Your Excuses Are Lies

By Fanatics Authors, September 10, 2018

Former Navy Seal Deals Fatal Blow to Excuse Making

Never one to sugar coat his advice, former Navy Seal commander, author, BJJ black belt and podcast host, Jocko Willink takes on a "chronic excuse maker" in the video below. Check out the power packed short video for yourself and let's take a look at how it applies to all aspects of jiu jitsu.

For Jocko, the answer to the chronic excuse maker was simple. Face the fact that all excuses are simply lies. They are fabrications we use to make ourselves feel better, or to offer instead of meeting our goals or the expectations of others. They are a way to protect our feelings and/or our ego and they are a form of weakness that we must address if we're going to reach our full potential.

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Let's take a look at a few of the most common excuses you might encounter after you've trained a while. These can often come in a variety of forms. We will start at the beginning.

I am going to get in shape before I start BJJ.

Jocko Voice: Lie. This one is an extremely common one that gets thrown around whenever someone gets asked to try BJJ. Whether they've actually checked out what BJJ is or not, they're simply afraid and intimidated, which is perfectly normal. It is a new activity. They don't realize yet that they will actually get into better physical condition through BJJ training than many other activities that are commonly used to get in shape. Unlike cardio or weight lifting used in isolation, BJJ will both build strength and increase one's cardio.

Another reason this excuse gets thrown around a lot is because deep down the person probably doesn't believe in themselves enough to believe that they can get in shape. Therefore, it's a way to get themselves off the hook. They know deep down that they're never going to put in the work and eventually you'll stop asking them to try a BJJ class. But we're BJJ folks. We don't give up quite so easily.

I am too old to start BJJ.

Jocko Voice: Lie. This is a very common excuse for adults who have careers or families. There lives are full of to do lists, emergencies and crises everywhere they look. Maybe they don't feel that as an adult they have too many responsibilities to be looking for and adding new hobbies.

The "I'm too old" excuse is powerful because we all face the ticking of the clock and the winding down of our time, but when you look at all of the athletes who began BJJ in their 30's, 40's, 50's or even later, its clear that there really is no perfect age to start BJJ. It's about maximizing YOUR potential and becoming the best version of yourself that you can.

I don't have time to train BJJ.

Jocko Voice: Lie. This is a frustrating one because a simple look at mathematics of the situation would show that a 2 hour BJJ session is only about 8% of a total day. Most classes aren't even 2 hours in length, therefore the expenditure might be less. Binge on 3 less episodes of The Office at night and you have automatically given yourself an hour to invest in jiu jitsu. How much time do we spend mindlessly scrolling on our smartphones that can be used to train.

Once you give it a chance, the ironic thing you will find is that even though you are investing some precious hours into the training, you will find that the remaining hours of your day are much better and more productive. Training an hour or two will relieve stress, allow you to take your mind off of your stresses for a bit and make it much more likely that you will solve the problems and challenges that you thought were too important before you trained.

So give up your excuses. Immediately and take ownership of where you're at. Stop talking and give BJJ and chance. You won't regret it!

All those times your opponents and training partners escaped your Back Attacks and you gave some reason for why it happened were all lies too. Eliminate your excuses and fix your Back Attacks with John Danaher's latest installment from the Enter the System series. You can get it here from BJJ Fanatics!

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