3 Essential Life Lessons I discovered in Cobra Kai

Netflix Binge-Watching Is Not Always Bad

Who remembers Karate kid?

The movie series from the 1980s. Danny LaRusso, the underdog who got beaten up by Johnny — frequently. Found a mysterious Japanese martial arts teacher. He showed him in a few weeks the secret one technique that wins every fight.

And in the end, he used it, got his revenge in a glorious victory over Johnny in a tournament.

Well, 36 years later, I learned life is not always that simple. It is never black and white. But back in the 80s, the movie narrative was precisely that.

Black and White

Remember Rambo, Rocky, Terminator, and Karate Kid.

Those movies had an impact on my life. Together with Bruce Lee from the 70s, they paved my way into martial arts.

2020 — Life is yin and yang, and so are we

It was a year in which black and white returned to my life in the form of Corona believers and Corona deniers. Yet, the television series industry moved in another way.

Netflix delivered Cobra Kai to my doorstep.

It is the sequel series to Karate Kid I to III. Danny and Johnny are battling it out again — in their mid-50s. Well, it doesn’t shine a great light on us men :-). We failed to find other ways of resolving conflict than in simple street fights, but it is a series.

I love the one thing in the series: It refrains from the black and white scheme that was present in the film industry until recently. The series gives the character development more depth.

Johnny, the schoolyard bully, is portraited as a broken adult. He had a wealthy but abusive childhood which turned him into a drunken adult. He finds new meaning in life via teaching karate to kids that get bullied in school.

Daniel was the underdog in the 80s. He was portrayed as a poor kid who gets bullied. Learning Karate made him into a man who ultimately stepped into the limelight. And defeated the ones that harmed him.

In flashback sequences, Johnny talks about who he frequently got pranked by Danny — shining a different light on the character of LaRusso. Also, in his 50s, Larusso turned into a rich and reckless car dealer. I started asking myself, and maybe Daniel Larusso was the real bully back then?

The characters are portrayed as life is in reality — an up and down. A rich can become poor quickly with a few wrong decisions and can rise again — also the other way round. The underdog develops into a pain in the neck and reverts to a wise man too.

Life is not always black and white. All people have good and bad character traits. It is in our responsibility what we want to develop and emphasize in our lives. We always get what we put our attention to.

Sometimes life drags us down. Some people give in and become evil. And revert to a better state later on. Until we find our balance, those ups and downs continue throughout life.

Next time you see a person just

don`t judge how their behaviour neither in the good nor bad. You never know what they went through. Always show kindness and empathy

The bonsai story

In season 1, episode 7, Danny teaches his young student about the secrets behind bonsais.

The young student is in a backroom in Daniels car dealership and tries to trim bonsai. As he cuts off a big piece, he says, “I don’t know what to do,” and Daniel explains what it is all about. You can watch it here.

It is the key to success in all walks of life.

Know how you are.

It is the essence of Warren Buffett to find your passion. Also, Arnold Schwarzenegger emphasizes that he was extremely passionate about bodybuilding, acting, and politics.

Know what you are passionate about. These are the roots of everything in life.

Have a vision.

Daniel points out that to cut a bonsai right, you close your eyes and create a mental image in your mind. Become the bonsai and see how it should look like in the end. In what way you want to develop the tree.

It is like in life. Sit down and think about where you want to be in 5, 10, 20, or 30 years. Create a clear picture. Whatever comes easy to you: Paint a picture, create a collage, write a story. Make it colorful and vivid. Give yourself as much clarity as you need about your desired result.

Do you want to be a passionate runner like Dean Karnazes? An accomplished martial artist like Bruce Lee? Or a successful investor like Warren Buffett?

Any walk of life is fine. It is your life. Choose your passion and create your vision. Just do it like Arnold Schwarzenegger recommends: Dream big. Make your dream as big and colorful as possible. And never doubt it.

As Bruce Lee says:

A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves only as something to aim at.

Execute.

And then you do it. Having a vision is not enough. Many dreamers in the world have great thoughts, but instead of executing, they started blaming the environment. They do their best to find reasons to hold them back.

It is nonsense. Everybody can move closer to his vision. Focusing a few tasks every day on taking one step more towards the goal makes a huge difference. Not one-day tremendous work and the other day nothing. Tiny step after tiny step. Slow and steady wins the race.

It is not necessary to achieve the ultimate goal in one year. It can take decades. Look at Elon Musk. He works on his vision daily.

And so can you. Just get up and start taking your first task — your first minute — which brings you closer to your goal. Do you want to be a runner? Well, lace your shoes now. Get out and do your first 10 minutes. 1k. Here you are — you are already a runner.

Johnny’s motivational speech.

In the last episode, Johnny takes the bunch of former losers and nerds to their first karate tournament. Right before the start of the tournament, he explains the Cobra Kais dojo motto's meaning to his students.

At the end of the speech, he put a spin on “a life lesson.” Here is my view on that scene.

Strike first.

This Is the first sentence of the Cobra Kai motto. If you set a life goal for yourself, don’t wait until anybody permits you to get started. Don’t wait for “special circumstances” to show up before you can get started. E.g., Don’t say when I have 10 pounds less weight; I started running.

Or when I have more time, I start writing.

You set a goal. Immediately you take the first step towards the goal. Strike first doesn’t mean beating strangers on the streets up for no reason. It means to take over responsibility for your life. Set the goals you want to see in your life and take action to achieve your goals.

The only person who stands between you and your goal: It is only you.

Strike hard.

Here the Cobra Kai script also leaves the fighting background. It’s less about hitting people on the street’s hard. It is more connecting to the first part — strike first.

Whenever you have a goal —

put your intention behind every move you make.

When you write, you write. You don’t do anything else at the same time.#

Intention means no multitasking. It is one of the principles of Elon Musks’ timeboxing.

When you blocked time for a task in your calendar, you do not want to multitask. You focus on this task only and do not do anything else.

No mercy.

I have not looked up again how it was communicated in the original Karate Kid movie. I didn’t watch the film for more than 30 years, but I do love the series's interpretation.

We do whatever it takes to keep our head out of the water. We do whatever it takes to keep moving forward. Remember who you are. You are badass. You don’t give a shit. Kick ass.

Especially as it gives it a real-life spin, of course, in the Octagon, when someone attacks you, it is meant literally. Either you punch the opponent in the face, or your opponent wins.

In real life, must fights are useless. Do you care when Jackass4709 comments on your post, “You are stupid?”

Do whatever it takes to keep your head out of the water. It means to me, don’t care what other people think about you. Do whatever you need to do to come closer to your goal. Ignore judgment. Especially those that are only thrown at you to make you stumble and fall.

Keep moving forward. In my martial art Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, it is Keep going.

You know who you are. You know your goal. So keep taking action. You had a bad childhood? So did other people. But do you want childhood bullies to win over you because you decide to sit in a bar every evening getting drunk?

Never give up on yourself. No matter what life throws at you. Just think about Viktor Frankl. He survived the holocaust and became one of the most famous Psychotherapists in Europe.

If he could deal with the treatment in a concentration camp, then you can take those few idiotic comments on social media with ease.

Always keep going. Keep moving forward. Never stop.

I love the spin on the new series.

Since 1999 I am an executive, advisor, and coach for companies in various industries. I am specialized in Corporate Development and Finance. From seed rounds to IPO level. I am focused on life science since 2006.

If you like the article, follow me for more content.