I had been attempting a new technique, a simple drill to develop flexibility in my hips when my coach noticed that I was struggling. He said, “you’re driving off of your heels instead of your toes and not getting enough push.” Although I had been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) for a while, no one had ever corrected that seemingly minor detail before. I drove from my toes and it hurt like hell. I shook my head and went back to my old habit. My coach said, “look, if you want to improve you have to get out of your comfort zone.”
His words pounded me. When I started training, I was immediately aware of how much younger and more athletic people were than me. I wasn’t just uncomfortable, I was scared to death. The thought that I would ever hold my own or even gain rank (indicated by belt level) was beyond my comprehension. But I came back, class after class and after five (5) within-belt promotions and a year and a half of training, I am starting to take care of myself. I can’t say that I win very often, but in a full contact sport like BJJ, surviving is winning. Especially at my age: Every time I roll with someone and emerge intact, I feel like I’ve accomplished something, even though I have gotten my butt handed to me. I am thankful for the simple fact that I can compete, bad habits and all.
As I train, I can’t help but think about how entrenched we can all become in what we know and don’t try to seek anything outside of that knowledge. We get stuck in single-loop patterns and never really grow. While our comfort zone can be reassuring, it can also keep us from improving. It’s not only individuals that can get stuck, though. Organizations tend to stay in their comfort zones and don’t ever really try to grow or innovate past their entrenched modes of behavior. That they continue to do things as they’ve always been done is the basis for the problems that continue to crop up year after year. Eventually, organizations either recognize that they need to get out of their comfort zones or they dissolve into permanent irrelevance.
Realizing that I have a lot to learn means that I am still growing and becoming a better version of myself. I may never get to a place where I’m fully realized as a person, but if I don’t keep trying to learn and grown, then I will succumb to my own comfort zone and stop developing as a person. With that realization, I awkwardly planted my toes and tried the technique again, even though I just couldn’t do it. I’ll keep trying, though, and maybe one day it will click.
