Friend,
This weekend I won my first Brazillian Jiu Jitsu Competition.
I've been training (with a few COVID breaks) for about two years and honestly, it's changed my life.
I've learned more about myself on the mats in 18 months than I did spending 3 years at uni.
And after months of hard work, everything paid off.
So what does this have to do with copywriting/ business?
You see, I apply the mindset I use in BJJ to everyday life.
It's improved my business, personal life and fitness.
And now I want to share my top lessons with you.
Let's jump right in.
1) You Need To Lose Before You Win
When I first started BJJ I lost... a lot.
Every day I'd walk to training (usually in the rain), get beaten up for 2 hours and then go home.
I'd wake up aching the next morning and repeat.
It was demotivating and exhausting.
After about 6 months I entered my first competition.
I won my first fight and then lost (badly).
So what did I do?
I went back to training.
Around 6 months later I entered my second competition.
This time I won my first two fights and lost my third.
My performance was better, but I still didn't place.
I got back to the gym and started working on my weak areas.
And this competition, it showed.
I felt strong throughout my performance, and the areas I struggled with before were my strongest.
And after two comp losses and 100's of L's in the gym, I won the gold.
2) Real Skills Take Time To Learn
In the digital era, everyone is promising a win-quick solution.
"Make 10k a month in 3 months"
"Find the love of your life in 3 weeks"
In reality, any skill or result takes a long time to develop.
You're not going to succeed overnight.
Training BJJ reinforced this mindset for me.
I didn't get any submissions in my first few months.
I lost pretty much every roll I had.
Then when I started to win against a few white belts, I'd quickly be humbled by a higher belt.
Now, don't get me wrong, I still have a lot to learn.
But training taught me that nothing worthwhile is gained quickly.
And this applies to all areas of life.
BJJ, copywriting, relationships.
Each of these take time and need continuous work.
They're not something you'll succeed at overnight.
3) Small Wins = Long Term Motivation
If you're always looking at the end result, staying motivated will be difficult when things don't go your way.
I learnt this very early on with BJJ.
Instead of looking to beat each opponent I faced during training, I'd look for small areas of improvement.
This could be holding my guard for an extra 30 seconds, completing a sweep or recovering after making a mistake.
Although I was losing the overall round, focusing on these small wins kept me motivated to turn up every day.
Honestly, these small wins were addicting.
I could ignore the fact that I was terrible and enjoy the process of combining small wins.
This is a mindset I've applied to all areas of life.
If I'm trying to upgrade my copywriting I'll focus on a small area.
If I want to improve my outreach I'll start with one change.
And if they succeed it's a great feeling.
If they don't it's not the end of the world.
1) You need to lose before you win
2) Real skills take time to learn
3) Small wins will keep you motivated
Apply these lessons to your life and I guarantee you'll see results.
Copy "Start doing BJJ" Maverick
