Tom DeBlass "When I was 23 and I told my girlfriend at the time I had dreams to open my own school, she looked at me and laughed"
As you climb towards success – in BJJ and everything else in life – you’re going to encounter some obstacles. Unfortunately, those obstacles will sometimes be the people you deeply care about; sometimes even the people you love.
"I remember when I was 23 and I told my girlfriend at the time I had dreams to open my own school, she looked at me and laughed. Her response was: “Are you serious? I was hoping you’d grow out of this stage and live like an actual adult.”
I laughed it off and didn’t say much. Needless to say that relationship ended.
One year later I opened my Academy. Well I don’t know if you could call it an Academy. It was a small office space, 800sq feet on the second floor in an industrial park. I couldn’t afford a real sign so I got a white poster board with blue tape and spelled out “Jiu-Jitsu”.
My bank account was negative. I had to borrow money from my Mother to buy mats.
Fast forward 20 years, I have a lock on this Jiu-Jitsu game. I am now able to take care of my Mother. She was able to retire early and get out of a shit job where she wasn’t appreciated. I can give her everything she deserved. She sacrificed a lifetime for me and I could finally give back.
No one needs to believe in you, just make sure you believe in yourself and work harder than anyone else."
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