When things get really tough, your options are find a way to win.

Score the points when you get to do this, this, and this.

You know, your mind's operating that way if you're if you're a competitor.

We can adore anything and adapt and pivot and change.

Wrestling give us that ability.

I would say nothing in life has impacted me or the things wrestling has taught me in terms of

self-reflection, resilience. Stop it. Some guys have it, some guys don't.

Adversity, 100% how to pick myself up and be a man after I failed.

And everything that is shaped my life and where I'm at today would not be there without the values

and basically the lessons I've learned to the sport of wrestling.

For me, wrestling is saying my life because it allowed me to focus and channel my energy.

We're fortunate if you wrestled because if you wrestled, natural talent helps,

but it's 5% of the ingredients. It pales in comparison to heart and technique and effort.

It humbled me, taught me humility. Nothing can humble you more than wrestling.

I think it's the learning to adapt, right? You learn how to adapt, you learn how to solve problems.

Now, if I look back my time, that's good wrestling. If you give me one thing more than anything else,

it's not toughness.

Welcome back to the Wrestling Change My Life podcast presented by Spartan Combat.

This is your host, Ryan Warner. Our guest today is John W. Smith.

This interview was recorded in October of 2020 and has never been released to the public.

John covers his brother Pat's high school and college career as well as John's competitive career

in 1992 and into coaching in the early 90s. Enjoy it. We know you will.

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