Twenty-five. That is the number of trips around the sun that I have been blessed with. To some, it is short. For others, it is a lifetime. I have concluded that those years are a lifetime that took no time to pass. As a person who had to become a young adult early in life and who has an understanding of how hardships can make a moment feel like a month. Once again, I am reminded of the utmost importance of possessing an open mind and cultivating a high level of patience in every aspect of life. I have learned recently that every good man and woman has to have a solid foundation of moral structure to build their lives on.
After my personal trainer called me out in a respectable way for not doing what I said I would do. Long story short, the night before my twenty-fifth birthday was finally my first class of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. That was something that I was telling myself and people close to me that I was going to do at some point, but I allowed my comfort to get the best of me till that one friend said to me what I needed to hear and not what I wanted to hear, a topic I have previously touched on. And I'm incredibly grateful for his words because they lit a fire and got me to pull the trigger on actually doing it.
A lesson was learned not only after that conversation but also after only three BJJ sessions. The lessons that came with them were not just about how to gain a specific position or getting a choke to lock on; the mental gymnastics that are required to get through a session and our lives, is the vital part of the sport because it is nothing but a painful sweat fest, but that is the beauty of it, and this can be applied to anything in our lives. Throughout the course of more than two decades, I have come to realize that true power extends beyond mere physical strength. It lies within the depths of one's mind and spirit. The aspect of faith that truly grounds me is the embodiment of a "warrior" mentality. However, before I embarked on my journey of BJJ classes, this essential aspect was missing from my life.
It was and is time to put my money where my mouth is and return to the foundation that was laid out to build on. I talk about how we, as humans, have to be strong. Strong mentally, physically, and spiritually because that is what this world requires of us. From the outside looking in, I'm checking all the boxes, however, from my perspective. I still need to start. Something tells me I'm not the only person in this spot in their lives, so I'll say this: go. Go after the thing. The people who fed you those nonsense opinions are going to be long gone one day, and you'll regret not doing the things that you wanted to do during this unexpected journey.
Every person's circumstances are different, but we still live in a time when our freedoms allow us the right to pursue our dreams until they come true, no matter how hard or long it takes.
It took me twenty-five years to solidify an elementary lesson. You have to have what it takes to put the gas to the floor and go.
Peyton.
