SG Entry#5- Going Beyond Your Comfort Level



Me earning first place at a tournament in 2010

    
I think it's important to push yourself. Life can go by pretty quickly, and not making the most of it can be a painful regret. Fortunately we live in a country where we have many opportunities to better ourselves. But how to go about bettering yourself? This blog is for a college class, and one way to better yourself is to go to college. There are various ways to improve yourself either mentally or physically. But what about something that improves both? 
    I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) in 2008. It's a martial art that involves grappling and applying various chokes or joint locks on your opponent. If properly done, your opponent will have to give up by either tapping out with their hand or yelling "Tap!"  
     In 2009 I decided to test myself in a BJJ tournament. Some of the guys I train with were going to compete in the American National Championships. I had no idea if I would do well. These tournaments are designed to test you physically and mentally. They are organized into Belt level, weight class, and age groups. So you will be facing someone very close to your level. It requires that you not only be in good shape physically, but have the proper skill. But equally important is to be mentally strong. Imagine facing a trained opponent who has the ability to render you unconscious or dislocate your joints. You must be calm and focused. Right below I have posted links to two of my matches from that tournament  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n-6eSG-Znw     <---


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np4tUCK69Ao    <---

        

Second place at the National Championships

                                                                           

It was stressfull, nerve racking, scary, exhausting.

I did ok, and ended up making it to the finals in my division, where I lost to the defending World champion.

     I was glad I did it. Going through something like that is a great opportunity to better yourself. After something like this, many other things seem easier to deal with. A customer yelling at you just doesn't have the same impact anymore. A flat tire doesn't seem to cause as much stress as it used to. And if I'm ever unfortunate enough to be in a life threatening situation, I feel confident I will be able 

Second place at a tournament in 2012



to handle it well.

    I went on to compete in many tournaments. Sometimes I performed to the best of my ability, sometimes I did not. What is important is to make the most of every opportunity and learn from it, whether it be a tournament or a promotion at work, or whatever endeavor you are involved in.

   So it's important to push yourself beyond your comfort level, the rewards and lessons are definitely worth it. You don't know what you can accomplish until you try.



Third place in two divisions at the largest BJJ tournament in the world in 2012