Learning to Carry the Weight of Support

I’ve never been someone who was used to support.

As a martial artist coming up before the internet, the idea of leaning on a community to help achieve your goals always felt foreign. You trained alone. You competed alone. You won—or lost—on your own terms. That was the culture. That was the mindset.

But lately, I’ve been learning to ask for help. To accept support. And emotionally, that’s been one of the biggest steps I’ve ever taken.

What I wasn’t prepared for, though, was the weight of that support.

Now, I know most of you would say, “We just want to see you do your best. We’re here to help however we can.” And believe me—I’m beyond grateful. Truly.

But having people in your corner changes things. It creates a new kind of pressure. The pressure to perform. The pressure not to let anyone down. The pressure to show up and show out—every single time.

It’s a pressure I’ve placed on myself, yes—but knowing others are watching and believing in me amplifies it. It’s like being shoved to the front row of a concert you weren’t prepared to be at—exciting, but overwhelming.

Having people place their faith in you is like being handed a powerful new tool: accountability. And I’ll be honest—I’m still learning how to wield it. I’ve always had the option to succeed or fail quietly, without anyone else watching. If I didn’t feel like showing up for a competition, I didn’t. And yeah, that hurt my training. It dulled my focus. Without people in my corner, it was easier to settle for “good enough.”

But pressure—real pressure—is necessary for greatness.

If you don’t care… if there’s no external motivation to match your internal discipline… you simply won’t reach your potential. So if someone’s being hard on you, if they’re pushing you past your comfort zone, maybe it’s because they seesomething in you. They believe in your potential—even when you don’t.

And if that feels like pressure?

Good.

That pressure means you’re in the arena. That people care. That it matters.

So when the weight of support starts to feel heavy, don’t back away from it.

Suck it up. Step forward. And live up to the expectations already.