Turning Setbacks Into Opportunities

How significant time off the mats due to shoulder surgery became an opportunity for self-improvement in multiple domains.

Two weeks ago, this article was guest posted on

Chris Wojcik

’s The Grappler’s Diary account. I first heard about Chris a few years ago as he was making waves as a professional grappler in some of the larger tournaments around the world. Obviously an impressive athlete, I didn’t know much else until joining this platform and finding his account. Learning he’s been a professional ghostwriter for many years and now a published author demonstrates how impressive this man is. His writing is what initially allowed him to train and compete full time. It is now his being a professional athlete that allows him to write independently.

Compounding interest in both disciplines.

He has already reached elite levels of performance across multiple domains in his life even though he’s still young. I can’t recommend either of his publications enough.

The Grappler’s Diary is one of the few accounts I pay for on this platform. Full of raw, honest wisdom from an elite athlete, Chris shares stories from his experiences as a professional grappler and translates them to life lessons.

The Modern Writer is a newer publication that Chris created sharing insights, lessons, and strategies for anyone who enjoys writing. He also has developed mini-courses and other resources for developing online writers.

Life is meant to be lived to the fullest. When you align your unique interests and abilities to make meaningful contributions, you naturally discover your niche in this world.

Chris Wojcik is an excellent example of authentic living and the never-ending pursuit of cultivating fulfillment throughout one’s journey.

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Preventing Stagnation

Complacency kills.

There is no coasting in skill development. You’re either improving or getting worse.

Having now trained in BJJ for over eight years, I know one of the most important ways to get better is consistency.

Just showing up significantly increases your chances of improving.

On the other hand, I’ve seen guys get worse over time despite coming to practice regularly.

The reason? Lack of intention and mindset.

No matter how big your gym is, it’s easy to get stagnant.

Same training partners, similar rolls. Everyone knows each other’s A-game and responds accordingly.

Going through the motions.

Passively training.

Getting comfortable.

Chris recently provided an incredible blueprint to combat stagnation in the gym:

How to Push Your Limits

My personal favorites are situational sparring or training with specific goals in mind rather than just competing.

Growth mindsets don’t need to be provided by your instructors or circumstantial based on your training partners. You are responsible for your development.

That being said, having good coaches and supportive teammates makes combatting complacency much easier when your emphasis is on learning and not winning in the gym.

The real challenge comes when showing up is no longer possible.

Prolonged time off the mats, regardless of reason, is a difficult setback to manage.

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Setback to Opportunity

In September of 2023, I was able to enter my first competition in at Brown Belt. Having recently been promoted, I was excited to stress test my skills at the next level.

I had recently dislocated my shoulder but was able to rehab it back to what felt like 100%. I took second in an all black belt division that was two weight classes up from mine and had various forms of success (but no actual wins) in the absolute division. My shoulder had popped in my first match but adrenaline and getting a win helped me block out the pain for the rest of my matches. The next day, it felt worse than when I originally dislocated it. I learned the labrum was torn and the bone that the joint sits on was broken which required surgery to prevent continued stability issues.

Initially disappointed, I learned getting a bone graft was the only way I could return to competition and the other physical things I enjoy doing without significant risk of worsening the injury.

At this point, I could either accept the decision and find areas of my life to shift my attention to or be miserable for the six-month recovery. I try not to choose misery whenever I can.

Knowing I wouldn’t be able to use my right arm for a solid two months while in a fixed sling, I decided to make it an opportunity to use my off hand as much as possible. I was also cleared to do bodyweight leg exercise assuming safety and fall prevention whenever I felt ready.

Challenge accepted.

My surgery was in early February 2024. What followed was one of the most challenging and productive years of my life. With patience, persistence, and perspective, I experienced growth in multiple domains.

Physical

Following surgery, I set an intention to physically train my legs in some way every day.

I did 100 lunges and squats on day one just to show myself I wasn’t completely broken.

I have many workouts that I like to do when I’m pressed for time. As an engaged father of three wonderfully wild children, that’s pretty often. One of those workouts is 300 air squats for time. In my first three months of recovery, I had cut my personal best time in half.

When cleared to resume weight training, I was able to back squat my previous one-rep max for ten reps in less than a few weeks.

These achievements reminded me of the power of consistency. My progress didn’t result from intense or long workouts but from showing up daily with focused effort in a specific domain. You can dramatically change anything in a few months with a set intention and unwavering discipline.

My legs are now in the best shape of my life because of the shoulder injury.

Mental

They say an excellent brain building exercise is to use your non-dominant hand for everyday tasks.

This opportunity was forced on me following surgery and I’m thankful for it.

I find myself passively using my left hand for many tasks I never did before.

Now that I’m back to training, my proficiency on my “weak side” has noticeably increased.

Spiritual

The most significant personal opportunity that has come from this initial setback has been writing.

I journaled at various points of my life growing up and then reintroduced the practice during COVID. As an audiologist in the US Navy for nearly 12 years, my current duty station involves extensive writing for human performance research. I’m also a stress management and resilience instructor and wrote a few articles that have been published broadly covering these topics. Wanting somewhere to post these articles online, my close friend and owner of the gym I coach at suggested I put them on Substack. My first post was two weeks following surgery and where I then set an intention to write one piece per week on the topic of resilience. I never imagined this practice would be one of the most beneficial decisions I’ve made in my life.

Writing is therapeutic. It gets my thoughts out of my head so I can view them from a different perspective, reframe or edit them where they don’t make sense, and then redownload them.

Even though I found ways to move and improve my body despite my injury, it’s my mind and spirit that has experienced the most growth. I can articulate thoughts better than ever before. Historically struggling with recalling certain words or difficulty expressing what I want to say, I’ve found consistent writing is an active practice for thought expression.

Writing has made me a better father, husband, fitness instructor, BJJ coach, naval officer, resilience instructor, public speaker, and man.

Familial

My #1 priority and core value is family. They’re the reason I train. The time off the mats also provided an increased opportunity for connection, presence, and quality time.

Unrelated to the shoulder, 2024 became one of the most challenging years of my life due to loss and other forms of uncontrollable hardship. The adaptable mindset I used for my shoulder became crucial to get myself and family through these trials.

Despite all of significant stressors, last year was also full of core memories with my family that I’ll cherish forever.

Changing pace during my recovery brought me closer to the most important people in my life.

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Summary

Looking back on this past year, I’m confident I would not have made the physical, mental, spiritual, and familial progress I did without the shoulder injury.

I used to skip leg day, avoid using my left hand for any gross motor tasks unless necessary, and would only write when obligated by school or work. Muscular endurance in my legs is now a strength, I feel like I have two dominant hands, and I look forward to writing as much as I do training on the mats.

All these improvements in my personal life have translated to growth both as a coach and practitioner on the mats. Physically, I’m stronger and more versatile. Mentally, I’m sharper. Spiritually, I’m more resilient.

My shoulder injury ended up being a catalyst for positive change across multiple life domains.

Any setback can be an opportunity.

We control very little in this life. The interpretation of our thoughts and subsequent actions belong to us.

Reflect on this empowering knowledge as our perspectives influence our reality.

Resilience is the ability to effectively manage and eventually overcome stress.

There are always areas of opportunity regardless of adversity.

We all have the capacity to be resilient. It is a mindset where we make an active decision to adapt, cope or respond. It is also a muscle which can be strengthened with practice.

Adopt an adaptive mindset.

Stress is required for growth.

Pursue challenge while you’re healthy from the perspective of improvement. Physical, mental, and spiritual tools can be developed from intentionally causing a manageable amount of stress.

Consistent pursuit of deliberate discomfort prepares you to be more comfortable in response to inevitable future hardship.

Resilience is a skill that can be trained.