Legends Never Die
On Friday I asked Renato, “Who’s your top 5 most savage jiujitsu guys of all time?” Without taking even a second to think about it.. “Buchecha and Leandro….” then he took a while to consider the last three and even bargained two athletes to share a spot at 4.
The Jiujitsu community woke up Sunday morning to the news of Leandro Lo’s passing and it turned our world upside down. Leandro was deeply admired by everyone and I don’t think there’s a single person who is not taking this news hard. Not only was he one of the greatest do ever do it but he was kind, good and had the best dance moves in jiujitsu. It’s been incredible to see the outpour of love, admiration and how the world has stopped for him. He meant so much to the jiujitsu world.
Death always makes me put life into perspective. I spent a lot of the last two days thinking about the way Leandro lived his life. We didn’t know much about him(in the sense that he never said or posted much) except that he enjoyed his life, he loved his friends and he loved jiujitsu. He always showed up and showed out. If he was fighting, everyone was watching. I think one of the things that Renato and I always admired about him was that he was a true example of a champion. He hadn’t fallen into what the world has recently become and was still a true samurai.
I was thinking about my life and what is important to me. I spent so much of the last month thinking about making money. How can I increase our earnings as athletes, a business and in my side business as well? I was studying different marketing strategies and how I can use them in my own personal life. While most peoples lives are spent creating a good life and I don’t think I’m wrong for doing that, it made me feel like there’s just so much more to life than just that. I work a lot. I haven’t ever been on a real vacation. I haven’t been traveling enough. I haven’t been doing things that I enjoy. I don’t even speak to my family much these days. I let things bother me that shouldn’t. But life can be so simple and it’s meant to be lived, experienced fully and enjoyed as much as possible.
What is important to me is my legacy. Not the things I’ve done or will do but how I made people feel. I want to inspire people. I want them to be in my presence and feel loved, heard, appreciated and understood. I need to be better than I am right now. I need to laugh more, cry more, hug more, love more, dance more, sing like no one is watching. I need to train harder! I need to chase my dreams like I’m 21 again. That hungry, broke, I need to make it mentality. I need to spend more time with my family and those I love and care about. I need to do so much more than what I’m doing now. I don’t want to have any regrets when it’s all said and done.
This has been a real wake up call for me. Even in his passing Leandro is still inspiring people to be better. He will be missed greatly and never forgotten. I know things will not be the same without him.
