Bruce Lee Podcast - #6 Goals, Mistakes, Success

#6 Goals, Mistakes, Success

08/18/16 • 44 min

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This week we talk about how Bruce Lee documented his goals, valued mistakes and created a personal definition of success. A dedicated journal writer, Lee consistently wrote down his big and small goals. He believed that all goals did not have to be achieved, they were a way to orient yourself towards a big dream with meaning. They were also an opportunity to make mistakes along the way, learn and adapt as necessary—being in flow, using no way as way. He wrote this big goal for himself when he was 28 years old: My Definite Chief Aim I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will have in my possession $10,000,000. I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness. Bruce Lee Jan. 1969 Bruce Lee also valued mistakes and defeat. To him, "defeat is nothing but education. Nothing but the first step to figuring out something better.” Mistakes were learning moments. He also said "success means doing something sincerely and whole-heartedly.” It was a way of being a human being, not a destination or outcome. The success is in the doing and doing it with your whole heart. Action step for this week: try to write your own Definite Chief Aim. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week’s shoutout goes to chef and owner of n/naka Niki Nakayama. Niki was born into a restaurant family and tried her hand at the family business with a normal popular sushi restaurant. But her artist’s heart longed for something more connected to her soul. She traveled throughout Japan for 3 years learning kaiseki style cuisine, a formal presentation of courses that accompany Buddhist tea ceremonies at monasteries. She then transformed this ancient cooking style into a modern interpretation that is uniquely her own. Her journey is beautifully documented in the Netflix series Chef’s Table and it’s worth a watch. #BruceLeeMoment (Bruce Lee’s philosophy in action IRL) This week’s #BruceLeeMoment comes from our team member Richard Grewar who runs the Bruce Lee Foundation Richard has struggled with depression for twenty years. On a particularly tough day when he felt like isolating, shutting down and giving up, this quote from Bruce Lee helped him zoom out and notice the world around him along with some frolicking dolphins: “Its like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.” Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected].

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#5 Originate and Innovate

How did Bruce Lee interpret the ideas of Originating and Innovating? This week we discuss Bruce’s unique take on these ideas. His definition of these words have nothing to do with the buzzwords of business. Originating is the process of self-actualizing and becoming your true self and innovating is what gets created in the world when you are connected to your authentic energy. "We tend to have more faith in what we imitate than what we originate. We feel we cannot derive a sense of absolute certitude from anything which has its root in us. The most poignant sense of insecurity comes from standing alone and we are not alone when we imitate.” Most of us are seeking validation by imitating the path or success of others even if it’s against our true nature. But our mission in life should be to originate by letting our true inner light shine through. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week’s shoutout goes to pioneering comedian, actress, singer and activist Margaret Cho. Margaret was the first Asian American lead actress on a network TV show (All-American Girl, 1994) and paved the road for a generation of Asian comedians and actresses. We want to acknowledge Margaret for being brave enough to be her unique self and resist cultural pressures to be a quiet, obedient, demure and powerless Asian woman. Thank you for shining your true inner light. #BruceLeeMoment (Bruce Lee’s philosophy in action IRL) This week’s #BruceLeeMoment comes from Ian Khouv of London, England who wrote in to share his story. Hi Shannon, Just got done listening to the first episode of your new podcast and can't wait for tomorrow's commute to hear the next one! I can hear the passion, enthusiasm, and fun that shines through. Your father Bruce and your brother Brandon have been lifelong inspirations to me. At first, it was mainly through the 'kick-ass Kung Fu' tapes that my own Dad let me watch but as I grew older, it was indeed the philosophy of Bruce that continues to inspire me to this day. As a Chinese boy growing up in London, England, Bruce showed me that an Asian man could be anything he wanted to be, including the real life superhero that Bruce was. This is a lesson that I will be passing on to my son (also called Brandon). My #bruceleemoment actually is several small moments scattered through time. I've always found that being a 'Bruce Lee fan' was a way to cut through differences between people and has always been a common thread that I can use to unite people. I've used 'being a Bruce Lee fan' to break up arguments; stop from being bullied when I was young; and to start conversations with people around the topic of being Chinese. Today this #bruceleemoment transpires in my life mainly from what Bruce said on the interview on Pierre Burton's show: "You know what I want to think of myself? As a human being. Because, I mean, and I don't wanna sound like 'as Confucius says' but under the sky, under the heaven, man, there is but one family. It just so happens, man, that people are different." I currently work for a secular human rights charity and no truer words have been spoken with regards to equality than what your father spoke. Bruce Lee still plays an active role influencing my day-to-day. I've recently enrolled in a Philosophy degree partly due to your father's writings. I feel like Bruce's philosophy is truly accessible to the common man and can be applied so readily to everyday life. Philosophy can be a daunting subject to dip your toes into when the writings of Hegel, Wittgenstein, and Nietszche loom but Bruce is able to encapsulate in an aphorism what many take chapters to illustrate. Apologies for the long email. The podcast just inspired me to reach out to you and to let you know the impact Bruce had on me and continues to do so. Keep up the good work! Kindest regards, Ian Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

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#7 Emotional Content

“What was that? An Exhibition? We need emotional content. Now try again!” What did Bruce Lee mean by “Emotional Content?” He was describing the feeling of being totally present in your body and connected to your own life force. A spiritual life force that is the energy of creation. This force helps you become a human being from moment to moment. When you are creating emotional content, you are creating in awareness, openness and receptivity to everything around you. You are in a state of relating to your surroundings. You are not in isolation—you are connected. “Don’t think, FEEL.” Don’t pull yourself out of a real moment by thinking and intellectualizing. Stay in the moment and be totally present for the total experience. Emotional content is also about the creation of art. Art is the communication of authentic feelings. We are all artists of our own lives. Bruce Lee believed that art is the work of enlightenment. And the origin of enlightenment comes from understating your own heart and living whole-heartedly. Action step for this week: release yourself to spontaneous action when you’re inspired by your own spiritual life force. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week’s shoutout goes to Olympic fencing champion Alexander Massialas. Alexander is part of the US men’s fencing team that won the bronze medal in Rio and he also won an individual silver medal in foil fencing. Alexander is a Hapa, born to a Greek father and Taiwanese mother. Thanks for representing the US with such excellence and athletic mastery. Alexander, you are awesome! #BruceLeeMoment (Bruce Lee’s philosophy in action IRL) This week’s #BruceLeeMoment comes from one of our listeners David Hunt: I wanted to share a Bruce Lee moment that I experienced that actually encouraged me to embed it into my university's graduation speech :) The Story At the time, I resided in Philadelphia and traveled back home to Charlotte, North Carolina for winter vacation. The day was nothing less than relaxing - I caught up with old friends, tried some new food, and walked through the mall all in solitude. A few hours into my excursions and my cell phone died. Uh oh - no calls and more importantly no uber to the family dinner that was fast approaching. The weather was unusually warm so I decided to walk the five miles and take a chance that I'd show up for dinner on time. Along my walk I came across a stream. In some areas the water was swirling around, others it was still, and yet other places the water was moving extremely rapidly over twigs or rocks. I thought to myself if I took an empty glass and collected some of that water, it is the same exact substance although separate. And if I poured it back in, it would merge seamlessly. In a cathartic moment of clarity, I began to question - why can't we do that, why can't us humans interact on such a collaborative level? Placing appropriate attention on our similarities while still acknowledging our differences. Water exists as vapor, liquid, and ice. Humans come in different races, ethnicities, align with different religions and so forth. Yet water always retains its...being of water flowing through vastly different environments adapting itself and always merging with its different forms in some capacity. That's when it hit me - I viewed water as love, this egoless aesthetic of oneness. And not oneness in the sense that we don't have uniqueness but oneness in the sense of how we can interact with each other peacefully. In that moment, it became my mission to be love. When love wakes up in the morning, I want it to say, "I want to be like David." Cheers. Wishing you all a wonderful day and thank you so much for all that you do. I listened to my first Bruce Lee podcast yesterday on Honesty and thought I'd share this moment with you since you all inspired me. With Palpable Vibes, David V. Hunt Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]