Bruce Lee: Be Like Water My Friends

Hello Friends,

Hope all is well. I love Bruce Lee. Not only for his movies but also for his philosophies. He took the view that traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalistic to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting. Lee decided to develop a system called Jeet Kun Do, which had an emphasis on "practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency".

Jeet Kun Do is not only a fighting style but also a philosophy. Up to this point, in traditional martial arts, there was a "way." Lee thought differently. He believed that there are many ways to earn victory. One must be flexible, adaptable, ever changing with the situation.

His was "the style, with no style." This is mindset that I like to take. This philosophy doesn't put you in a box. One can be successful in all situations if you apply these principles. One must train oneself to be adaptable whenever a challenge comes your way.

Lee practiced many styles to make up the "no style" technique. We too must study many aspects of life to be well rounded. Begin to branch out and explore new ideas. Don't limit yourself to what is comfortable and easy. Challenge yourself from time to time to learn something new. This knowledge gives you leverage. Ignorance gets you nowhere.

In the following video, Lee talks about being like water. Being fluid. Being able to become the shape of the container. We need to train our minds to be like this. Be as diverse as possible with your learning. Study the good and the bad. Try to get the whole picture. As you begin to develop your brain muscles, you will feel more comfortable in your environment. More confident. More sure of yourself. "Be like water my friends." Many blessings, and thanks for listening.

Quotes...In our own words

Hello Friends,

My name is Dexter. Everyone just calls me Dex. You can do the same. About eight months ago I had the opportunity to watch a movie called "The Secret" (I recommend you watch it as well) which explores "The Law Of Attraction." "The Law Of Attraction" is the understanding that all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will become, we have and will attract to ourselves. In the movie several scholars talk about ways we can achieve harmony in mind, body, and soul. Implementation of "The Secret" is deeply rooted in our thoughts, and really the feelings behind those thoughts. Alot of us, including myself, set goals, get excited about those goals, but in the end up doing nothing to achieve those goals. Now I realize why we may not achieve our goals. Our feelings don't match our thoughts and words. We say all the right things but in our hearts doubt creeps in and takes us out of a state of joy. When we learn to live in a constant state of joy and appreciation for what we have, we can have so much more.

In the movie they talk about all the great scholars of the past and how they knew "The Secret" and how to apply it to daily life. They had so many great quotes by people like Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Ralph Waldo Emerson. These great scientists, business men, and authors new "The Secret" and how to apply it. I became really fascinated with some of the quotes and wrote them down. Since then I have been researching quotes that inspire others to achieve great things.

This is the purpose of this blog. I am going to give you all a quote of the day, and do my best to explain it my own words. As you may have noticed the name of this blog is "In Our Words." I want to invite conversation. I would like to hear about your thoughts and what you take away from these quotes. I want to stress that this is meant to be a positive forum. We are not here to argue and impose on others our different beliefs. We can take good from every aspect of life. We have to be willing to listen because we may miss out on learning something. I'm hoping that we can learn alot from each other and uplift each other as we go through our day to day activities. Thank you for listening and without further delay, the first quote...

"Don't think; feel. It's like a finger pointing to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger, or you will miss all the heavenly glory." (Bruce Lee, Enter The Dragon)

I bet you weren't expecting Bruce Lee to be my first quote but Lee exercised "The Law Of Attraction" on a daily basis. I've always been a huge Bruce Lee fan, but now that I understand where he was coming from I can appreciate the extreme discipline he had. He revolutionized the martial arts world both on form and theater even when he was told he would never leave Hong Kong to be come a star. If he had listened to the nay-sayers he would have never amounted to anything.

"Don't think; feel." As we talked about before, it is the feelings behind the thoughts that make our wants come into being. A lot of times we lie to ourselves. How many times have we said, "today I'll start that new project," or "I'm going to get into shape," or I'm going to ask my boss for that raise and at the end of the day, it's still not done. We tell ourselves that we are going to do something, but our true feelings such as doubt, fear, and confusion become overwhelming and prevent us from reaching our goals.

"Don't concentrate on the finger." Concentrating on the finger is what kills our dreams. The "finger" represents the "way "or "path" to whatever it is we want to achieve. Along the "way" we come across many obstacles which can quickly kill our motivation. If we focus on hard it is to get to our destination, we will never realize all that is out there because all our energy will be directed in fighting against, instead of flowing with. We can never see "all the heavenly glory" if our minds are clouded.

I would like to hear your thoughts about Bruce Lee's quote. Remember this blog is strictly a positive channel for us to learn from and encourage each other as we pursue our dreams. I want to promote conversation. The more we communicate the more we grow. Let me know what's on your mind. Teach me...In Your Own Words.

Thanks for listening.