Beijing 2006 it was 801 a.m. as I rush
under the martial-arts mats scrambling
to put on my uniform and tie my black
belt as fast as I could I just landed in
Beijing nearly three hours prior
jet-lagged exhausted lost confused and I
didn’t speak a word of Mandarin and I
found out the hard way immediately I
found the Honorable 9th degree Grand
Master paid my respects and he didn’t
speak a word of English it’s a good
thing in martial arts there’s a lot of
universal hand signals did my best to
fall along during the warm-up but it got
to a point where master just looked at
me head down shook his head pointed at
me and he pointed to the other side of
the gym he made two big fists and
clashed them together hmm the universal
hand signal for fighting this is it Bret
this is your moment you see I’ve made a
number of decisions to get to this place
it was one of those defining moments
I’ll never forget I was proud all the
sacrifices and hard work have paid off
in two years it was my dream to us to
get to the Olympics and this is where it
all began so I did what every
professional martial artist does at that
moment I ran through my amazing
reassurance affirmations yep it sounded
like this you’re the champ Bret you’re
amazing
you have not lost in five years I don’t
know how many times I’ve stood on the
podium yep
I am that amazing as I’m running to the
other side of this gym I realized that
there’s nobody there I kind of scan and
I’m like yeah look at that I’m so
amazing nobody wants to fight me and as
I look I said well that’s definitely not
who I’m fighting that looks like a
little child I look back at the master
he’s pointing at me and he’s pointing to
that child and he’s like I don’t get it
I look back at that girl girl who is
maybe 15 years old 90 pounds and she’s
staring into my soul putting her mouth
garden head gear on and she’s like oh
yeah you know I’ve been told the number
of things and in this moment one thing
stood out Brett if you’re gonna do any
life do it 100% or don’t bother doing it
at all 100% a all right Brett let’s do
this they want me to fight a girl I’ll
fight a girl well it turns out that
ninth degree honorable master he
actually spoke English after all and the
reason why I know this is because he
said one word to me
hello and it was actually like this
that little girl knocked me unconscious
and it turns out I’m not so amazing
after all that was one of those moments
that are unfortunately I will never
forget but at the same time I realized
that we can learn anything from anyone
at any time
don’t underestimate anybody so I fly
back home in my confidence get back to
my normal training routine two or three
times a day five six days a week and one
day I just woke up and I wasn’t feeling
well I go to the doctor’s talk not
feeling good
says Brett sounds like it’s food
poisoning eating cold bananas drink lots
of water get some rest
well a month goes by and I think it was
safe to say I ruled out food poisoning
doc what’s going on
I got no energy I got my training
schedules cut back I can’t even eat
anything well Brett we’re gonna just to
run some tests keep getting some rest
drink lots of water two months
doc I haven’t trained in a week I have
no energy whatsoever I just don’t feel
well
I don’t even feel like me anymore Brett
we’re still trying to figure it out
we’re gonna run some more tests but
we’ll get there
three four five months doc I haven’t
even put my black belt on in months
I’ve lost like 20 pounds and I feel
terrible I can barely get out of bed in
the morning I know Brett we’re gonna
send you to this specialist now we’re
still working on it seven eight nine
months I wake up one day and I shower
and I realize my hair starts falling out
doc what’s going on well Brett it looks
like your hair problem is called
alopecia okay and that is well it’s
caused by a weakened immune system and
stress so my hair falls out or sorry
about there’s nothing we can do at this
point and we’re still trying to figure
out what’s going on with your stomach
one year goes by forget martial arts
forget the Olympics forget my dreams all
I had was my bed down thirty pounds not
even having enough energy to get up and
not even wanting to it even got to the
point where my family was walking in my
room and just looking at them crushed me
because I could see the pain in their
eyes that helpless sorrow and then that
one day the phone call came Brett I know
it’s been two years but we figured it
out finally doc finally what is it it’s
called gastroparesis gasps for what it’s
called gastroparesis and that is well
break your stomach doesn’t empty you
can’t digest any food okay and this came
from well Brett the actual cause of
gastroparesis at this point is unknown
okay I don’t even care how do we fix it
well Brett that’s the thing there’s
actually no known cure for this either
part of me what do you mean there’s no
cure so what happens next well we’re
just gonna really try to stop the pain
for you and hopefully stop it so it
doesn’t get any worse any worse how
could it possibly get any worse there’s
another thing Brett you need to accept
that you’re never gonna train martial
arts again you need to accept that your
life as you knew it is gone and things
depression is an understatement one day
I was lying there and I said enough is
enough I can’t take this anymore
the thoughts in my head I thought there
were nightmares but they actually turned
out to be a reality I pushed myself one
day to get out of bed I said Brett get
some fresh air let’s go for a walk it
was a cold damp day and every step was a
struggle no matter what I did it was
painful why me
how could this happen all I did was
train I have the best doctors the best
specialists the best trainers and
coaches I took care of myself how is
this even possible I’d realized that
people were making decisions for me
doctors were telling me your life is
over Brett you’re not training martial
arts I stopped making decisions on my
own I get up to a crosswalk and I reach
forward and I push the button and as I
do so I look to my left and I see a
teenage boy he’s in a wheelchair and he
has no legs you see throughout my
journey I’ve come to find that people
just don’t make decisions in life and
I’m talking everyday people like you and
I and it really has come down to two
reasons and the first reason is that
people are just unhappy yet they’re not
unhappy enough to want to make a
decision to do something about it and
the other half of people are just happy
enough to not want to make a decision to
do something about it and it’s
interesting because inside this group of
people there are a select few the rise
to the top and I’m talking about the
people that leave a legacy that achieve
whatever they desire and they have
something in common
they’ve endured some sort of
life-changing tragedy not failure
failure is very important it teaches us
a lot
but I’m talking about the catastrophic
life-changing events you see when faced
with tragedy you have no other options
you’re pushed to what I call the half
two state there is only one decision to
make and you must make it we make thirty
five thousand decisions a day how many
of those decisions are you actually
making yourself or is your subconscious
making them for you
what is the subconscious decision look
like think about the day it’s my day off
I wake up I want to go to the gym today
go downstairs grab some coffee smell of
bacon in the air you walk past your
coach and you say the subconscious kicks
in that was so comfortable last night my
fuzzy blanket my popcorn my soda there’s
only one or two episodes left at that
Netflix series I just started the next
thing you know it’s 11 o’clock at night
your cell phone has six percent battery
left and you didn’t just watch one or
two episodes you now finish the entire
season that’s what your subconscious
decisions look like you see when pushed
to tragedy you’re put in the half to
state not the I want to state I want to
go to the gym do you need to go to the
gym or do you have to go to the gym
think this your mind does not know the
difference between what we actually
think and what we perceive in front of
us reality versus what we construct so
we can actually tell ourselves something
over and over and over and we’re going
to believe think about everything you
want to achieve need to achieve and have
to achieve leverage the half to state
tell yourself you have to do this that’s
step one but here’s the trick we all
have things we aspire to achieve I need
to want to I have to do this it starts
with making a conscious decision
the Latin term for decision is actually
to cut off so there’s no other options
if you were to recognize and decide I’m
not going to touch my phone I am going
to make a decision and not touch my
email I’m not going to get the couch and
I’m not going to watch Netflix you’ve
cut every other option off I’m now in
the half-jew State and I’m going to the
gym or better yet ask yourself this what
happens if you don’t put yourself in the
half to sate and what’s going to happen
if you do not make a conscious decision
I go back to that moment I reach forward
and I push the crosswalk and that
teenage boy in the wheelchair is staying
right back at me at that moment I made a
conscious decision to take back
decisions for myself and the first one
started with turning my expectations
into appreciation and this is the
incredible thing about the mind is an
instance I felt so much better I
remember walking home and the Sun was
shining now the grass became greener and
for the first time in years I was
smiling I made decisions to cut off
everything else and commit to taking
everything back and it all started with
a few moments of mindfulness
appreciation no more expectations I
I started eating better I actually slept
I started to appreciate the things
around me that I took for granted all
expectations gone just appreciation two
weeks goes by I walk downstairs my
family says to me Wow
right you look great what a difference
one month you know what I feel like I
want to go out move body
they’ve been we go back to the gym two
three months my hair starts growing back
I go into the doctors they say Brett
whatever you’re doing keep doing it
thanks doc what are you doing I made a
decision
doc you’re not making decisions for me
anymore I am and I never stopped six
months later
I taught my black belt again one year
goes by all my hairs back I put back 25
pounds and I feel better better than I
ever have because I appreciated how I
two years later my martial arts master
looks me in the eyes and says Brett
we’re going for it and I say are you are
you really like for real he says Brett
we’re going for it in 2012 not only was
like eating martial arts again I was
competing back at a national level and
not only that I found myself back on the
podium and it was a moment I’ll cherish
forever I recognized at that moment I
made decisions to get here nobody else
but I did it you see where you are today
and where you want to go in between is
simply conscious decisions put yourself
in the half to state and decide because
I’m telling you you’re one conscious
decision away from an entire life thank you
under the martial-arts mats scrambling
to put on my uniform and tie my black
belt as fast as I could I just landed in
Beijing nearly three hours prior
jet-lagged exhausted lost confused and I
didn’t speak a word of Mandarin and I
found out the hard way immediately I
found the Honorable 9th degree Grand
Master paid my respects and he didn’t
speak a word of English it’s a good
thing in martial arts there’s a lot of
universal hand signals did my best to
fall along during the warm-up but it got
to a point where master just looked at
me head down shook his head pointed at
me and he pointed to the other side of
the gym he made two big fists and
clashed them together hmm the universal
hand signal for fighting this is it Bret
this is your moment you see I’ve made a
number of decisions to get to this place
it was one of those defining moments
I’ll never forget I was proud all the
sacrifices and hard work have paid off
in two years it was my dream to us to
get to the Olympics and this is where it
all began so I did what every
professional martial artist does at that
moment I ran through my amazing
reassurance affirmations yep it sounded
like this you’re the champ Bret you’re
amazing
you have not lost in five years I don’t
know how many times I’ve stood on the
podium yep
I am that amazing as I’m running to the
other side of this gym I realized that
there’s nobody there I kind of scan and
I’m like yeah look at that I’m so
amazing nobody wants to fight me and as
I look I said well that’s definitely not
who I’m fighting that looks like a
little child I look back at the master
he’s pointing at me and he’s pointing to
that child and he’s like I don’t get it
I look back at that girl girl who is
maybe 15 years old 90 pounds and she’s
staring into my soul putting her mouth
garden head gear on and she’s like oh
yeah you know I’ve been told the number
of things and in this moment one thing
stood out Brett if you’re gonna do any
life do it 100% or don’t bother doing it
at all 100% a all right Brett let’s do
this they want me to fight a girl I’ll
fight a girl well it turns out that
ninth degree honorable master he
actually spoke English after all and the
reason why I know this is because he
said one word to me
hello and it was actually like this
that little girl knocked me unconscious
and it turns out I’m not so amazing
after all that was one of those moments
that are unfortunately I will never
forget but at the same time I realized
that we can learn anything from anyone
at any time
don’t underestimate anybody so I fly
back home in my confidence get back to
my normal training routine two or three
times a day five six days a week and one
day I just woke up and I wasn’t feeling
well I go to the doctor’s talk not
feeling good
says Brett sounds like it’s food
poisoning eating cold bananas drink lots
of water get some rest
well a month goes by and I think it was
safe to say I ruled out food poisoning
doc what’s going on
I got no energy I got my training
schedules cut back I can’t even eat
anything well Brett we’re gonna just to
run some tests keep getting some rest
drink lots of water two months
doc I haven’t trained in a week I have
no energy whatsoever I just don’t feel
well
I don’t even feel like me anymore Brett
we’re still trying to figure it out
we’re gonna run some more tests but
we’ll get there
three four five months doc I haven’t
even put my black belt on in months
I’ve lost like 20 pounds and I feel
terrible I can barely get out of bed in
the morning I know Brett we’re gonna
send you to this specialist now we’re
still working on it seven eight nine
months I wake up one day and I shower
and I realize my hair starts falling out
doc what’s going on well Brett it looks
like your hair problem is called
alopecia okay and that is well it’s
caused by a weakened immune system and
stress so my hair falls out or sorry
about there’s nothing we can do at this
point and we’re still trying to figure
out what’s going on with your stomach
one year goes by forget martial arts
forget the Olympics forget my dreams all
I had was my bed down thirty pounds not
even having enough energy to get up and
not even wanting to it even got to the
point where my family was walking in my
room and just looking at them crushed me
because I could see the pain in their
eyes that helpless sorrow and then that
one day the phone call came Brett I know
it’s been two years but we figured it
out finally doc finally what is it it’s
called gastroparesis gasps for what it’s
called gastroparesis and that is well
break your stomach doesn’t empty you
can’t digest any food okay and this came
from well Brett the actual cause of
gastroparesis at this point is unknown
okay I don’t even care how do we fix it
well Brett that’s the thing there’s
actually no known cure for this either
part of me what do you mean there’s no
cure so what happens next well we’re
just gonna really try to stop the pain
for you and hopefully stop it so it
doesn’t get any worse any worse how
could it possibly get any worse there’s
another thing Brett you need to accept
that you’re never gonna train martial
arts again you need to accept that your
life as you knew it is gone and things
depression is an understatement one day
I was lying there and I said enough is
enough I can’t take this anymore
the thoughts in my head I thought there
were nightmares but they actually turned
out to be a reality I pushed myself one
day to get out of bed I said Brett get
some fresh air let’s go for a walk it
was a cold damp day and every step was a
struggle no matter what I did it was
painful why me
how could this happen all I did was
train I have the best doctors the best
specialists the best trainers and
coaches I took care of myself how is
this even possible I’d realized that
people were making decisions for me
doctors were telling me your life is
over Brett you’re not training martial
arts I stopped making decisions on my
own I get up to a crosswalk and I reach
forward and I push the button and as I
do so I look to my left and I see a
teenage boy he’s in a wheelchair and he
has no legs you see throughout my
journey I’ve come to find that people
just don’t make decisions in life and
I’m talking everyday people like you and
I and it really has come down to two
reasons and the first reason is that
people are just unhappy yet they’re not
unhappy enough to want to make a
decision to do something about it and
the other half of people are just happy
enough to not want to make a decision to
do something about it and it’s
interesting because inside this group of
people there are a select few the rise
to the top and I’m talking about the
people that leave a legacy that achieve
whatever they desire and they have
something in common
they’ve endured some sort of
life-changing tragedy not failure
failure is very important it teaches us
a lot
but I’m talking about the catastrophic
life-changing events you see when faced
with tragedy you have no other options
you’re pushed to what I call the half
two state there is only one decision to
make and you must make it we make thirty
five thousand decisions a day how many
of those decisions are you actually
making yourself or is your subconscious
making them for you
what is the subconscious decision look
like think about the day it’s my day off
I wake up I want to go to the gym today
go downstairs grab some coffee smell of
bacon in the air you walk past your
coach and you say the subconscious kicks
in that was so comfortable last night my
fuzzy blanket my popcorn my soda there’s
only one or two episodes left at that
Netflix series I just started the next
thing you know it’s 11 o’clock at night
your cell phone has six percent battery
left and you didn’t just watch one or
two episodes you now finish the entire
season that’s what your subconscious
decisions look like you see when pushed
to tragedy you’re put in the half to
state not the I want to state I want to
go to the gym do you need to go to the
gym or do you have to go to the gym
think this your mind does not know the
difference between what we actually
think and what we perceive in front of
us reality versus what we construct so
we can actually tell ourselves something
over and over and over and we’re going
to believe think about everything you
want to achieve need to achieve and have
to achieve leverage the half to state
tell yourself you have to do this that’s
step one but here’s the trick we all
have things we aspire to achieve I need
to want to I have to do this it starts
with making a conscious decision
the Latin term for decision is actually
to cut off so there’s no other options
if you were to recognize and decide I’m
not going to touch my phone I am going
to make a decision and not touch my
email I’m not going to get the couch and
I’m not going to watch Netflix you’ve
cut every other option off I’m now in
the half-jew State and I’m going to the
gym or better yet ask yourself this what
happens if you don’t put yourself in the
half to sate and what’s going to happen
if you do not make a conscious decision
I go back to that moment I reach forward
and I push the crosswalk and that
teenage boy in the wheelchair is staying
right back at me at that moment I made a
conscious decision to take back
decisions for myself and the first one
started with turning my expectations
into appreciation and this is the
incredible thing about the mind is an
instance I felt so much better I
remember walking home and the Sun was
shining now the grass became greener and
for the first time in years I was
smiling I made decisions to cut off
everything else and commit to taking
everything back and it all started with
a few moments of mindfulness
appreciation no more expectations I
I started eating better I actually slept
I started to appreciate the things
around me that I took for granted all
expectations gone just appreciation two
weeks goes by I walk downstairs my
family says to me Wow
right you look great what a difference
one month you know what I feel like I
want to go out move body
they’ve been we go back to the gym two
three months my hair starts growing back
I go into the doctors they say Brett
whatever you’re doing keep doing it
thanks doc what are you doing I made a
decision
doc you’re not making decisions for me
anymore I am and I never stopped six
months later
I taught my black belt again one year
goes by all my hairs back I put back 25
pounds and I feel better better than I
ever have because I appreciated how I
two years later my martial arts master
looks me in the eyes and says Brett
we’re going for it and I say are you are
you really like for real he says Brett
we’re going for it in 2012 not only was
like eating martial arts again I was
competing back at a national level and
not only that I found myself back on the
podium and it was a moment I’ll cherish
forever I recognized at that moment I
made decisions to get here nobody else
but I did it you see where you are today
and where you want to go in between is
simply conscious decisions put yourself
in the half to state and decide because
I’m telling you you’re one conscious
decision away from an entire life thank you
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