TFS#23: No Free Lunch

Fomo, noun, informal

1. anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media.

If you’re like many other Jiu-Jitsu enthusiasts, it’s likely you’ve experienced FOMO.

It’s a side effect of information overload.

You know how much exists out there and you want to cover as much as you can.

And no matter how much or how little you are training, you feel like you’re missing out.

It feels like your peers are surpassing you, and they might be.

Instructors will tell you, “it’s all about the number of hours on the mat” and this is true: the more time you spend on the mats, the faster you’ll learn.

Too bad we’re not robots (yet?) and we can’t train 24/7.

We have work, family responsibilities, and injuries we need to treat.

You can’t neglect every aspect of your life to train (unless you’re a professional, but if you’re reading this newsletter, you’re probably not).

If you’re training consistently but still feeling FOMO, it’s best to take a step back.

Take a look at everything else going on in your life.

Perhaps you've avoided one aspect of your life that's nagging at you, or perhaps you need to change up your training schedule.

If you can't train but want to continue to grow your Jiu-Jitsu, you can also consider solo drills, weight lifting, or studying (like reading this newsletter because I'm bias).

What you’ve chosen to do over training is probably more valuable.

Think about what you're actually getting out of one decision over another.

Techniques To Explore

1. 9 Steps To Stop Yourself From Making Excuses
Discovering that your own excuses have been the main cause of your FOMO isn’t a great feeling. It’s not your fault, we’re built like that by nature. But luckily there are ways to fix it.

2. 5 Escapes You Need To Survive Jiu-Jitsu
For lower belts who are still learning to properly escape bad positions, focus on defending position. Not only do you want to get out of a bad position, but you want to make sure you don’t end up in a worse one. You don’t have to magically sweep and reverse the positions, but being in a less bass situation is the main goal.

3. You Want To Throw Your Opponent Off Guard
Establish grips and drill the footwork. No one will be looking forward to rolling with you.

Resources For Your Interest

>> There are deeper roots to your BJJ FOMO if you haven’t been training as much. Figure out if this applies to you. Start at 5:45.

>> Become a better student by becoming your own coach. Shane McCarthy shares his approach on how he took ownership of his Jiu-Jitsu development. Listen here.

>> How you define your ego can affect your game. But let’s not forget, you can mask your ego with being nice. Are you one of those guys?

Closing Thought

Now, there is an element of healthy selfishness to training Jiu-Jitsu.

For most of us, it does introduce a certain stability in life.

If every part of your life is unsteady–family and friends, work and financial, and personal development–then something has to give.

You’ll need at least one of these areas stable.

And some times the easiest way to establish some sort of stability is to train Jiu-Jitsu.

You know you’ll walk out of the gym feeling more fulfilled.

It’s a get away from the day-to-day stresses.