Bunny Slope

I hope you all had a great Christmas and were able to spend time with family and the ones you love. I had a great Christmas with my family and am enjoying my time in Mammoth Lakes on the snowy mountain. Today I saw my daughter ski for the first time and she did great. When she was done with her ski lessons, she looked up at the big mountain, where the experienced skiers were coming down the run, and said "I want to ski up there." I was happy for her enthusiasm but explained to her that she needs to practice a bit more on easier runs before tackling the advanced slopes. Had I let her find this out the hard way, she would have discovered that she wasn't quite ready and might have lost confidence and enthusiasm in her ability. This happens a lot in Jiu-Jitsu. A new guy comes into the academy and you get to grapple with him. You beat him and gain a boost of confidence in your Jiu-Jitsu game. All of a sudden, you find yourself on top of the world and are ready for the next challenge. You roll with a more experienced guy who puts you in your place and your once elevated ego is now deflated by reality. Does this mean that we shouldn't roll with guys who are better than us? Absolutely not! We must, however, manage our own expectations and realize that we learn more from losing than winning. Take the tough challenges and walk away with more knowledge than you had before, but also take the time to learn on the "bunny slopes" and work on your technique before moving up to the more difficult runs. I look forward to the new year and to the progress in your lives and Jiu-Jitsu.