Courage: The White Belt

I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. Michael Jordan 

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So everybody has to start somewhere right? In Jiu-Jitsu, in school, in everything. There is a point where it all begins. And In Jiu-Jitsu, it all begins with the white belt. The color of this belt symbolizes the color white. Tabula rasa or the empty slate. To be a white belt is to understand how it is to be open to the possibilities of change.

The white belt also signifies rebirth. When we get into jiu-jitsu, we are born again. We become a new person. We rid of habits that has made us unmotivated and unsuccessful. As a white belt, we are just starting to accept a new phase in our lives. Where the physical meets the mental and the spiritual

Welcome to White belt hood.

As a white belt,. there are pitfalls that we encounter and also ways to avoid these. The pitfalls a white belt usually faces are typical. Most of it relates to change. But the root cause of this fear is about the following:

Fear of Failure

Most of white belts quit during their 1st 3 months of training because most of them are afraid of failing. Fear of failing is not being able to adapt to the rigors of training. This fear can eat anyone up easy. It can even keep a person from rolling in the mats, or even understanding a technique.

The ANSWER

Get support. It is tough to admit that we are afraid. But it’s a lot tougher dealing with it alone. Getting help and advice from your coaches and professors can help you overcome that fear.

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Waning Drive

Our drive to succeed usually wanes out like a while bushfire; after which all of the available bushes are burned down, so does the blaze. When the drive is lost, so does the goal. Root cause: unrealistic goals.

The ANSWER

Ok. So you may have set up unrealistic goals for your Jiu-Jitsu. There is a way to fix all that, set realistic goals. You have to see the value of time and how this can help you in your growth. Jiu-Jitsu is an art. Learning art takes time. No one is born naturally good in Jiu-Jitsu. But everyone can become good in time.

The MAIN Advise

Train. Train. Train.

There is absolutely more essential than training. When we train, we become better. When we train, we set ourselves for success.

Remember that Jiu-Jitsu is not an easy road. But taking this road less travelled already made you a winner!