“I have my own potential, I had one before and I might have a different one now and another one in the future. This is life.”

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This short talk is excerpted from the GB1 module “Life Lessons with Master Carlos Gracie Jr.” in GB Online. Master Carlos shares his thoughts on the integration of the body, mind, and spirit and how we must adapt our outlook as we age during our jiu-jitsu journey.

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Have you checked out the GB Online Instagram account?

https://instagram.com/graciebarraonline @graciebarraonline

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“I believe in the idea of a healthy body and a healthy mind. I work for the whole thing. It doesn’t matter having one good part doing well if another part is broken, because if that’s the case you will have to work twice as hard or half of what you should.

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Following my spiritual beliefs, I think that our body works as a temple for our spirit. We came into this world, our spirit came into this world in order to evolve. So it needs the body to be able to go through that. I believe that if I was supposed to carry some kind of disease, I would have had it by now, so I could ‘pay’. If I was born with a healthy body, why wouldn’t I work and appreciate that body?

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So my spirit can improve peacefully and my body can enjoy the good things.

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Give Up?

Sometimes I think people make excuses, they give up on their willpower because it’s hard to keep being disciplined. I hear things like ‘my body is hurt, I can’t train well. But Jiu-Jitsu gives you many training options. Of course, if you want to train the same way that you trained when you were younger and be competitive, your body will feel it. My body would feel it too. If I started to train in a way that requires a lot from my body, it would make me feel weakened for that type of training. But I could easily accept many other training options.

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I just can’t fool myself. I might try to fool others, better… think I might be fooling them, but I can’t fool myself. I’m worried about satisfying myself, not others.

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I have my own potential, I had one before and I might have a different one now and another one in the future. This is life. It doesn’t matter who you once were. The problem is that people keep their minds on what they used to be, and refuse to accept life’s cycle. Remember that if someone is on top, he/she won’t be on top forever. He/she will fall and when that happens it’s almost like a new beginning. But the ego is usually not prepared for that. Most people who were once kings want to be kings forever.

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But my friends, keep in mind each one of us has our own era. People get old and need to work around new possibilities.”

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What is your takeaway from this short talk by Master Carlos?

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See also on GB Blog: GB Student Question: “What do I look for in choosing a jiu-jitsu school?” https://graciebarra.com/gb-news/gb-student-question-what-do-i-look-for-in-choosing-a-jiu-jitsu-school/

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Writer: Mark Mullen, Gracie Barra Black Belt

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