Rickson Gracie is perhaps the most legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete of all time.
And not just because of his rich competition (and family) history… But also because of his mindset, which inspires many BJJ practitioners around the world.

Despite (and, perhaps, because of) his turbulent youth, today Rickson is a person of many stories and of wise life lessons.

For example, as emphasized in his “Breathe: A Life In The Flow” book, Rickson tries to live according to the Japanese expression of ichi-go ichi-e.
Here’s what it means:

The deeper my connections are, the more fulfilling my life becomes.

The Japanese have an expression, ichi-go ichi-e, which roughly translates to “once in a lifetime.”
It could refer to a gathering of friends, a special meal, an epic day of surf, but the idea is to savor that occasion, because it will never come again.

I share this view and believe that if you see every moment in life as a unique opportunity, you live with much more intensity and precision because you are using 100 percent of your energy, your voice, and your senses.
It is always important to remember that.

But it’s not just about living in the moment for the legendary Gracie.
It’s also about committing yourself to whatever you’re going to do:

I made a vow to myself that from that day forward I would always try to cross the river no matter the consequences.

This made a huge difference, not just in my fighting career, but in the way I looked at life.
Moving forward, if I committed to something, I was resigned to the outcome no matter what it might be.

 

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