What I Learned About Getting Better at Things From a Master Martial Artist
How do you get good at something?
Consistency and hard work.
There is nothing revolutionary about this idea, but I will keep repeating it as long as I’m alive.
All that "working smart", all the "secrets", tips, and tricks to getting better at something might have some utility, but only after the basics have been covered – consistently putting in the work over a long period of time.
That is why, when looking for ways to get better at anything, what I’m actually looking for is the things that would make it easier to be consistent and put in the hard work.
And recently, I learned something about this from a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, Mikey Musameci.
He is a five-time IBJJF black belt world champion and the first American to win more than one IBJJF world title at black belt.
To put it simply, for those who are not too familiar with BJJ, Mikey Musameci has reached mastery. He is one of the best people alive at what he does.
Recently, I listened to his appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast. I’ve also listened to multiple interviews where other BJJ champions praise him for his skill, but also for the thing that allowed him to develop such a high level of skill. What is "the thing?"
You guessed it – consistency and a ridiculous amount of hard work.
Years and years of practicing multiple hours per day.
He is known for sometimes spending even more than 10 hours per day on the mat, drilling and perfecting different techniques.
But how does one get to the point of being so consistent at something and willing to put in so much work?
Not doing it alone.
The gap between Musameci and his peers was mostly made in his first years of practicing BJJ.
He wasn’t training alone. His sister was also training BJJ, so even outside of their actual training, they would practice different techniques at home.
They were putting in hours and hours of extra work compared to others.
But to them, it didn’t feel like extra work, it felt like play.
"That’s cool, but how is this applicable to my own situation?" you might ask.
Maybe you don’t have a sibling that you can practice your craft with.
Or the thing you want to get better at is not something that you can practice with other people, like BJJ is.
And you objectively don’t have enough time to put in hours and hours of work into it each day.
I hear you, and all of these things were, or still are, true for me as well.
But the core message stays the same – don’t do it alone.
You don’t have a sibling who is interested in the same thing. Find a friend who is.
None of your friends are interested in the same things? First, you should maybe consider sharing your interests with them a bit more and inviting them to join you. They are still not interested? Maybe you should consider expanding your circle of friends to also include people that actually share the same interests. And, luckily, we live in a digital age. The internet is filled with online communities of people who are interested in the same things and would like to share their experiences with others.
Maybe you want to get better at something that’s an individual thing and cannot be practiced with others. Then find someone who is doing the same thing and start exchanging the things you’ve learned, the obstacles you’ve faced, and how you got around them. You don’t have to be doing that very activity together with someone else, but you can always share the journey with other people.
You objectively cannot put in hours and hours of work every single day?
You can still show up every single day. Show up and put in the amount of work that you are able to.
And it is so much easier to show up when you know there is someone else showing up. Even if you are not physically in the same place, knowing that someone else is on the same journey as you makes it easier to be consistent. It creates some healthy competition, but more importantly, it creates accountability because there is someone counting on you to share your experience with them.
The point is, whether you are looking to get in shape, to start reading more, to learn how to play an instrument, or anything else, there are always ways to apply this to your own journey.
Whatever journey you are on, sharing it with someone else will make it more interesting, more enjoyable, and easier to remain consistent.
In fact, I can prove this using my own example.
You wouldn’t know about me and I probably wouldn’t have written anything if, 8 years ago, I hadn’t met a young man who, even though he was my age, was able to articulate his thoughts more eloquently than almost any adult I'd met in my life up to that point.
He re-ignited my passion for reading and inspired me to take my development as an individual more seriously.
We never sat down to study philosophy together. But we started giving books to each other. We discussed different ideas and tried to understand them.
We never gave each other assignments. But whenever he would share with me a new idea that he had read and was able to explain in his own words, and even give his own perspective on it, I was inspired to try to do the same. And, with time, I was able to. That is the main reason why today I am able to make some sense with the things that I write, at least enough so that you are willing to read it.
So, even though I often portray myself as a loner, which in some sense I maybe am, I was actually never alone on this journey that I started sharing with you almost 3 years ago.
I know few people are so fortunate to have people in their lives who inspire them to become more than they are, but hopefully I can have a fraction of that effect on you through my writing. And more importantly, I hope to inspire you to find that person, or group of people. Just remember that you don’t have to do it alone.
Thank you for reading.
Shameless plug: Sisyphus Society is now open for new members. If, right now, you are alone on your journey, hopefully this community can be a place where you find like-minded individuals who are striving towards the same things.
One of the new features of the Society is the Consistency Challenge, created with the goal of developing rock-solid habits. The challenge will start on Monday.
I don’t want to make this into a marketing text, so if you are interested but don’t know much about Sisyphus Society, please go to my instagram page and check out the highlights section “S.Society.”
If you already now all about it and would like to join immediately, you can do that by clicking here.
I hope to see you inside.
Once again, thank you.