Lesson 1

 As my professor says "You can do hard shit". It wasn't until recently, almost a year into my Jiu Jitsu journey that I started to really embracing this concept. I still remember my first Jiu Jitsu class like it was yesterday. I don't recall the technique we learned but I can't forget the suffering that took place. My first class ended with a shark tank rolling session. For those of you not familiar with this let me explain. We split into groups of 3 or 4 and number off. The number 1 person stays in for 5 minutes straight and the others rotate in every minute. Then 2's stay in for 5 minutes and so forth. These are live rolling so you treat it like a tournament or fight in real life. Exhausting to say the least. I had to sit out and take breaks even on my 1 minute turns. I was so beat, physically and mentally after that first practice. But I couldn't wait for the next class! 

I've been going to a class or open mat 2-4 times a week for over a year now and I'm just starting to enjoy this type of suffering. I knew every time I step foot on those mats that I'd be getting my ass kicked and leave extremely tired but feeling great afterwards. I wasn't fully enjoying my time on the mat, I'd tap out pretty quick just to restart, I'd take a lot of breaks when my brain would tell me I'm done, and I'd always leave knowing deep down I could have done more. Until recently when I've truly started believing we can all do hard shit. Your body is capable of more than your mind thinks it is. 

When there is someone much heavier than you laying on top of you, putting all of their weight on you and trying to choke you or break a limb it is miserable. It is scary at first and you start to panic. I would literally panic and freak out and quit just from someone laying on me. It took months of putting myself in these situations until I was able to find comfort in it. Until I was able to remain calm and think about how I can move my body to control their body enough just to breathe better. The faster you can accept the reality there is always a way to make things less shitty the better. 

You can take and use this knowledge in any situation in life. There is always something you can control to change any situation. Even if it's a tiny change, barely noticeable, there's a ripple effect. A bunch of tiny changes can lead to a much better situation just the same as a big change can. Control your attitude, your reactions, your behaviors and you can control the outcome. After a hard practice of putting yourself in extremely uncomfortable situation the shit life throws at you doesn't seem so bad. Seems almost manageable even. 

That's one of many lessons I've learned on the mats and applied to my life off the mats. Embrace the suck, keep pushing, keep surviving and keep fighting! One small change can affect the outcome of any situation.