. \u00a0How are you going to improve yourself if you don\u2019t go through the struggle of overcoming the things you came in to fix?\u00a0 Sorry, but that is a weak response.\u00a0 There is no magic pill.\u00a0 You simply need to slog through your issues, getting 1% better each day until you reach your goals.\r\n\r\nI don\u2019t want people in my life that are going to make excuses for why things can\u2019t be done.\u00a0 I used to be that person.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a part of me that I will ever be proud of.\u00a0 I want people around me that ask how things CAN be done.\u00a0 I love the saying, \u201cWhether you think it can\u2019t be done or can be done, you are correct.\u201d\u00a0 Martial arts teaches you to be comfortable being uncomfortable.\u00a0 Once you have that mentality, everything else is achievable.\u00a0 So, enjoy the struggle.\u00a0 Enjoy looking back on yourself from 1 year ago and how far you have come.\u00a0 Then next opportunity we will celebrate those achievements together.","featured_image":"","featured_image_id":"","featured_article":""},"categories":[4],"class_list":["post-412","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","category-gb3-expert-jiu-jitsu"],"yoast_head":"\n