3 Life Lessons from Bruce Lee
Martial Artist. Movie Star. Philosopher.
While he is known to many as a dedicated practitioner of martial arts or as a Hollywood movie star, the one thing that many overlooked was just how influential he is as a philosopher. With his influence reaching across the globe, not only did his spectacular ability and charisma enthrall the world, so too a heart and mind wise beyond most.
As a person who loved giving, Bruce Lee was giving us not only advice and teachings applicable to martial arts, but he was also a giver of his outlook in life which resonated with not only one, but millions of people around the world — including yours truly.
In success, as within life, he was never boastful, but humble. His calm demeanour warmed both the western and eastern world. It was with this, he got me to listen, to truly listen to his message, every time he was on the screen. Now, I was not around when he was, but the mere fact that footage from then was a constantly present factor in my life is testament enough of the timelessness of his teachings. Never outdated, and able to be applied to all facets of life.
A short disclaimer before I get stuck in. I am not claiming to be an “expert” in the reference of these teachings in my life, but this is just my view on what I believe they stood for, in other words, their meaning. Keep in mind also, there are multiple interpretations of the following quotes, and each person may receive them and perceive them differently from one another and that’s fine. I believe that this is why these quotes are so significant and poignant for those who truly try and understand what their message is.
Knowing is not enough, we must apply; Willing is not enough, we must do.
You know the Nike slogan… and that Shia Labeouf meme?
Just do it!
Yeah, that one? Well, it’s just a more direct meaning than this quote by Bruce Lee. The value in this quote comes as he pushes for action. Rather than sit around with the ideas, willing to do whatever, whenever, doing it is a whole different ballgame. Knowledge is useless unless it is applied positively. The willingness to do something is no good if you are not doing it.
How does this relate to my life?
Well I’m here aren’t I? I’ve pushed myself to share my thoughts on Medium. It was something that I was scared to do and despite knowing that this is what I wanted to do, I never dared to bite the bullet and start publishing. Until now that is. And now, I’m in the midst of finally letting go of my insecurities in the hopes of building something positive for both myself and this community that I hope to build around. There also might be something special in the works, so keep your eyes peeled for that :)
I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times.
The crux of this message can be boiled down to one word: Dedication. While the typical quote of “practice makes perfect” is a great way to approach tasks, this one delves deeper into the purpose of practice. Ask yourself why you practice what you do. Is it to strive for mastery? For true perfection? This teaching to me poses this question and it is certainly a deeply thought-provoking one to ponder.
How does this relate to my life?
While I am ashamed to admit that I’ve yet to achieve full mastery at anything I’ve dedicated countless hours to learning, the important thing here is that I AM dedicating these hours. When I could be doing something different, most often than not, if it’s something with a positive impact on my life, it is something I’ve deliberately chosen to practice. To lock away all the distractions and temptation to solely focus on one task at hand.
Be Water
You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.
You just knew that this one would be here. Open-ended in its nature this is the quote that can be applied to all aspects of life. Inspired by his practice of Wing Chun under the tutelage of Master Ip Man, martial art has a lot of reflexive movements in its nature. One of the weakest elements on earth, in theory, was in fact, to him one of the strongest, because no matter how hard you strike water, you are the only one left hurting. He observed its formlessness and adaptability and concluded that to imitate the nature of water, one would have to detach themselves, to truly become adaptable, they must become.
How does this relate to my life?
This quote has governed many things in my life, with its most important lesson coming in adaptability. Knowing when one must accept the situation; when to act, and when not to act is key in Taoism and this principle is encapsulated in the quote. For me, it has helped me in stepping back, and to truly look at situations in a rather objective manner and has helped me in keeping my mouth shut when needed being the chatterbox I am!
Well, there you have it folks, three important life lessons from the one and only Bruce Lee! I hope you found this helpful and maybe you could even share when and where you’ve applied these teachings (sometimes, without even knowing it too!) in the comments below.
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