When I first started rolling Jiu-Jitsu, I got folded, smashed, and choked out by dudes half my age and half my size.
There’s nothing quite like a 150-pound (when wet) 20-year-old tapping you out in under two minutes to crush your ego.
At first, it pissed me off.
Then it humbled me.
And eventually, it taught me something every entrepreneur needs to learn:
The fight is never with the person across from you. The fight is with yourself.
Now, I’m not asking you to go out and willingly get choked for fun.
(Unless you’re into that sort of thing.)
What I am asking is for you to find something outside of business that humbles you. Something that forces you to face discomfort, fight pressure, and push past your own limits.
Because business success can make you soft.
When the money’s flowing, when the wins are stacking, when people start clapping for you…it’s easy to forget what struggle feels like.
But step onto the mats, into a boxing ring, or line up for a marathon, none of that matters.
Your net worth doesn’t matter.
Your Instagram followers don’t matter.
Your reputation won’t save you.
It’s just you, your preparation, and your ability to perform under pressure.
Here are a few lessons Jiu-Jitsu reminded me of lessons every entrepreneur needs:
- Comfort Is a Trap
In Jiu Jitsu, the moment you get “comfortable,” someone’s setting you up for a submission. Business works the same way. The second you stop evolving, the competition catches you sleeping.
- Pressure Reveals Character
When someone’s got their arm around your throat, the real you comes out. Panic? Calm? Quit? Same thing in business. When the market crashes, when a key employee quits, when lawsuits hit, pressure exposes you.
- Recovery Is Everything
In grappling, you will end up in bad positions. The winners aren’t the ones who never get caught, but the ones who escape and reset fastest. Business is the same. Mistakes and setbacks happen. Recovery speed is what separates winners from losers.
- Technique Beats Strength
I could outlift most of those guys in the gym, but they’d still submit me. Why? Better technique. Business is no different. It’s not about muscling through every problem. It’s about systems, strategy, and execution.
Find something outside of business that forces you to fight.
Run a marathon.
Compete in boxing.
Join a Jiu-Jitsu academy.
Do something that puts your ego in a chokehold.
Because the truth is, the limits holding you back aren’t real. They’re self-imposed.
And the only way to prove it is to put yourself in the fire.
Peace!
Bedros Keuilian
P.S. That’s why I back companies like Few Will Hunt.
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And for you Jiu Jitsu heads, they just dropped a rash guard you’ll love.