Six years ago, I walked into a martial arts gym in Santa Barbara, California, and I watched a bunch of grown adults in pajama-like robes do somersaults together. Their movements looked like a mix of semi-voluntary acro-yoga and aggressive hugging, and they told me it was called Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). They were drenched in each other’s sweat, and yet, something called to me.  It seemed different than the sports I’d played growing up.  As it turned out, pursuing a new sport as an adult taught me three lessons about skill acquisition that have shaped how I approach professional development in my career: humility is how you learn profoundly, consistency is the key to progress, and teaching is the quickest way to build confidence.

The act of development is an exercise in humility. Beginners in BJJ and many martial arts begin as white belts, and it usually takes at least 10 years to earn a black belt. I didn’t even know how to tie my belt, much less follow the acrobatic movements of a BJJ class. My stumbles in my career, when I’m not sure if I know anything, have felt similar, until I humble myself enough to Google basic ideas that I would be embarrassed for anyone to see in my search history. Acknowledging and addressing when I’ve missed a fundamental concept are how I build a deep foundation of understanding. In both sports and career, it’s often the moments of saying, “I have literally no idea what you’re talking about, and I’m not even sure how to ask an intelligent question,” that indicate I’m on the precipice of growth.

Further, success in learning a new skill requires the discipline to keep showing up after the novelty and initial motivation wear off.  Starting and abandoning personal projects was something that I often struggled with, especially if no one was holding me accountable, and BJJ taught me that it’s the days when you don’t want to show up that make the most difference, particularly because no one was requiring me to be there. Finding consistency required aligning the magnitude of my goals with how much work I’m really willing to do, and I had to detach from my expectations of outcome and focus on what I had control over: my own behavior.  Initiating new goals with boundless enthusiasm is great, but it’s the aggregation of trying to do my best each day that culminates in earning a promotion – to the next belt or the next job title.

Lastly, as I become more senior in my gyms, it has been expected that I help more junior people.  Mentoring people in BJJ has made me far more confident in my expertise at work, allowing me to speak with authority and to teach others. Breaking things down into appropriate chunks and meeting people at their level of understanding requires me to deeply understand what I’m teaching.  BJJ has made me self-assured in creating a community for learning and in welcoming underrepresented people into an environment dominated by well-meaning men.  Sports have been instrumental in allowing me to grow my confidence across multiple domains.

Although flying armbars and Ezekiel chokes may not translate to the corporate world, practicing BJJ made me understand some truths about my professional development. And who knows? Maybe someday I’ll need to defend the office’s PS5 stash from scalpers.