Mastery

In jiu jitsu, you can't expect that mastery will come quickly or easily.

With regular training it usually takes at least 10 years to reach black belt, most likely more.

For better or worse, the belt system generally signifies where you are along the path to mastery - both how far you've come, as well as how far you have to go.

One benefit of this system is that it provides a sense of scale. I don't panic when I feel confused, get tapped out all the time, and lack a clear system in my grappling - after all, I'm a blue belt, and that's what I expect.

But most other areas of life don't have such a clear path. We may start a new business or relationship and feel frustrated that a few years in, we still feel lost and can't make things happen the way we want.

However, if we were to feel the same frustration a few years into jiu jitsu, it would be absurd! You're not supposed to be a master at anything that early in your journey.

When I notice that I'm not as successful or knowledgeable or impactful as the people I admire and learn from, it helps to remind myself that I'm still in my 20s - basically a blue belt in life.

Jiu jitsu puts growing pains in perspective, but it also helps me recognize my expertise. Anyone who is at least a 4 stripe while belt already knows more jiu jitsu that the vast majority of the population, and would certainly have some valuable knowledge to offer someone who has never trained before.

Likewise, it's easy to feel like an imposter working in a field where you haven't reached "black belt" level yet (or even if you have!), but it can be useful to remember that having even a few years' worth of proficiency in something puts you in a position where you know more than the majority of the population and have tremendous value to share.

In a pursuit you truly love, the external markers of mastery don't matter that much anyway. You do it for its own sake, and trust that mastery comes with time.