Amanda Dickson

You know it’s going to be a long post. Feel free to not read 🤣
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First of all, praise God for the ability he’s given me! I am thankful everyday for Christ’s love for me, His work on the cross and that my identity is only in Him! There’s a dichotomy of thought: belts mean nothing vs. belts mean everything. On one hand, it’s just a colored piece of material wrapped around my waist that has changed over the years. On the other, it represents so much time, effort, energy, growth, sweat, love, sadness but above all perseverance - and is a direct representation of all these things. To me, it actually represents my family’s belief in me and putting up with crazy training schedules at times, my Nexus family’s belief in me that I can represent them well, my Jiu Jitsu Foundation family in that they provided me the best start at this sport. My love for jiu jitsu has only grown over time in different facets. Not a love of winning, but a love of growth, especially mentally, a love of the community, a love of the game itself, and a continued love of learning. I think the dichotomy is real because yes, this belt means a lot to me! However, I’m still the same person, with the same goals and will be in class today learning just like everyone else. Thank you to everyone who’s believed in me, who’s encouraged me and continues to push me day after day. I love you all!