The BJJ Sand Bucket and My UBBT Goals

I talked to one of my teachers yesterday about the (often agonizingly slow) process of becoming skilled in martial arts. The analogy he used created such a clear image in my head that I'm going to use it to help me move this test forward.

He said it was like a bucket of sand.

You are like an empty bucket. Every time you train, a few grains of sand are deposited in the bucket. That's why people quit, the sand grows by only a few grains at a time, often it's such a small amount that you can't tell it's growing at all. But every time you show up, drill, and roll, that's sand going in. When you don't train you lose a grain. Over time you gain and lose little bits of sand because of your choices, but eventually the sand starts to add up and you can feel some skill building. The sand will shift around and you may gain a handful or a few grains but as long as you keep adding eventually the bucket will fill to the top. 

Our conversation continued and he applied this idea of the bucket and sand to goal setting.

You never lose sand from action. It's only when you don't take action. Even when you tap or lose, it doesn't take sand away, it adds sand. If I decide to do a tournament and do all that it takes to get myself there and prepared, that's all sand going in. Even if I don't get the results I want from the match, the sand is gained in the work to prepare. Now, if I say I want to compete and then start but don't stay strong through the process, sand leaks out. If I don't follow through with the training, don't get my diet together, am not really doing what it takes, the sand leaks out. This applies not just to a tournament but to any goal you set for yourself with your training. 

As we were talking about this and after as I was thinking more about it, it made a powerful image in my mind. I've been letting my mindset turn my bucket into a colander. When I decided to do the Ultimate Black Belt Test my bucket was empty. Each time I've made some progress, I have let my choices leak sand and that's why I keep coming up empty. Each time I decide to try again, some of the gaps close and sand gets deposited. I still have some of the sand that has stuck to the sides. Grain by grain it will fill, but it will only fill by me taking action.

This time, the third try, I'm going to be conscious of my bucket. When I don't feel like doing push ups, or making a connection with any of the many goals I have, I'm going to imagine a tiny hole opening and a few grains leaking away. When I choose to do them anyway, I will imagine a more solid bucket forming. I'm going to replace my leaking colander with a bucket made from reinforced steel.