Question today from a young lad who’s wanting to pursue a martial arts based career. . .

Here’s the question.

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Hey Chewy, I’m a fan from the UK, BJJ blue belt and amateur MMA fighter looking to turn pro in the future. I was wondering if you had any advice for the best jobs to work to support the training necessary for getting to a high level in jiu jitsu and MMA respectively (i.e. twice a day). What kinds of jobs best support this lifestyle and how did you balance work and training when you were coming up? Really appreciate the time and love all your stuff!

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Thanks for the question Henry.

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Someone asked me the other day what BJJ and martial arts in general have taught me. And 1 of the most important lessons I’ve learned and really come to understand from BJJ, Wrestling, Boxing and MMA is this.
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Knowing my priorities and staying focused on them even when I’m told they aren’t the correct thing to do.

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Priorities are important but most people don’t give them much thought. People really never separate what are their own desires vs what’s been pressed upon them by society.
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When I was younger I avoided doing a lot of the things my other friends were doing (getting credit cards, partying, buying brand new cars, buying expensive clothes, etc). I even turned down a high paying job because it interfered with my training.

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Now to some this would seem a bare existence that they wouldn’t want. And that’s ok. It’s what I wanted. Big emphasis on the “I” there.
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Now, I’ll admit, for a time I broke this focus and bought into all the material trappings that I was told I “should” want and with almost immediate regret went into reverse to get away from them to get back to “MY” mission.

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Nowadays, I’m blessed, I make a good living doing BJJ and running a business. My vision didn’t play out exactly how I thought it would. In fact, it’s worked out even better than I imagined. And this happened because I kept my focus on what was important to me.

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Rolling back around to you my British friend.

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I think the type of job you do is less important than you maintaining your training priorities above all else. If it’s what you really want.
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This means you might skip a better paying job because another one has a better schedule for training or avoid certain relationships because it interferes with your goals. You might wear cheap clothes and drive around in a beater of a car for a while. (I did all these things)

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Oh and be prepared for people to try and cut you down and tell you you’re an idiot for chasing such a far-fetched goal (I know this all too well). But if it’s what you want, stay the course and be focused.

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And this goes for anyone who has some goal that they want.

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If you’re one of those people who has a goal that you’re chasing after that people don’t quite understand. That’s ok. Stay focused and let the results later speak for themselves.
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And here’s something else.

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Even if you fail. The simple act of chasing after something will make you a stronger person with qualities that can aid you should you have to pivot into something different later on.

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Hope that helps give you something to chew on for today.

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Talk to you tomorrow.

-Chewy

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Oh and just a heads up. I’ll be in Florida doing a couple of seminars in March. If you’re interested check the details on the link below.

​https://www.chewjitsu.io/seminars