7 Odd Life Lessons From Traveling the World and Doing Jiu-Jitsu

Remember when Meryl Streep said that martial arts were not arts? Yeah, that pissed me off.

Photo via Nancy V Photography

Whenever I go on trips, I’m usually hungry because I’m cutting weight.

I usually have a scale in my backpack and I’m monitoring how much water I’m allowed to drink over the course of the trip.

If I’m not cutting weight, I’m anxious because I know I’m about to get beat up by some world-class martial artists in a sweaty gym. If it’s not that, I’m stressed because I’m planning a seminar, where strangers are going to pay me to teach them how to break other people’s joints.

I often wonder what the people on the plane who have never done martial arts are thinking about. I wonder if they’re as passionate about what they do as I am.

My life is full of travel, adventure, and (sometimes too much) excitement. Over the next 2.5 months, I have 7 trips planned (2 competitions, 2 training trips, and 3 seminar trips), including a 5-week long stay in Texas to train this spring.

I’ve learned a lot over the years of doing this job, and I want to share some of it today.

Here are 7 life lessons from traveling the world and doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that I…