Life and career lessons from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)

I got my blue belt in BJJ yesterday... Completely humbled by the experience. I have learnt some really incredible life lessons from BJJ... below I have shared just a couple of these thoughts!

Life and career lessons from Brazillian Jiu Jitsu:

 ?? Be humble or be humbled. In BJJ your ego gets checked at the door... for you! You are always learning... You have never reached perfection and there is always someone willing and waiting to tap you out! haha..

 ?? Respect - respect your coach (leaders), respect the sport. Respect is BIG in BJJ. The definition of respect is: "a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements." This is a beautiful, intricate and complex sport that deserves all the respect it gets. And the same should go for where you find yourself in life... have respect for the spaces you find yourself in. Don't be entitled and self righteous. Be grateful for the history and spaces you get to share with others.

 ?? Take yourself seriously, but have fun doing it! It was only when my coach started pushing me to focus on what I was doing that I started to see a massive improvement in my game.

 ?? Stay calm. In BJJ you will find yourself in very tricky situations which make you feel like quitting. But if you calm yourself down you will often find that there is a solution and that quitting does not need to be your only option.

 ?? Welcome feedback. Feedback from your coach can be difficult - everyone wants to feel like they are doing a good job all the time but sometimes you just aren't haha. And this is where feedback and correction (done with respect and love) can help improve your game DRAMATICALLY if you allow the advice to sink in.

 ?? You CAN do it!!! - when I started BJJ I was so self conscious. I thought everyone was watching me and would laugh at me because I had ZERO idea what the heck I was doing... Rolling around.. put my foot where?? Do I even have a right hand anymore? But you soon realize... NO-ONE is watching you!! You do you... make mistakes and have fun.

Go ahead.... find your closest BJJ gym and give it a try. I HIGHLY recommend Pride Fighting Academy in Cape Town.