I’m a big believer that tough people pursue tough hobbies. You become a better person if you’re more willing to push the envelope a bit.
I’d definitely testify that my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu journey has made me a better person. I’m more patient, relaxed, kind, and even more humble (although the TGL crew might tell you otherwise).
You might be surprised to learn that pursuing a hobby like BJJ can also make you a better professional. No matter what sort of work you’re involved in, there’s benefits to be had by getting involved in a challenging hobby or self-improvement activity. It’s not just limited to BJJ; pursuits like weight training, languages or instruments can also be beneficial.
Don’t believe me? That’s cool, I’ll change your mind. Here’s four areas that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will help make you a better professional (just make sure you don’t armbar your boss).
Patience
BJJ doesn’t work like a Jackie Chan movie. You’re not gonna effortlessly dispatch swarms of enemies (and damn sure you’re not gonna do it with a ladder).
The point is, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a grind, both long-term, and short too. Every roll you take, you’ll learn the importance of playing the percentages, capitalising on opportunities at the right time, and minimising your risk. Long-term, you’ll learn that an attitude of gradual improvement beats erratic bursts of over-commitment, every time.
Make no mistake – patience is a skill, and it can absolutely be improved. Putting work into improving your patience will help you on the mats, and off it too.
Most importantly, patience breeds consistency, which is an asset in any professional gig – you’ll be a rockstar every time you walk through the door. You’ll improve your ability to communicate with professional stakeholders, and you’ll have more consistent levels of confidence as you grow more patient with your professional development and management of professional projects – wins all round.
Dealing with Pressure
When you’re first getting started in BJJ, you’ll spend your fair share of time getting squashed by more experienced opponents. Don’t worry, soon you’ll be paying them back with interest.
Early on, it’s likely that you’ll respond to this pressure predictably – by freaking out and thrashing around. This not only wastes your energy, but creates all sorts of openings for your opponents to exploit. It’s completely normal – you’re outmatched, in an unfamiliar position, and with little technical skill to fall back on.
Give it some time, and you’ll impress yourself with how well you’ve learned to deal with adverse situations. This composure, combined with your growing skills, will allow you to start executing the techniques you’ve learned. Soon, you’ll start getting revenge on your gym-mates.
You’ll also notice it helping in your professional life – the ability to think more clearly and critically in pressure situations is massive. When you’re under the pump, you’ll be able to navigate problems to find solutions, and use your experience to solve them. You’ll be a beast not only at the gym, but at work too.
Building Rapport
I’ve mentioned before that I’ve shared the mats with people from all walks of life – tradies, salespeople, artists, cops, and more.
As a BJJ coach, I’ve learned the importance of building rapport with anyone who walks through my gym door. Doing so helps to create an inclusive, positive environment where people love to train and improve themselves.
It’s a skill shared by my students too. BJJ pairs you with people you’ll have little in common with – it’s up to the students to make it work on a personal level.
If you’re an outgoing person, finding this common ground will come easily, but if you’re less confident, regular practice building rapport with others will be huge. You’ll learn about your gym-mate’s lives, and build powerful, genuine relationships with one another.
Obviously, this can be massive for your professional life too. Being able to build rapport with co-workers, clients, or any other stakeholders is gonna make any role much easier, and you’ll be able to influence people to achieve better results at work (please make sure to use your new superpowers responsibly).
Dealing with Failure
BJJ can be soul-crushing. One of the hardest skills you’ll learn is leaving your ego at the door (and you’ll learn it quickly).
One day you’ll be rolling with a higher belt, and a miraculous opportunity will appear to lock in that new submission you’ve just learned. “Jackpot”, you’ll think to yourself, as you immediately take the bait. Mentally, you’ve already won – you’re actually amazing at BJJ; maybe even the next Marcelo Garcia!
3 seconds later, everything comes crashing down as you tap to a submission you didn’t even know existed.
A disclaimer – you’re never gonna love getting humbled, but you can definitely improve your attitude towards failure, and view it as a learning experience.
Let me put it this way – you’re unlikely to take the bait next time, right? You’ll grow to see failure as an opportunity to learn and improve. Every time you’ll fail, you’ll take it a little less personally, and grow from it.
This growth can benefit your professional life too. You’re never gonna get every project or task right – but you’ll learn to view these opportunities for growth and experience, rather than failures. This means you’ll not only be a more effective professional, but a happier one too.
