Bernardo Faria is one of the biggest legends in Jiu-Jitsu history and he recently decided to share the four life lessons that the sport has taught him over the course of his career. He’s spent more time on the mats than most people ever will, training and competing at the highest level for several years during his peak. He’s faced off against some of the best grapplers in the world during that time and although he no longer actively competes, he still gets the chance to train with them on a regular basis through his work as one of the founders of BJJ Fanatics.
Everyone takes lessons from their Jiu-Jitsu journey that can be applied elsewhere of course, but Faria’s first lesson is one that anyone with more than a few years in the sport will recognise:
“The importance of preparation: Jiu-Jitsu taught me to always have a never-ending desire to get better at anything I do.”
Given that training Jiu-Jitsu is a constant effort to learn new things or refine existing knowledge, that will resonate with a lot of people. His second lesson is centred around overcoming obstacles:
“The importance of execution: Jiu-Jitsu taught me that if you want to be the best, you have to sign up for the tournament. In life, we have to face challenges and chase our goals.”
The next of the four life lessons that Bernard Faria learned from Jiu-Jitsu is one that applies specifically to the act of grappling itself and the wider actions you take off the mat to develop as a grappler:
“The importance of positioning: Jiu-Jitsu taught me that being in the right place matters more than we realize. Training at the right place makes a difference. In life, living in the right city or working with the right people matters a lot.”
Finally, Faria reflect on one aspect of both Jiu-Jitsu and life that is often overlooked:
“The importance of luck: Everyone has lucky days, but we have to show up every day to be present for those moments.”
Bernardo Faria shared the four life lessons that Jiu-Jitsu taught him in a recent post to his official Instagram account:
