Instant gratification sets everyone up for failure. For the most part, we have the world at our fingertips due to the rise of social media and the internet. Rome was not built in a day. Day after day a brick was laid down. Over the decades, a great nation was formed. Just like in Rome, your growth in jiu-jitsu, and life, will follow a similar pattern.
A New Way of Thinking
You must come into this sport knowing that you will not get anything down or perfect within the first 6 months to a year. Jiu Jitsu may be something that you never completely master. Black belts are still tinkering with their game and training multiple days a week. Something you inherently learn while actively practicing is the ability to think in longer terms than those around you.
Patience and trusting the process are the name of the game.
How Long Does it Take To Get a Black Belt
Enjoying where you are, even if you are there for a long time, has power. Being present in the moment is a way of thinking that will spill over effect into your everyday life.
You may not be where you want to be in your career, and that is okay. Discover a vision of where you would like to go and take the necessary actions to get where you want to be. You may be out of shape and feeling hopeless about losing the weight you gained during COVID, lay down brick and put one foot in front of the other.
Jiu-jitsu, just like life, is a journey, not a destination.
This sport becomes a lifestyle as you stick around and continue to take it seriously.
Winning and losing are needed for you to grow. You will only get those opportunities by putting yourself out there in multiple competitions and tons of training.
In this world of instant gratification, you may find it difficult to change the way you think. It is not impossible and is a process in itself. Learning to think long-term will change everything about who you are and give you a competitive advantage over those that just want the next shiny object, the next belt, or chasing the next sponsor.
With focused work over a long period, you will achieve everything you want within the sport of jiu-jitsu. It takes about 2 years to get from a white belt to a blue belt and most black belts took 10 years to achieve this level of proficiency.
Conclusion
Enjoy where you currently are and do not try to rush your journey to the next level. Becoming the greatest version of yourself is a noble pursuit that you signed up for when you decided to join a martial arts gym.
Play the long-term game. Train hard, stay healthy, and seek out opportunities to grow by competing!
Happy Rolling.
