BJJ: Are you casual or are you serious?

BJJ: Are you casual or are you serious? One of the first things we ask a new student who wants to become a student here at Savarese BJJ Academy (www.njbjj.com) is “are you casual or are you serious?” Casual vs. Serious: It’s important to know what your goals are. Time is an extremely valuable expenditure. Of all the things we can find and make and get, time isn’t one of them. One of my favorite quotes is from Charles Buxton “you will never find the time for anything. If you want time, you must make it” That’s why you have to differentiate between being a casual learner and serious learner. Once you understand this as a choice, all around you you’ll see opportunities to deepen your knowledge and transition from being a vague generalist to an intensive specialist.

Commitment is a powerful amplifier for this process. It can take a weak signal and make it stronger. Like the best moves in jiu-jitsu, commitment is a leverage point which gets your time working harder than it otherwise might. You make an uncommon investment when you put yourself completely behind an effort or an idea and when you’re all in, you get a significant return. Choose to go from casual to serious and make your time worth more. In BJJ, I have found that like everything else in life, the most committed to getting better are the people who make the most progress. If you want to find the time for something, you will. And you will reap the rewards.