MONDAY MINDSET: PERFECTLY IMPERFECT IS THE END GAME

WEEK OF 8/26/24

 

May of this year marked my 9th year as a Jiu Jitsu black belt (I earned the initial rank in 2015).  That promotion was equally both one of the most exciting and most disappointing moments of my life.

Exciting because I had finally achieved the black belt!  You all know how difficult it is to keep throwing yourself at this sport day after day, sometimes feeling like you got worse despite your hardest efforts.  So, making it to the “finish line” was a huge source of pride, excitement, and happiness for me.

But it was also disappointing.  I was still, objectively, not very good at Jiu Jitsu.  There was much I didn’t know, and many mountains stood between me and the skills and expertise I was seeking.

When I tied my first Jiu Jitsu belt in October of 2004, I knew I was going to be in it for life.  And at the time, my coach was only a purple belt — which, for 2004, was a huge accomplishment as there were maybe 50-100 BJJ black belts in the entire country at that time.

So, the mystique and status of the BJJ black belt was something I worked very, very hard for over 11 years and finally achieved, yet at that moment I felt none of the mystique and status of the belt.

I was, still, me.  Very imperfect.  Very lacking.  Very, I guess, just human.

Now, nine years in as a black belt, having spent almost half my time in BJJ as a black belt as all the other belts combined, I’m starting to realize that perfection is not the goal.  You can never be perfect.  Your Jiu Jitsu can never be perfect.  But the act of chasing that perfection will take you to some amazing places, and you will accomplish some amazing things.

In a sense, your goal is not perfection, but the pursuit of perfection,  And throughout it all, you will be imperfect.  You will lose, make mistakes, and fall short of your own expectations time and time again.

And that state of being  you will find experiences in life that are withheld from people who play it safe or just opt out of playing at all.