You Don’t Need More Time. You Need Better Time.

Part 2: Before Reading this blog be sure to go back and read last week’s post.

After sitting with this for a while, praying on it, and watching the patterns play out inside the gym, I’ve started to realize something uncomfortable but important.

Most people aren’t short on time. They’re short on energy, clarity, and direction. Life slowly becomes reactive. You handle what’s urgent. You take care of everyone else first. You push your own growth further down the list because it feels responsible to do so. Over time, you stop asking whether the way you’re living is actually making you stronger. You just keep moving.

The problem is that nothing in life stays neutral. We’re either improving or we’re declining. Physically, mentally, spiritually — standing still isn’t really an option. And when people say they don’t have time to train, what I often see is someone who already feels the cost of not training. More stress. Less energy. Less patience. A quiet frustration that they’re not quite the person they know they could be.

This is where the misunderstanding about Jiu Jitsu — and training in general — really shows up. People think it requires a complete life overhaul. They imagine hours every week, drastic change, or immediate transformation. That idea alone is enough to keep someone from starting.

But real change almost never looks like that.

It looks like small decisions made consistently. One percent better this week than last week. Showing up when it would be easier not to. Learning to stay calm under pressure instead of avoiding it. Strength doesn’t arrive overnight. Discipline doesn’t appear all at once. They’re built quietly, over time, through small acts that compound.

That’s what I see happen at Forged Jiu Jitsu with people from Ozark, Nixa, Springfield, and the surrounding areas. The biggest change isn’t usually physical at first. It’s how people carry themselves. They handle stress differently. They become more patient at home. More focused at work. Training doesn’t take energy away from their lives — it gives them a place to rebuild it.

And this is where the conversation about family changes.

Many people worry that taking an hour or two a week for themselves is selfish. I understand that feeling. But I’ve come to believe the opposite is true. When you invest in becoming stronger, healthier, and more disciplined, your family doesn’t lose time with you. They gain a better version of you. Your kids don’t just hear you talk about perseverance or growth. They see it. They see that adulthood isn’t the end of improvement. They see that pressure is something you face, not avoid.

At some point, every parent has to decide what example they’re setting. Do our kids see someone who quits when life gets busy, or someone who continues to train, learn, and grow anyway? Not perfectly, but consistently. That example stays with them far longer than anything we say.

The truth is, you probably won’t suddenly find extra hours in your week. None of us do. Life stays full. Responsibilities don’t disappear. But what can change is how you use the time you already have. One or two hours spent sharpening yourself — physically, mentally, and spiritually — has a way of improving everything around it. You show up calmer. Stronger. More present. More capable of carrying the weight that life inevitably puts on your shoulders.

That’s why I no longer see training as a hobby. It’s maintenance. It’s preparation. It’s a way of making sure the person your family depends on continues to grow instead of slowly wearing down.

Forged Jiu Jitsu was built on discipline, strength, and community because those are the things that help people endure pressure and come out better on the other side. Not just on the mats, but in life.

You don’t need to become a different person overnight. You just need to start moving forward again.

One percent at a time.

And for many people, that starts by deciding that becoming stronger is still worth making time for.