#223 – Travis Stevens: Judo, Olympics, and Mental Toughness

Artificial Intelligence Podcast

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways “There is an issue with goal setting, nobody teaches you how to transition from the goal to reality”– Travis StevensTravis never identified as an Olympian. He is proud of Travis, not proud of Travis the Olympian.You should take pride in the skillset, not the title“Stories aren’t always about winning, they’re about continuing to fight”– Lex FridmanTravis’ horrifying injury history and Olympic challenges to get to the podium are a testament to the process oftentimes being more valuable than the result“If I can’t find my endpoints, that means everyone else has given up before me” – Travis StevensTravis doesn’t comprehend athletes that don’t make weight – it means that you gave up a long time ago, prior to stepping on the scaleAlthough, he doesn’t believe nutrition should be the focal point of a weight cut or fight preparationIt’s only suffering if you expect the other side – the cost/benefit of your nutrition can be managed by what your mental expectations from the food are“I want a Snickers bar when I’m tired. I need a little sugar, it makes me feel better, what do you want me to do?”– Travis StevensThis analysis can be applied to many things in our lives, happiness/success is subjective and rarely lives in a narrativeMain principles of Judo: Having the lowest center of gravity and making your opponent unbalanced (derives from pulling, faking shots, subtle head movements)Travis doesn’t always know how he’s going to win, but he knows how to make it very difficult for you to win“The number one skillset Judo is going to teach you is the ability to give people false hope”– Travis Stevens

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org

Travis Stevens is the 2016 Olympic Judo silver medalist and BJJ black belt. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Justworks: https://justworks.com – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit – MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lex to get 15% off – Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings EPISODE LINKS: Travis’s Website: https://www.travisstevensgrappling.com/ Travis’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/judosilencer Travis’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TravisStevensgrappling Travis’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judosilencer PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support