Becoming a Better Professional

GSP has been one of the fighters I respect greatly for a long time now. It's not just because of his ability, but one of his biggest strength's that allowed him to get where he is today: his attitude.

He's achieved what he has through another level of professionalism. In pre- and post-fight press conferences, he's the only guy in a suit and tie. He and Greg Jackson take their work very seriously and implement techniques of training, physical and mental, from various unrelated sources and apply them to MMA. Some of it is incredibly innovative. Things people may see as odd today, which will be common practice tomorrow. It reminds me of Bruce Lee, a philosopher and pioneer, who expressed himself through martial arts.

Many poker players lack that professionalism. It's a competition of old gamblers and college kid slackers and everybody in between. That next step for players becoming true professionals, the step GSP has recently taken in the fight game, the outside-the-box thinking of Greg Jackson, hasn't really been taken on a large scale. The truth is that seeing GSP as well as all of the other things I've picked up through the years from extraordinary people has inspired me to take that step of becoming a real professional.

Here's a list of 10 things I will start implementing to become a better professional:

1. Deliberate practice
2. Review play daily, weekly, and monthly
   
3. Be accountable
4. Coaching
   
5. Consistent schedule with time off to relax
   
6. Optimal sleep (amount and time)
   
7. Exercise
   
8. Specialized Diet including supplements
   
9. Meditation/Vizualization
10. Keep great records of monthly results

I'll go over each one individually and how I can begin each one in the next post.