I challenge my self to write 50 posts in 50 days. Every day one lesson, one tip, or one tool that I use and which help me in my life and capoeira. Enjoy and hope it will be beneficial for you, too. This originally was written for my students.
In 2019, I got my blue belt in capoeira and the title of “instrutor”1. A year ago, my first capoeira teacher, Diego, invited me to a big capoeira event in Italy. He also suggested that it would be a good time for my “formatura”, a high-level graduation, involving a change in my belt and title to “professor”. I wasn’t sure in the beginning, but after thinking it over and consulting with people I look up to, I’ve accepted the invitation. My journey to formatura has begun.
My #50days50lessons challenge is coming to an end. Over the past 48 days, I have shared some of my thoughts, habits, and important lessons learned from others in capoeira and life in general. I’ve frequently quoted my teachers, especially Mestre Cueca, to whom I am endlessly grateful for all the stories and knowledge.
With only 2 days remaining and 2 posts left, today, I want to share one more crucial lesson — a powerful one. Once you read it, you will recognize its potency. It’s also timeless. Life has compelled me to learn it repeatedly, revealing more details each time.
You have three options: to be right, to win, or neither of both.
You can’t be right and win. You may be the smartest person in the world, knowing everything, but you won’t win the game or make a point like this.
Winning the game involves understanding that sometimes your job is to disappear and let other forms or third-party tools pass on the information.
Once, I asked Mestre Edan, a capoeira master and the teacher of many great capoeiristas worldwide, about the key quality that transforms a student into an extraordinary capoeira player. His response was unequivocal: “To be an autodidact.”
Another concept introduced to us by Jim Rohn is “Don’t send your ducks to eagle school.”
“Good people are found, not changed. They can change themselves, but you can’t change them. If you want good people, you have to find them. If you want motivated people, you have to find them, not motivate them. (…) Don’t waste your time trying to turn ducks into eagles. Hire people who already have the motivation and drive to be eagles and then just let them soar.”1
As we discussed before, the capoeira group can be considered a leadership and personal development factory that people join voluntarily and stay for various reasons.
The formula for failure:
Failure = a few errors in judgment × repeated every day
The formula for personal success:
Success = a few simple disciplines × practiced every day
The formula for building a big and successful community
Successful community = Group of People × doing few simple Tasks × over consistent Time
What are the few simple tasks in a capoeira community? Training, playing in the roda, traveling to events.
The question is not whether the formula for success will work, but rather whether the person will work the formula
Jim Rohn
“You Move I Move” is another great lesson I learned from Mestre Cueca, which I am trying to pass on to my students and make a part of our culture. It is usually the first thing I explain during our team meetings. However, it is so important that it’s worth repeating.
In the previous post, I wrote about the “Over the line” concept, where a teacher or a leader has to push people towards the common goal. It’s done through inspiration, motivation, information, teaching, and good leadership. But you alone cannot carry everyone across the line. You need to create a growth culture in your community. And what if you could create a generation of people where they start to help each other?
One of my favorite lessons from Mestre Cueca is the concept called “Over the Line”.
“Every time we start a new activity, let’s say when I came to capoeira for the first day, immediately a line appeared, and on one side of the line, it’s always easier to quit, and on the other side of the line, it’s always easier to stay.”
There is one month left in the year. Most people are ready to coast to the finish line, but one good month can make the whole year feel like a success. What can you do in the next 30 days to build momentum and finish the year on a high note?