5 Lessons From My Journey To Black Belt

Only 1% of people who start jiu-jitsu end up achieving the rank of black belt. It is harder than graduating from Harvard. It is harder than becoming a self-made multimillionaire. It is harder than creating a billion dollar startup. I don’t speak from a theoretical viewpoint. I speak from my experience having achieved all of the above. For me, jiu-jitsu is one of the greatest platforms to unleash your greatness in life.

I started jiu-jitsu in 2005 and I almost quit several times. On bad days, I got tossed around like a little child and suffered multiple confidence-crushing submissions. I would often go home with a bruised ego and a broken body. I questioned myself every week. On ugly days, I tore my ACL and MCL, sprained my neck, broke my fingers, hurt my back, injured my ribs, and more. The journey is long and hard, but it is also beautiful and poetic. I would not trade it for the world. Jiu-jitsu has taught me so many beautiful lessons on the journey from white belt to black belt.

Here are 5 key lessons:

1) A warrior spirit can only be forged in the furnace of suffering. I believe that an unbreakable warrior spirit is essential to success in life. If you chase a dream, you will inevitably face setbacks, failures, fear, doubt, and insecurities. Jiu-jitsu will forge in you an unbreakable warrior spirit. The mats will test you beyond your limits – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. If you embrace jiu-jitsu with open arms, it will teach you how to overcome adversity. Yes, you will experience helplessness and hopelessness on a weekly basis, especially as a lower belt. However, if you keep showing up, it will teach you not to quit and you will eventually become the hammer instead of the nail. It will teach you how to overcome your fears, doubts, and insecurities. It will lead you to your greatness.

2) There is no greatness without suffering. As Bruce Lee once said, “Do not wish for an easy life. Pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” You see, in our suffering, we discover our greatness. If you are not willing to suffer for your dreams, you will achieve nothing in life. Whether it is in life, business, or fighting, the greatest stories in human history involve immense suffering and the triumphant overcoming of it. Consider jiu-jitsu an experiment lab where you can learn to suffer every day – and come out stronger for it.

3) As Renzo says often, “Fighting is the best thing a man can have in his soul.” Life is a fight. We fight for our loved ones. We fight for our dreams. We fight for who we are. Every day, we wake up in the morning to fight for something. Jiu-jitsu will teach you to fight for a better future for you and your loved ones. It will turn you into a fighter in life.

4) You can’t lie to yourself. In jiu-jitsu, you either know what you are doing or you do not. It does not matter what color your belt is. It only matters what you can do in real life, whether it is on the streets, on the mats, or in competition. What I love most is that there is no hiding behind a rank or a belt or a title. Either you can handle your business with an aggressive, uncooperative, resisting opponent – or you cannot. Life is the same way. Your skills must be real. Your knowledge must be true. Your abilities must be genuine.

5) Humility is the key to success. If you want success, you need to learn, grow, and evolve every day. As Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Humility unlocks the gateway to limitless learning. The world is constantly changing and the only way to succeed is to adapt by constant learning, growth, and evolution. If you keep improving 1% a day, the power of compounding will take care of the rest.

Martial arts has the incredible ability to change lives, to turn weakness into strength, to mold fear into courage, and to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. For me, martial arts is the warrior way of life. There is no comfort. There is no luxury. There is no ease. As warriors, we must suffer for what we love. In our suffering, we seek the truth. In our suffering, we forge our warrior spirit. In our suffering, we discover our greatness.