November 19, 2011

Have you been in a situation lately that has challenged you to the brink of abandonment? It happens to the best of us and most people who are successful will have to face some form of adversity throughout their life. I have been in precarious situations in my life and no matter what the predicament is I can tell you that there is always a way out.

The philosophy of Jeet Kune Do states that “not being restricted by style, and yet disciplined by one, not being a slave to form (a given technique), but nevertheless making it perfect and knowing the right moment when to use it, all the while always adapting to the changing situation.” You have to adapt & change like “the nature of water.” If you apply this to the adversity that you are facing currently then you will see that you can simply change your way of thinking to adapt to the environment that you are in.

Lee warned, that pre-set routines, over-analysis, over-technicalizing, all these things, made martial arts not only inefective, but dangerous in an actual fight. See you read, and read, listen and listen, to old rhetoric, and restrict yourself to a given form, a given technique, at the moment of truth you work under those restrictions, and as Lee warned “the mind isn’t free.” Restricted by a way of thinking, a pattern, an inability to adapt, on the street it may not just lead to injury it could even get you killed. The only way to combat this is to free your mind of any negative thoughts.

Approach those who are giving you negative feedback and attack it with a postive notion. Solicit their input and make suggestions. Reach out to mentors by essentially giving back. It’s not about the medium it’s about you as a person. When you stop worrying about what people think and start to adapt to a particular style that works in your favor then people will begin to acknowledge you.

Jeet Kune Do isn’t a style, its a way of thinking; it is the entire reasoning behind Lee’s approach. You must always remember that there is no spoon. Spoon Boy: “Do not try and bend the spoon—that’s impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth.”
Neo: “What truth?”
Spoon Boy: “There is no spoon.”
—The Matrix
When Neo visits the Oracle in The Matrix, he sees a young boy in the Oracle’s living room who is bending a spoon in mid-air. The boy, dressed as a Buddhist monk, bends the spoon just by looking at it. When Neo approaches him to learn the secret, the boy tells him that in order to bend the spoon, Neo must bend only his mind. In the Matrix, the spoon doesn’t exist—it’s just a code or a program that tells Neo’s brain that he’s looking at a spoon. Neo’s mind, on the other hand, does exist. What he sees before him is not a spoon, but rather an idea his brain has created of a spoon—his own perception. He can change reality by changing his perception.

Neo remembers this exchange as he becomes more confident in his ability to break the rules of the Matrix. All he has to do is remember that the rules he breaks aren’t actual rules. Just as there is no spoon, there is no gravity, there is no time—all these things are lies the machines tell his brain. Neo can fly, for example, because he can see gravity is a false construct. Once Neo understands that “there is no spoon,” then he realizes that he can do the impossible. Finally, you should only use these tips as a guideline. True inspiration can only be acheived by you. You have to find a way to combat negativity on your own. It will be different for each individual. Find what works for you and then discard what doesn’t.

[sws_blockquote_endquote align="left" cite="" quotestyle="style01"]Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. – Bruce Lee

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July 11, 2010

Everything begins with choice.

Here is the thing about freedom.  It’s never free…

Freedom is the by product of success and you must be willing to pay the price for success.  And success never goes on sale.  You have to pay the market price.  And that can be so very hard…

Because I could explain all the rational, logical reasons everyone should be in the business.  And if you wanted to argue with me, I could explain all the reasons you were being an idiot.

Common sense tells you I should have quit.  But dreams never come true with common sense.  Dreams come true because they are bold, daring, and imaginative.  Because they are strong enough to pull you toward them.

I could have quit, should have quit, would have quit.  But I came to a realization that changed everything for me:  I realized I was the most ambitious person I knew.

And there was freedom in that line of thinking.  Which eventually led to the real freedom.

I began to understand the importance of a system and how duplication worked.  Began daily self-development, becoming less of the person people didn’t want to work with and more of the person they did.  Learned some skill sets.

Which is why I’m writing this…

I have been where most of you are, and I will make it to a level that others are afraid to dream of because I believe.  So let me share what I have learned along the way, but most importantly, what I want for you.  Here are the four things I want for you:

1) Live a Life of Adventure.

Stop watching actors live adventure in movies and TV shows.  It’s time for you to live your own adventure.

Is your adventure started yet?  Life is not about fighting rush hour traffic, working in a cubicle, or sending your kids to daycare.   Life is for living.  And that means you.

2) Get Your Freedom.

See number one.  You are not meant to be woken up with an alarm clock.  You are supposed to wake up when you finish sleeping.  When you wake up, you should be the one to choose how you are going to spend your day, and whom you are going to spend it with.  You’re supposed to order from the left side of the menu, not the right side.

Freedom is about having choices.  Whether it’s choosing what car to drive, home to live in, or exotic locale you want to vacation in.

It’s about choosing the causes to support, the school you want your kids to go to, and the people you want in your life.  Choosing to live out loud, in color, with passion.

3) Right Injustice.

How often have you seen a situation that wasn’t right and felt powerless to stop it?  How many times have you wanted to right a wrong, but didn’t have the time or money or freedom to do it?

Contribute to a cause. Something you believe in wholeheartedly. Which leads us to…

4) Move from Success to Significance

You want to make a difference.  Leave a legacy.  Build something that outlives you.

That’s when life really begins. That’s when you know the world is a better place because you are in it.

Whether it’s supporting the arts, building an orphanage, or saving the rainforest.  Maybe it’s sponsoring a Little League team, mentoring a young person, or starting a shelter for battered women.  Or all of the above.

I don’t know what is in your heart to do, but I know there is something.  And that’s what I challenge you to do. Yes I wish freedom, lifestyle and all the goodies for you.  And I also wish you love, meaning and leading a life of significance.

It won’t be easy; I get that.  It means sacrifice.

Because it means at 7 pm, when your spouse is home and your kids want to play, you’re leaving to go to a meeting.  It means you’ll miss a chance to worship some weekends when you’re working with a long distance line somewhere.  It means making those calls to candidates long after the excitement and motivation of the big event has worn off.

But I had a mantra that got me free.  And it can get you free.  Here it is:

“I will do today what others will not do, so tomorrow I can do what others cannot do.”

Will you do that for me?  Will you do that for yourself?  Will you do that for all the people you’re going to be able to help?

The pain of discipline is far easier than the pain of regret.  When you feel fear, you must profess faith.  Because faith is deaf, dumb and blind.

Faith is deaf to rejection, dumb to failure, and blind to the possibility of defeat.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  It is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

We can’t see them, but we have a vision for them.  That is why we do self-development every morning, speak those affirmations, put up those pictures on the refrigerator.

Doing what we do is not easy.  It’s not supposed to be.  But it is simple.  And important.  Not just for your freedom and your dreams, but the freedom and dreams of everyone you will make a difference for.  Most people today doubt their beliefs and believe their doubts.  You have to be different.  Stand out above the crowd!

Please.  Don’t you dare take down your dream board or those pictures on your refrigerator.  Don’t you dare let your spouse or kids see you quit.  Don’t you dare give up on your dreams!

That’s what I am here to tell you.