On September 16th, 2022 there was a changing of the guard in United States wrestling. We’re talking the Olympic Freestyle kind of wrestling, not to be confused with WWE and other wrestling entertainment enterprises.
On September 16 in Belgrade, Serbia, Jordan Burroughs became the only United States wrestler to win seven world or Olympic Championships. With the win, Burroughs became the most decorated American wrestler in history. Six world titles and one Olympic gold medal. As champion of the 79 kilo division, he surpassed John Smith as the most decorated American wrestler in history.
Jordan Burroughs is likely the best athlete in the world that you’ve never heard of. He’s the Michael Jordan of wrestling, the LeBron James of an ancient niche sport around the world. If his athletic prowess was on display every Sunday night on NBC he would be the most marketable athlete in the world.
What makes Jordan Burroughs so mesmerizing is not just that he’s the greatest of all time, it’s his powerful display of an elite lifestyle.
Lifestyle is simply the way in which we live. It’s how we spend our time. What we think about everyday. The protection of our mind, body, and spirit. Who we hang out with, and who we allow to influence our minds. The truth about lifestyle is that it is going to influence different outcomes in our lives.
Raw, world class talent can be squashed if lifestyle drift is left unattended. It doesn’t matter how much talent you have if you can’t live a lifestyle that will create the conditions for talent to grow.
The story of Jordan Burroughs is still being written. But there is enough on display to certify the power of lifestyle in being the person we want to be. Six World-Championships, one Olympic Gold Medal, most marketable athlete in his sport, committed spouse, father of four kids, active in the community.
If there’s a blueprint to leveraging your lifestyle to live a higher standard, Jordan Burroughs shows us how in these five steps.
Start Small
At the age of five, Jordan Burroughs was intrigued with wrestling. A product of Winslow Township, New Jersey, Borroughs was introduced to the sport by way of a simple flyer at school. He became a multi-sport athlete at Winslow Township High School.
Most would assume the most decorated wrestler in the history of the United States was a prodigy at a young age. The truth is, Burroughs was far from elite at the start. He wouldn’t win his first New Jersey State title until his senior year of high school. While most on the prep rankings were racking up state titles early and often, Burroughs was developing slowly.
As a graduate and one-time state champion, Burroughs was not ranked in the top-50 high school prospects in the country. He fielded few offers from powerhouse wrestling programs. Eventually he accepted an offer to attend and wrestle at the University of Nebraska. This opportunity came by way of Nebraska head coach Mark Manning visiting New Jersey to recruit Burrough’s next door neighbor and friend, Vince Jones.
The greatest American wrestler in history wasn’t even the best wrestler on his street in high school. Burroughs followed his friend to Nebraska and began his college career. In his freshman campaign he finished with a 16-13 overall record. The next season he finished 3rd at the NCAA championships. The snowball began rolling, but it began with a small beginning.
Lifestyle drift often shows up in the form of softening up our intentionality as we interpret where things are at. Most of us, if not careful, lose our edge when we realize just how far we have to go. Not close to the results you want? “Well then I’m just going to check out.”
People living with an intentional lifestyle are virtually unafraid of starting small. They know the lifestyle will compound, growth will take place, and their standing in the world will change.
The first decade and a half of Jordan Burroughs wrestling career he was far from an instant success or a prodigy. However, he was refining the lifestyle needed to sustain his growth to where he wanted to go.
Just Keep Showing Up
In his junior and senior years at Nebraska, Jordan Burroughs would claim two NCAA national titles. He was slowly cementing himself as one of, if not the best college wrestler in the United States. In his final year, he would finish with an unbeaten record and was awarded the Dan Hodge Most Outstanding Wrestler award. NCAA wrestling’s version of the Heisman trophy. After wrapping up an impressive college career, Burroughs set his sights on the world stage.
Now if you’re not aware, historically the United States has been behind the rest of the world in wrestling. Especially in the early 2000’s, the United States was chasing everyone else. Most often, a United States wrestler would exit an illustrious college career and begin a 3-5 year journey adjusting to the world’s style of wrestling.
No American wrestler had ever jumped straight from college to global success.. Until Jordan Burroughs showed up.
Burrough’s wrestling style was in question for the world stage. He went directly at and through his opponents. Those in the wrestling community had seen it work against novice student athletes at Purdue University and other middle of the road college wrestling programs, but doubted it could work against grizzled wrestling veterans from Russia or Iran or former Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe. All this doubt made Burrough’s statements after graduating all the more compelling.
After leaving college with a great wrestling resume, Burroughs was not interested in waiting five years for the rest of the world to knight him and deem him worthy of world success.
Burroughs was outspoken as a graduate in 2011 - He predicted he would win the 2011 World Championship.
He changed his social media handles to @Alliseeisgold
“All I See is Gold”
The world laughed at him. What a ridiculous claim. No one comes straight out of college and jumps to Olympic champion status.
“Impossible”
“Delusional”
What many failed to realize is Jordan Burroughs had cultivated a lifestyle built on the principle of “Just Keep Showing Up.” He had refined the mentality needed to sustain growth over time. His skills were compounding and he was rising to a level that was unseen to the public, but not to him and his camp.
What Burroughs also reveals to the world is the most powerful segment of a “Just Keep Showing Up” mindset. - Belief.
Jordan Burroughs genuinely believed it could happen.
The dogmatic approach, swinging the ax without belief is not conducive to supporting the Just Keep Showing Up mindset. There must be a level of belief behind the approach. It’s easy to keep showing up when you believe deep down, you are capable of going where you want to go. Without that fundamental belief, deep in the fabric of your heart and mind, permeating from your entire being - it’s virtually impossible to continue to show up to the uncomfortable lifestyle needed to be truly elite.
Embrace Change
The 2011 World Championships were all Jordan Burroughs. All he saw was gold, then the world saw gold around his neck. He shocked the world and became a global wrestling superstar. More popular in Tehran, Iran than he is in New York City, New York, he became a global wrestling icon. He ran right through defending world champion and Russian wrestling legend Denis Tsargush on the way to his first world championship less than a year removed from college.
Instantly the world was put on notice, Jordan Burroughs is here to stay. The very next summer at the 2012 London Olympic games, Burroughs would win his first Olympic gold medal, a dream come true.
The next year in 2013, he won his second world championship this time just four weeks removed from breaking his ankle. He won in dominant fashion, out scoring his opponents 34-3 throughout the tournament.
It was as if Jordan Burroughs was becoming an unstoppable force. Undefeated in his international career, fast rising superstar, two world championships and an Olympic gold medal in three years after graduating. He racked up world medals in 2014 and 2015. After falling to his Russian rival Tsargush in 2014, he reclaimed the world championship in 2015. All his sights were turned to the Olympic games in Rio De Janeiro.
For Burroughs, the Olympic games in Rio was the paramount opportunity to cement his legacy. Having already taken home an Olympic gold medal at the last summer games, this would be the chance to repeat and emerge as a true Olympic star. For Olympic athletes like Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Apollo Anton Ono, it takes more than one successful Olympic games to catch the eye of the nation.
The games in Rio would provide Burroughs that platform.
Unfortunately the opportunity would be missed. For the first time in his international career, Burroughs was unable to secure a medal. After falling to another Russian rival in the semi-finals, Burroughs lost in embarrassing fashion in the consolation round.
Zero wins. Two losses.
No medal. No history made.
The emotions came flooding in. In multiple interviews, Burroughs was seen crying and losing the image of the infallible champion with every word spoken through tears. In the midst of a meteoric rise, Burroughs was halted in his tracks. Completely thrown off his game. He stepped away from the sport briefly, uncertain of his future.
Every individual is thrusted into change. Some changes are chosen - others are forced upon us. It’s after the Rio games that the journey of Jordan Burroughs becomes legendary. It’s after the unchosen change that he becomes certified.
Anyone can maintain confidence when things are going well. An undefeated fighter has the privilege of entering the ring undefeated. Swagger, confidence, no memory of failure in the back of their mind. It takes an entirely different level of courage and resolve to enter after being embarrassed.
Quite possibly the greatest segment of Jordan Burroughs career came after putting everything on the line in Rio and suffering embarrassing, disappointing defeat.
It’s one thing to rise when it’s all going well. It’s an entirely different certification when our confidence changes.
It’s impossible to be truly great without an ability to embrace change.
Play The Long Game
After the dust settled from the 2016 Olympic games, Burroughs took considerable time away from the sport. It’s not easy to level-set expectations after things don’t go the way we plan. Burroughs needed some time to clear his mind and recalibrate his goals.
He wasn’t the unstoppable force anymore, but this provided him with the opportunity to go back to where he was best - the chase. Instead of being hunted, Burroughs became the hunter again.
At the 2017 World Championships Burroughs would reclaim gold, successfully defeating one of his opponents from Rio. He was atop the throne again, just one year removed from heartbreak.
In the next two years, 2018 and 2019 Burroughs would earn two more world medals with Bronze finishes at both championships after narrowly losing to the same up-and-coming Russian superstar, Zaurbek Sidakov.
Heading into 2020 Jordan Burroughs had accumulated eight world and olympic medals in nine years as an international pro. Five world championships and one olympic gold medal. He had been the confident underdog, the slayed giant, returned to the top of the mountain, and had been knocked off again, by a new emerging star.
In nine years at the top of his game he had rivalries with a rotation of four Russian elite wrestlers. Names came and went at world superpowers Russia, and Iran. But, Burroughs still remained. He had defeated domestic rivals many times and was cementing his career as one of the greatest of all time.
As the calendar turned to 2020, Burroughs was undoubtedly entering the twilight of his career. A talented wrestling career beginning to head toward closure.
When we think about talented people - we tend to create an explanation that their gifting was entirely innate. Talented musician, talented baker, talented athlete. Talented artist. The titles come with the idea that talent is awarded, and not earned.
When you look at the trajectory of the talented Jordan Burroughs it’s clear his talent was meticulously crafted.
Natural gifting - sure.
God given explosiveness and fast-twitch muscle fibers - absolutely.
But talent is only as good as the stewardship and care it lives under. Talent, stewarded poorly is just labeled wasted “potential.”
When it comes to Jordan Burroughs, his daily, weekly and yearly decision to play the long game allowed his talent to blossom.
Highly motivated and highly disciplined for over a decade gave the possibility for his talent to be realized.
As the 2020 Olympic games were delayed, many in the wrestling community believed this would be Burroughs' swan song. A chance to cement his legacy with another Olympic Gold medal. Instead he would be faced with yet another chapter of grappling with disappointment and future decision making.
When you’re at the top of the United States wrestling food chain for over a decade, eventually younger talent nips at your heels long enough to take down the champ. In April of 2021, Kyle Dake defeated Jordan Burroughs at the Olympic Trials, denying Burroughs a spot on the United States national team for the very first time in his illustrious career.
While the United States team would compete in Tokyo, Jordan Burroughs would be at home. Yet again contemplating retirement. No one would blame him had he decided to retire, he was already cemented as one of the greatest of all time, now over 30 years old, father of four kids, married to his wife Lauren.
There comes a time when we all are forced to move on, but Burroughs would decide to stay the course a little longer. He was in the legacy building chapter of his career and needed a few more titles to become the most decorated wrestler in United States history.
Live A Higher Standard
After changing weight classes Burroughs would go on to win his fifth and sixth world championships in 2021 and 2022. With his win in September of 2022, he cemented his legacy as the winningest wrestler in the history of the United States.
But he did so in such a way that he exuded a true higher standard. Nothing about his talent development was easy. As is the case for all of us, there’s nothing “natural” about pushing the boundaries of our limits. Rely only on your talent and natural abilities and you’ll end up disappointed in where you end up.
For Jordan Burroughs his ongoing career showcased a masterclass in perseverance. Devastating defeats, sent back to the drawing board to figure out yet another opponent, and doing so while his family grew back home in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Jordan Burroughs shows us all a possible journey where you can be truly elite and not have to forfeit your soul in the process.
Modern day culture tempts us to believe that true success will come at a total cost where you’ll have to forfeit any and all distractions. Old friendships - better lose them. Balance and stability - can’t have it if you want to be at the top.
Lifestyle success is not just found in the development of our talent. It’s not just in the fulfillment of our resume and the degrees hanging on the wall. It may include success in your vocation, but true lifestyle success, a true life of a higher standard is way more interested in HOW we journey to the top.
The story of Jordan Burroughs is one of how to journey to the top. Success after success on the mat, an illustrious career in his profession spanning over a decade. International influence, speaking life into young boys and girls. Crossing cultural boundaries to promote health and dignity for all. Friendships with people that cross international tensions in Iran and Russia. Beloved and iconic face of the world’s oldest sport.
Yet all the while his marriage thrives. Married long before he was an international superstar. Career and financial success later, still married to the same woman. Together Jordan and Lauren Burroughs enjoy the fruits of grounded faith and commitment to each other above commitment to world success.
Father of four. Two boys and two girls, present in their lives all while training for world success. Changing diapers in between rounds at the world championships. Pursuing history. Chasing greatness, but never at the cost of his primary role as husband and father.
The truth is, we’re all given the full freedom to live whatever lifestyle we choose. Want to stay in the office 80 hours a week, and not see your family all in the name of chasing greatness? Well - you can.
Want to destroy years of commitment to vows you made, while you chase new opportunities that make you feel “alive”? You’re entitled to do so, I guess.
But would it all be worth it if it came at such a high cost to the things that truly matter?
Living a higher standard cuts right through all that artificial success. To truly align a lifestyle to fit a higher standard is to commit to success in the deepest fashion. True success will never rob you of your soul and cause you to destroy the most important things in life. A lifestyle rooted in a higher standard will ground you in the most important purposes in life.
To be, stay the course certified is to live a life with no shortage of motivation and discipline and excellence, but also be able to look your family in the eyes. It’s to be the same person from room to room.
It’s the lifestyle needed to live the life you were made to live.