Hey there,
I started training jiu-jitsu about two months ago and have been documenting my journey so far. You can read about why I chose jiu-jitsu for my next athletic pursuit here.
After a recent class, one of the black belt instructors sat us down to discuss lessons from the day.
“I know you’re all eager to learn,” he says. “You want to get better, faster.”
There were a lot of white belts — the true sign of a beginner — in the room that night. I was one of them. I know I’m not the only one who looked around enviously at the higher belts. I also know I’m supposed to enjoy the journey, to embrace being a beginner — but the day can’t come soon enough that I’m at least a blue belt, the next belt level up from white.
“My advice?” He pauses, looking around the room. “Be an empty cup. Leave your ego at the door. That’s the only way you’re going to learn and improve.”
He’s right, of course. The only way we’ll learn is to learn to quiet our ego. Read the full article on Medium here.
What I’m reading —
The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness by Todd Rose
This book really opened my eyes to the downsides of comparing ourselves to the mythical average person. We are all individuals with different unique strengths. When we stop comparing ourselves to the mythical “average person,” we can learn to take full advantage of our individuality and work toward our full potential in life.
Loved this line from the book: “The hardest part of learning something new is not embracing new ideas, but letting go of old ones.”
A quote that inspires me —
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” — Anaïs Nin
What I’m training —
Here’s a fun equipment-free HIIT workout you can try anywhere.
Three new workouts —
402 rep sprinter challenge workout (Time challenge, equipment-free)
Plyo Box Burner Challenge Workout (Time challenge, plyo box/stairs)
Heart Pumping Bar HIIT Workout (12 minute, pull-up bar)
You can get these and all future workouts right in the 12 Minute Athlete app when you subscribe as a Super Athlete.
Questions? Feedback? Content requests?
Please feel free to reply directly to this email if you have any questions or comments (yes, I am a real human). I get a lot of emails and messages, so I can’t reply to all of them, but I do read everything you guys send me!
– Krista