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@ mcshane
2025-02-15 21:05:31
lot of people in my life say they want to try jiu jitsu/ mma / etc but won’t commit to a trial class when offered.
the first time i ever went to a boxing gym I just sat in my car in the parking lot, severely out of shape, drug addicted, broke. I wasn’t there to meet anyone. no one knew i was there. I didn’t know anyone there. I didn’t know why I was there. I didn’t go inside.
But for me to even pull up to a gym for the first time was passing a hurdle that changed my life. the next day I held my self accountable, and returned. I just watched. The day after that I put on some borrowed gloves and participated. demonstrable intent, embracing failure.
I’ve built on that slowly. defeating core limiting beliefs by degrees. The gains have been exponential over time, tho many ups and downs. I’m not a world champion in anything, but I have learned how to learn, and embrace new and uncomfortable lifestyles & communities. Learned a lot, failed even more, but importantly just ever broadening my human experience.
My point is try new things. Say yes to people. Erase your calendar. Go camping alone. Go on a blind date. Move to thailand. You can do whatever the fuck you want in this life. Quit your job. Go broke. Take a salsa class. Volunteer at a halfway house. Talk to strangers. Buy a boat. Spray paint something. Just don’t become complacent and too comfortable. embrace, Don’t waste this inexplicable existence.
If your ambitions outpace your ability, and you are showing up for life. you can’t lose.
no need to broadcast or virtue signal that you intend to do or start something to feed your ego or mask a social insecurity. no need to be successful in the eyes of others. catch myself doing these a lot honestly.
but important to remember it’s you vs you. Others can serve as occasional benchmarks or inspiration, but how you push to improve yourself when no one is around is the only relevant measure of progress.
so just go do that new thing. enjoy it, enjoy the new people you meet and the learning process 🤙 oss
-photo from my first week of boxing, 2019 https://i.nostr.build/RuT6GYj9sbL4RN8a.jpg