BJJ encompasses so many different mindsets, goals and beliefs..but there is one trait that every long-term practitioner has developed…
Resiliency. Possibly the most valuable character trait that can be cultivated in a sport where the majority of those who start quit within the first year or so. It is arguably the hardest trait to have in a society that is quick to remind you that you are entitled to walk away from anything that is no longer easy or comfortable.
Most people spend their lives avoiding adversity and skirting discomfort, never building the discipline that grows resiliency. Resiliency does not come overnight, it comes from continuous exposure to things that knock you down and force you to stand back up. It comes from making mistakes. It comes from losses…getting ‘’tapped out.’’ It comes from continuing forward when all you want to do is listen to the voices telling you to call it quits. It comes from taking the mistakes, losses, heartbreak and disappointment and using the lessons they taught you to move forward in pursuit of your goals.
Resiliency is the absence of excuses. Life will give you thousands of opportunities to grab onto an excuse, and some will seem like very good ones, and let it be the reason you never move forward. Excuses are the most readily available option. The loudest voices are the ones telling you that your efforts are worthless so you should grab on to one the many excuses available to you, you need to learn to ignore those voices.
Resiliency is choosing to drop the excuses and choosing instead to listen to the quieter voice telling you that your efforts are not in vain. The secret to getting good at jiu jitsu is the secret to getting better at anything in life- become resilient. When you become resilient, you become unstoppable. It doesn’t mean that you will never be knocked down, experience setbacks or stray from your path. It means that you will not stay down, you will find your way back onto the path. Resilience is the ultimate BJJ mindset.
