We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gustavo Fonseca a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Gustavo , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I got it I believe from my Dad! It’s probably my favorite quality from him. I seen him go through a lot of his life and he always continues to persevere and charge forward with a lot of resilience. Even as I grow older, I hear stories from family members of things he went through that I had no idea about, Overcoming many obstacles.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Hello, my name is Gustavo Fonseca and I am a co-owner of Autore Jitsu. Along with my brother Alexis, We run a Brazilian jiu jitsu Academy in Brentwood ( Los Angeles ). I have been practicing this martial art since 2007. I’m very passionate about Jiu Jitsu, Both the competitive And artistic aspect of it. I have competed all around the world and shared my experience with jiu jitsu to students in different countries. I have a very strong drive to share my enthusiasm of this martial art, in efforts to help others lives just be a little bit ( or a lot if possible ) more enjoyable with Jiu jitsu.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
There are many lessons and amazing mentors that I have come across in my life. Hard to Break it down to just three, But I’ll do my best.
I would Have to say one would definitely be the importance of gratitude! My parents are both very hard-working and goal driven people. They had a very hard life growing up his kids, and they did everything in their power to make sure my brothers and I did not have the same kind of upbringing. It took me a while to learn this lesson because of the fact of how much they provided for me, I didn’t understand to truly appreciate how great my situation was and is. From my parents and a few other mentors, I have come to learn my later years of life ( starting at about my early mid 20’s ) How crucial having Grateful mindset can be . I believe this is most important, To be grateful
Another Important knowledge bomb That I keep with me as an important lesson / PMA ( Positive mental attitude ) and the acronym PEACE ( Positive, Energy, Activates, Constant , Elevation ). It’s not easy, But I do my best to remember this mindset and way of living. I was impacted by these lessons from “HR” – of the band “Bad Brains” and “The Rza” – of the Wu – tang clan.
The importance of selfless service / and giving back. A lot of blessings have come my way in my life, And I feel that is my duty to give back and be of service to others the best way I can. Sharing my knowledge, Energy, and time with those who are in need and in my cypher. Practicing “Bhakti yoga” has taught me this lesson
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I feel It’s important to go all in what you feel most passionate about and what you feel your mission is meant you to do in this lifetime. In my 20s when I found jiu jitsu, And you from the beginning, this was something that I was very passionate about. I always had a competitive nature to me, And I always had a passion for wanting to share my experience and knowledge with others. I decided to go in and adjust my life to wear I was able to teach, compete, And under the tutelage of my instructors, Going all in With my mission to becoming a world champion in jiu jitsu , and Making jiu jitsu my career. In this mission, I learned later on the importance of becoming well-rounded. At first, I just wanted to be a high-level competitor, And a great instructor. In this mission, It sparked my interest to learn about business ethics , Psychology, Science, Anatomy, and Economics. It’s been an exciting journey and it’s still going on as I’m trying to learn more more and become more Well, round every day
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Autorebjj.com
- Instagram: @gustavofonsec_jj
- Facebook: Gustavo Fonseca
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