The Hammer & the Nail

Samantha Schell Anxiety, BJJ, Competing, mental health, Overcoming Adversity, Perseverance, Positivity, self confidence, Stress , , , , 1

There are days where regardless of what’s going on, I’m a positive ray of sunshine, and then there are days far too often where no matter what the circumstances surrounding me are, I can’t seem to shake the feeling of overcast clouds encroaching upon me. There’s a pretty common saying in Jiu Jitsu; sometimes you’re […]

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Head, Shoulders, Knees, Plateaus

Samantha Schell Adaptation, BJJ, Competing, Perseverance, Positivity, self confidence, winners , , , , , , , , , , 3

If you’ve trained Jiu Jiitsu for a significant amount of time and can say with the utmost confidence that you have never felt undeserving of your rank, I’m calling shenanigans right now. Some days you go on the mats kicking butt as the hammer, and other days you get pounded as the nail (I’m also […]

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Winners Never Quit and Quitters Never Win

Samantha Schell BJJ, Competing, Overcoming Adversity, Perseverance, Positivity, self confidence, winners , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1

I will not quit, not ever. In life, on the mats, in a fight, I won’t ever stop. All the eyes watching me, whether rooting for me or secretly (and sometimes not so secretly) hoping I fail, they will never see me give up. Either I finish and wind up victorious, or I lose after […]

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Always Bent, Never Broken

Samantha Schell BJJ, Competing, Overcoming Adversity, Positivity, self confidence , , , , , , , , , ,

My body is deteriorating at a rapid rate. I’ve crunched bones, torn ligaments, fractured disks, sprained joints, concussed myself, swelled up my skin, dislocated body parts, and spilled my own blood more times than I can count. But I don’t quit. I don’t stop. Either I am exceptionally stupid, or I’m woefully stubborn. Either way, […]

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