At six-years-old, Vince Nance started TaeKwonDo. From there, martial arts became his life passion.

He has studied Jiu-Jitsu, Tai Chi, JeetKunDo, wrestling, boxing and more. He’s won MMA matches and taken gold at international Jiu-Jitsu competitions.

But after all these accolades, Nance has learned that a strong body is nothing without purpose.

Lesson #1: Leave Your Mark On This World

Now, as a personal trainer, there is one thing that Nance is constantly asking his clients and himself:

“It’s great to be strong but what are you doing with that body before you die to make the world a better place?”

He says that this thought makes him less materialistic and more focused on a legacy that’s about other people, love, and action.

“You take nothing with you. It sounds trite but when you really understand that, it shifts how you prioritize things and what you allocate your time to.”

How has Nance implemented this philosophy into his own life? For the past seven years, he’s been on a journey to bring self-defense classes to women around the world.

“It’s some of the most worthwhile work I’ve ever done,” said Nance. “One of my goals is to travel around the country and do one free women’s self-defense seminar in each state for just donation. All the donations go to women’s charities.”

This journey started when he was living in Korea. His female friends were getting groped by men and the police weren’t taking it seriously, he says.

“It blew me away how meaningful it was and how inspiring it was to be around these women.”

Lesson #2: Don’t Punch Unless You Mean It

“Don’t punch unless you’re going to hurt someone,” says Nance. “Everything you do, mean it. Because if your hand leaves your face, it better do damage. Otherwise, there’s no point in leaving your face. You should just stay there and block.”

While this is a practical lesson in fighting, Nance also connects it to life and his new business venture, Anarchy Waffles. When he decides he's going to do something, he goes all in.

“If I’m not going to put everything I have into it, then I should be doing something else.”

Lesson #3: Everyone Starts at the Beginning

Nance says that he’s always meeting people who want to start at his gym, but he hears the same excuse over and over again: I’m going to start training as soon as I get in shape. To which he shakes his head.

“Man, you start at the beginning just like everybody else,” says Nance.

“The biggest impediment I have with my clients to get them off the coach is the illusion of starting at the end. They look at someone successful and say I want to be that. But they don’t see the years-long grind that leads up to that.”

So go ahead, begin now. No matter where your starting line is.

For more from Vince Nance, listen to the Spartan Up! podcast in its entirety.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/spartanuppodcast/256_SUP_VINCE_NANCE_LIBSYN.mp3

This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by Duke Cannon. Visit Dukecannon.com right now to get 15% off your first order with the promo code SPARTAN. Free shipping on orders over $35

TIME STAMPS 0:00 The Col, Johnny & Dr. L introduce episode 1:15 Dukecannon.com sponsor intro 1:40 Vince Nance & Joe De Sena begin by making waffles 4:30 Battling with the pancake tycoons 5:30 Growing up with martial arts 8:30 Lessons from the cage 11:30 Dukecannon.com sponsor break 15:00 Efficiency of living where you work 16:00 Women’s self-defense training 18:15 Leaving your tracks 19:00 The illusion of starting at the end 21:00 The keys to Brasilian Jiu Jitsu 23:00 Letting go of your own preconceived notions 25:00 Importance of women learning self-defense 26:00 Organizational leadership 27:00 Keeping the ego in check 30:15 The panel discusses the interview with Vince Nance 37:55 Dukecannon.com sponsor close

SUBSCRIBE: YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow Spotify https://spoti.fi/2UOLnQx Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay

FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppo... Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod

CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena, Col. Nye, Johnny Waite & guest host Dr. Lara Pence Synopsis – Sefra Alexandra | Seed Huntress Production Assistant - Andrea Hagarty