Last night my coach added the 4th stripe to my belt. Wow–nowhere to go but purple!
I posted the pic to Facebook and my friend left a darling comment that made me smile:
Ah. I thought maybe your belt was coming apart and you had bandaged it together. 🙂
It’s funny how we can get so steeped in Bjj that we don’t realize on any level that others may not understand.
The cool thing was that this promotion came on the heels of a compliment that touched me deeply. One of the white belts asked me to demonstrate an armbar from guard and said he thought mine was really good. He said he feared it when we rolled together.
On some level I was baffled. When people ask what level I’m at they often follow that up with “you must be really good.” My standard reply is “oh, I’m not good. I enjoy it, but I’m not good at it.” I really need to stop being so mentally separated from my abilities. I don’t suck at Jiu Jitsu. I just feel that way, especially compared with where I have to go.
Here’s to surprise external validation of skills you don’t feel you have.
Congrats on your promotion!
Thanks!
Congratulations! I think it’s a pretty safe bet to say that you are probably fairly good at jiu jitsu… Or you just have a really bad quality belt that needs loads of bandaging 🙂
I admire that you aren’t banging on about how awesome you are though (even though clearly you are) But I think it’s ok now to believe that you don’t suck at jiu jitsu 🙂
I think I’m better than I think I am, but my opinion is pretty low, so that’s not hard to beat. ^_^
Congrats again!!
“I really need to stop being so mentally separated from my abilities. I don’t suck at Jiu Jitsu. I just feel that way, especially compared with where I have to go.” …yes.
Aww thanks!
It’s funny, I also feel the same way. It’s like you constantly feel you know nothing. But when a white belt asks you about something and you start to break it down you notice that you do have picked up stuff during training. But I also think it is because one always train with people that have about the same skills/grades, so while you move forward they do to, which make you feel that you’re stagnant. Well, until you get to train with someone that are a few belt notches below 🙂
Congrats to the stripe! I got my 2nd one on my blue just before the summer, moving a quite slow but steady pace which I’m happy with. Time are something I have to divide between family, work and BJJ so I take it one step at the time 🙂
Congrats to you, too! Well, there are other factors as well, but I need to consistently remind myself not to measure myself by the same standards as a 25 year old pro-athlete!
Congratulations Jiu Jiu! It might be time to start accepting the fact that you’re actually quite good at Jiu Jitsu 🙂
Hahaha never! I can accept that I’m “not bad” but not that I’m “quite good”! ^_^
Congratulations!
Thanks! (high five!)
Congratulations, Julia! You and I are in exactly the same place. My fourth stripe came just a month ago, and I’ve got new kids asking when I’m testing for purple. And external validation is almost always a good thing. Congrats again!
Hooray! We don’t test for belts here, so my purple will come as a surprise for me – someday.
Yay best! Congrats! xx
Thanks!!
Congratulations!
If it’s any consolation, I’ve been a purple belt for almost three years and I still think I wouldn’t have taken the belt test if my teacher would have said this to me and my friend at the end of a seminar:
“You guys need to grow the balls to come to the belt test”. So yeah, feeling that you’re not good enough is kinda universal… 🙂
Oh yeah – written about it several times here. ^_^
Saying a simple “Thank You,” acknowledges that you appreciate the acknowledgment of the compliment and it does not brag. You Rock at perseverance, dedication, tenacity, being open to learning new things, and blogging!!!! Congratulations on your growth and accomplishments. I am so very proud of you! Keep on keeping on
Hehehe – it’s not a problem with acknowledging compliments – I’m quite good at that! You taught me well. However, I have a problem internalizing the ideas and accepting them for myself. LOVE YOU MAMA!
Congratularions!
Yay!
Yay!!! Congratulations! 🙂 Each stripe comes with the validation that you MUST be doing something right!
It’s definitely an acknowledgement of SOMETHING. ^_^
[…] I have trained 230 times – which includes the 6 months I was out with a herniated disc. I was given my fourth stripe this year. Twice I was asked to teach a beginner […]