Have you ever wondered what it really means to be unbeatable?

I don’t mean being the strongest person in the room or winning every competition. I’m talking about a state of mind and resilience… the kind of strength where you know that whatever comes your way, it can’t fully take you down.

I’d like to share a personal story with you that helped me understand this better — not just on the mat, but in life.

The vision trap: when progress feels too slow

I’ve run various creative ventures over the last 16 years. And whenever I start something, I always have a BIG vision in mind of where it will go. Maybe you’ve felt this too. Painting grand visions in our mind is a uniquely human thing that we all do. Even now, I’m betting that you have a vision of what you want life to look like — goals, dreams, all of it.

You can see this vision vividly in your mind — that future success, that creative project finished perfectly, that business finally taking off or that gold medal.

The challenge?

Sometimes, progress feels agonizingly slow.

When that happens, frustration sets in, burnout looms, doubt creeps in, and the thought of giving up suddenly feels like a tempting option.

[Martial Arts: the Cycle of Training]

Why big vision can create big struggles

Throughout history, some of our greatest minds have fallen into this pattern. Coming from the creative world, I think of people like Ernest Hemingway and Vincent van Gogh — true visionaries with extraordinary ideas who wrestled with deep internal struggles when reality didn’t match their expectations. 

A more modern example would be someone like Steve Jobs, whose relentless vision sometimes came at a personal cost. They were all tortured by the gap between where they were and where they wanted to be.

As a culture, we tend to celebrate that “tortured artist” mentality. But I think that’s a mistake. The problem isn’t having a big vision or big goals — it’s not knowing how to manage them. The truth is — you have to come to a place of acceptance, especially when progress isn’t happening as fast as we want. 

And this lesson ties directly into what I learned from Jiu Jitsu.

Strength vs. technique: the power of working smart

I’ve been practicing Jiu Jitsu for over two years, and it’s been a humbling experience. I’m 6’5”, 300 lbs. Big man.

One night, I was sparring with a smaller opponent. I was on the bottom, and they had the full mount on me. My instinct was to use brute force to push them off and get back on top. So that’s exactly what I did. I put my hand in his armpit and just dumped him off. 

But right as I was doing that, Professor walked by and said, “No, Chris. Get back on the bottom. More technique, less strength.”

Got it.

I immediately went back on bottom and worked my way out, drilling proper mount escapes. And I was still able to get out.

After the session, I walked up to Professor.

“Hey, I totally hear you. Thanks for calling me out on that. I need to just work those escapes.”

And then he said this:

“Look, man, I feel you. I was in your position exactly. But here’s the thing: You’re always going to be good from the top. You’re big, strong, and you can dominate that position naturally. But if you get good on the bottom, you can become unbeatable.”

[Finding Balance: Technique Over Intensity in Martial Arts]

Resilience: becoming unbeatable in the face of challenges

On the way home from class, I couldn’t help but reflect on this. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how perfectly it applies to life.

When we have this vision or goal of where we want to go, and things are looking like they’re moving in that direction, everything we’re doing kind of works. It seems like we’re making progress. That’s easy.

But it’s when things aren’t working like we feel they should, or when they feel really hard — like you’re being crushed — that the challenge begins.

When those things are happening and you’re not progressing toward the vision, it can feel like you’re stuck. You’re not getting better (at least not in a way you can see.) Things start to feel even more difficult and more challenging.

That’s when people get burned out.
That’s when they give up.
That’s when they become tortured by the vision – or, in Jiu Jitsu terms, get submitted or smashed!

It’s only when you develop a sense of peace and acceptance while you’re on the bottom that you can become unbeatable. Anybody can make things work when all seems to work in their favor. Anybody can feel good on top. But the moment things stop feeling good — the moment things start to feel like they’re not working the way you thought they would — that, my friend, is working from the bottom.

Sometimes, the only thing you can do in that position is focus on developing the skills to navigate your way out. You don’t need brute force; you need consistency, patience, and a certain trust in the process. This is what builds resilience.

And just like Professor said: You’ll always be good when things are going well—but if you get good when things aren’t, you become unbeatable.

[Creating Space in the Face of Pressue]

All work works: the secret to progress

I’ve probably stretched the metaphor at this point, but it’s worth understanding: Resilience means knowing how to operate when things are working and when they’re not.

I love this quote from Myron Golden, “All work works. It’s either working on you or it’s working for you.”

If you can shift your perspective to keep showing up, keep creating — keep doing the things you feel will lead you toward the goal — you’ll realize that even if it doesn’t feel like it’s working, it is.

It’s working on you, even when it’s not working for you.

All work works.

[Turning Up the Heat: Embracing Challenge for Ultra Personal Growth]

The real question: what to do when you’re on the bottom?

I wanted to share that story with you because those words were powerful to hear. Anybody can feel good on top. That’s not the question. The real question is: What do you do when you’re on the bottom?

In Jiu Jitsu, when you’re stuck on the bottom, you don’t panic. You don’t rely on brute strength or burn yourself out trying to muscle your way out. You stay calm, you breathe, you focus on the fundamentals. You create your own opportunities instead of waiting for them. Life works this way too. 

When you feel pinned by setbacks, brute force isn’t what will save you. What will save you is trusting your training and skills, staying patient, and slowly working your way back to a better position.

So next time life has you on the bottom, ask yourself:

Are you going to fight it with brute force and frustration? Or are you going to breathe, lean on your training, and trust that you have what it takes to get back up?

If you can master working from the bottom – both on and off the mat – you become truly unbeatable.

What’s your next move?

Beating Monday: Relentless Forward Progress, ft. Jason Antin