Georges St-Pierre: Inside the Mind of a Champion

It's very seldom we get the opportunity to peak into the mind of a true master.

And when the opportunity presents itself ... we pounce.

That was the case with Georges St-Pierre's new book, The Way of the Fight.

If you're not familiar with Georges St-Pierre (GSP) he's the current UFC Welterweight Mixed Martial Arts Champion.

He's considered one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world.

And perhaps more importantly, he's a thoughtful, articulate and a well-spoken ambassador of the sport ... a true "martial artist".

Definitely not your typical muscle-head.

He's defended his championship title 8 times and has a record of 24 wins and 2 losses.

He recently came back from a possible career-ending ACL injury to defend his title.

In a sport that can leave you knocked out within seconds of the opening bell - it's an impressive track record.

We recently ripped through reading his book and wanted to share some insightful passages with you:

GSP on FEAR:

"That's where the real secret lies:  learning how to use the power of fear ... if a person is unsure about who he is and what his life goals are, the fear takes over his body and does what it wants with it.

Fear freezes your actions because it takes you into the world of what-if, and that's the worst place anybody can be.  This is when you do stupid things like predicting the future, or thinking your career as a mixed martial arts world champion is going to end suddenly.  Forecasting doom and gloom is not only useless, but detrimental.  It's giving away all your power to fear and letting it take over your life ...

... And then one day you get tired of it, of the self-doubt, of the constant questions, of the disbelief.  And you get angry at them - at yourself.  And you realize it's time to rebel.  To fight.  Because it's from fighting - from doing - that you get your confidence back."

GSP on LEARNING:

"I keep the white-belt mentality that I can learn from anyone, anywhere, anytime ... when I discover an element that I think can be useful to me, I adapt it to my routine and my outlook; I submit it to a trial-error-and-refinement process.  If it passes the test, I incorporate the new knowledge into my arsenal.  I practice it and build up my muscle memory to perform it properly ... it becomes who I am, and it means that innovation keeps me ahead of my competition.  It means that my foes must adapt to me, not the other way around."

"Very often, we see leaders lose sight of how they got to where they are:  by being and thinking differently from the competition.  They make it to first place, and then their thinking changes from seeking innovation to seeking status quo.  They think, I made it to first place, so now I must not change a thing.  But change is what got them to the top in the first place!  This is because they're so focused on the positive result rather than on the process of success."

One of GSP's Mentors on the STRENGTH OF HIS WILL:

"He was coming by bus, nine, ten hours from Montreal, to study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  He was staying in a dilapidated and physically uncomfortable living conditions, in flophouses across various New York ghettos.  He shared rooms with people who smoked drugs.  He was coming to a country where he spoke almost nothing of the language.  On a garbageman's salary and at considerable personal expense, he was seeking to better himself.  That points immediately to the strength of his will and the strength of his vision."

One of GSP's Mentors on the POWER OF ROUTINE:

"I have a belief that all human greatness is founded upon routine, that truly great human behaviour is impossible without this central part of your life being set up and governed by routine.  All greatness comes out of an investment in time and the perfection of skills that render you great.   And so, show me almost any truly great person in the world who exhibits some kind of extraordinary skills, and I'll show you a person whose life is governed largely by routine."

One of GSP's Mentors on DREAMS:

"Dreams on the their own are utterly useless, but allied to a workable plan of action they garner the greatest of results, and that's exactly what Georges had from the earliest days.  You saw that plan of action.  Getting on a bus in the middle of Montreal winter to ride to New York City and a godforsaken gym.  Spending nights next to weed-smoking lunatics, fighting for a place to sleep.  A crazy plan, but in the end, it became real.  In the end, Georges St-Pierre is the only student I've ever had who taught me more than I taught him."

GSP on FEAR II:

"So the question is:  What happens when you accept and embrace your fear?  Fear becomes your weapon.

Some people are totally incapable of seeing fear as an opportunity to get better at something.  To develop the best version of themselves.  Soem people wallow in their fears and try to suck their friends into the pit with them.  I don't really like hanging out with these people because they suck all the good energy out of me."

GSP on HIS LIFE:

"My life isn't very exciting and most of the time, as I told you earlier in this book.  I get up and I go to the gym to work out.  Then I eat. Then I work out again, get a therapeutic massage - so I can work out again later - and then I eat more.  Then I go back to sleep.  That's it for most days, and I love it.  In fact, I wouldn't know what to do other than follow this routine."

GSP on PERSEVERANCE:

"I have a friend who has a great idea bout training.  He says, 'You don't get better on the days when you feel like going. You get better on the days when you don't want to go, but you go anyway.'"

One of GSP Mentor's on HARD WORK:

"Too many people in mixed martial arts talk about hard work without intelligent hard work.  It's the depth of insight that matters ... Georges is restless in his desire to find the most efficient use of that hard work.  He's constantly looking for ways of improving his workout, constantly looking for new ways of applying rules to increase their efficiency rate.  That is what makes him unique: his depth of insight and vision.  Not just his athletic ability."

His new book, The Way of the Fight, is a quick fairly easy read and very insightful.

The lessons and experiences he shares apply to all of us.

In today's world of "quick news bites" and a basically shallow understanding of the economy, investing and almost everything ... it's a pleasure to hear someone explain the process and benefit of achieving true mastery in something.

We'd highly recommend picking up a copy and adding it to your library.

Until next time ... Your Life! Your Terms!