Daily blog #4

Learning Courage from the White Belt

In the world of Jiu Jitsu you will find countless stories of empowerment from bullied kids to women who have been assaulted and OG’s (older men) and everything in between. Yet as proven as Jiu Jitsu is as a martial art in the highest levels of combat (UFC) to your average person defending themselves on the street, few take the first step of showing up for their first lesson.

As an instructor, I admire those who choose to take their first lesson. Not only do I make them aware of that fact but I make it my duty to treat them like a king or queen because of the fear they overcame to show up. Really. For someone with no martial arts background who is not in great physical shape, to walk into a stranger’s academy and take a lesson is a complete demonstration of courage. That person is a true warrior who I have endless respect for. I know many seasoned practitioners who wouldn’t do that and not only because their senseis don’t allow them to go to other schools. There is also an endless amount of buff, tattooed young guys who you think would be there in a heartbeat but no. It’s your mom with three kids who works a full time job or your 60 year old property manager or teacher who not only goes to their first lesson but keeps coming back for more, as hungry as a Doberman locked up for days.

When you start to see the “tough guys” are actually the ones who won’t show up for their first lesson but if they do are most likely to quit, you may reconsider what courage is and see it within yourself. I firmly believe anyone at any point in time is capable of improving their lives in some way from the homeless guy under the bridge to Tony Robbins or Donald Trump. But your actions will start with courage, courage you have that you may not have recognized until you realize how much farther you can go than the “tough guy”. You never know when one single idea or experience can completely change your view or life course so I encourage you, take your first Jiu Jitsu lesson and cheers to you having the courage to do it!