The Mental Arts Tidbit for February 22
The Mental Arts Tidbit for February 22
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Mental Arts Tidbit
Current Musing
ear·nest /ˈərnəst/ (adjective)
1. resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction. "an earnest student"
Being earnest opens you up to greater opportunities because people can see that you are invested in learning as much as possible from the situation. It also makes things more enjoyable too because the more you put in, the more you can get out of an experience.
There have been times when my motivation has been low in jiu jitsu, mainly because I have asked myself, “What is really the point of all this rolling around on the mat?” I eventually came to the conclusion that jiu jitsu helped with my personal growth, and it let me work through things in a unique way.
Which is a nice platitude that most people will tell you…
The fact is, I like to be good at what I do — an obnoxious phrase if taken uncharitably, but at the same time, it is the truth.
I think back to how different my experience is now compared to when I was just a beginner, and when I look at things this way, I realize that jiu jitsu is much more fun and challenging. I have some tools to work with. I’m not just trying to survive, and in some trainings, I can thrive. I can actually watch a video and take comprehensible notes on it if I really, really wanted to (maybe I should…hmm…). I can appreciate the technicality and beauty in someone’s movement from a trained eye instead of being grossed out by how twisted their limbs look.
I will be always earnest in jiu jitsu — serious because I like going all in for a situation if it makes sense, and invested and focused as much as I can because there are benefits to approaching learning in that way.
Try This Tidbit
Where do you feel a bit lackluster in your skill development? How can you take an “earnest” step towards advancement? Notice how that feels.
Have You Heard?
The Art of Peak Performance ft. Cody Maltais
Cody doesn’t usually do podcast interviews, but he said that he did this one because he liked me and the book we were discussing: The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin.
