I recently bought a bracelet that says, “Trust the journey.” It is a lovely shade of rose gold and looks beautiful.
We often form goals in jiu jitsu that we want to reach. However I think a goal can be stressful at times in a sport where progress is not always linear.
A mantra, however, is much more versatile. Mantras can serve to help you focus when it matters the most, provide a sense of direction, frame your method of reflection, and channel your intentions in the face of distractions.
My mantra is “trust the journey” because I can sometimes be overly fixated on outcomes. I think that a lot of my impatience comes from not having trust in myself. Sometimes the technique will come only with time on the mat and only after I have gathered enough “feeling” about how it is supposed to work. When I sit down to watch an instructional, I need to also trust myself that I can put in the mental and physical work to eventually add it to my game.
Books are often a great place to find inspiration for a mantra. Often times these authors have taken great effort to map out what is meaningful to them. I find that mantras found online are less helpful unless you already have a keyword that you are looking for. Other sources for mantras can be your favorite song or movie quote.
