Lose Well

As I’ve shared before, I seem to have been bitten by the Jiu-Jitsu bug. It’s been a place where I can get a great workout, find camaraderie & a type of tactile connection, learn a new skill, & relieve some stress.

Being a novice, I’m on a steep learning curve, but one thing that was obvious right from the start is this concept of losing.

A big component of healing involves our ability to lose & let go of things. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not necessarily what we can bring into our minds & bodies that heals us — our ability to let go of things is often is the biggest contributor toward deep healing. We should always be asking, "What can I let go of?"

Just as in life, you’re going to need to learn how to lose in Jiu-Jitsu; because it’s going to happen often. And you better have a good attitude about it, or that’s not going to go well either. You won’t be winning any popularity contests with the higher belts if you’re a sore loser.

Being a white belt, amongst a sea of veteran belts & more highly skilled white belts, I've had a lot of opportunity to learn how to lose.

The second important lesson is that if you’re wanting to grow & develop, you’d better start learning why you lost. The same goes with healing & mentorship. You’re surely going to experience entanglements with your coach, but it’s your capacity to see yourself & find the lesson within those interactions, which ultimately helps you evolve and transform.

The training that I’ve had for many years in my work, has made it easy for me to handle these losses with a sense of humor & play.

I mention all of this to highlight how vital & healthy this skill of losing is, & because it translates to many other aspects of our lives.

Life comes along with loss & losing, & it’s our ability to develop a relationship with it that will ultimately contribute to our overall health & well-being.