Identity is a struggle. We can easily misidentify our identity with what we’re good at, what we’re in pursuit of and even our failures. No one is immune to this, including Joe Solecki.
From a young age of 6, Joe Solecki trained in Brazilian Jujitsu, but he wasn’t good until the of age 16. His persistence built his amateur career, which led to his pro career. But as he poured more effort into mixed martial arts, it became everything to him. He felt like if he didn’t constantly win, he had failed at life, and that mindset would send him into a tailspin. Can you relate?
Fast forward to his UFC debut on Danna White’s Contender Series, Joe had just started to put the same kind of effort from MMA into his faith. He realized that our strengths and weaknesses don’t define us; Jesus does. And this new perspective changed everything. Joe Solecki still felt the nerves that all fighters get before a match, but he started to fight with a new identity. Win or lose, he was a child of God, and no one could take that away from him.
