Why i started jiu-jitsu

The Obsession | Edition - 042

“You never know what you can do until you try, and very few try unless they have to” - C.S. Lewis

With the rise of social media came the rise of exposure to new sports and hobbies. One of those being Jiu-Jitsu. 

And like most 20-somethings, I figured why not? I’ll meet new people, get a great workout in, and learn some fundamental self defense skills.

I'm only a few weeks in. I will say I've met awesome people, and it is a killer workout. However, the learning process is essentially just getting your butt kicked over and over again until something starts to click.

I could share more about the value of showing up even though you're probably not going to win. About how that mindset transfers into other areas of life. And while that might be true, I think the more important thing, at least for me, is that I was so uncomfortable when I went for the first time.

This was so far outside my comfort zone. I've never done any combat or even contact sports growing up. I don't have a brother that I grew up fighting. I was truly a bit nervous walking into that first class.

It's almost like moving somewhere where you know no one for the first time. Which I've done twice now. You learn a lot about yourself.

I believe the ability to be comfortable in very uncomfortable situations builds more than character. It builds adaptability. So when life comes at you full force, you can change. You can adjust. You don't freeze.

For those of you that don't care as much for that reason, Jiu-Jitsu also builds Identity Capital - the personal currency you use to get jobs, relationships, and opportunities in the real world. I wrote about this concept a few weeks ago from Meg Jay's book The Defining Decade.

You are actively learning a new skill that other people will be interested in hearing about. These new experiences and skills you can pick up in your 20s are so important to help you develop into a more well-rounded person.

What's something new that you want to do?