With Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's Daughter
Today, I turn 32; a milestone year that I've been looking forward to. If you're wondering why, let me explain.
Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm one of the biggest Bruce Lee nerds they have ever met. On July 20th, 1973, 5 days and 41 years ago, Bruce Lee passed away at the age of 32. 5 days and 9 years after his death, I was born. Somehow, a man who passed away 9 years before I even existed, became one of my biggest inspirations in life.
At such a young age, he accomplished so much, and left an impact that will be felt by future generations forever. I could go into details of why and how I became such a fan, but I’ll leave that for a future post. In the meantime, I want to share some things I’ve learned from Bruce that have made an impact in my life.
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself; do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it”
I love this quote, but I was always annoyed with the last part of the quote. I wanted to be exactly like, Bruce Lee! However, as you get older, you learn that you can be inspired by others, but you need to let go of the idea of who you think you are, and just become who you really are.
“Ultimately, martial art means honestly expressing yourself...
I mean it is easy for me to put on a show and be cocky...
Or I could show you some really fancy movement
But to express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself
And to express myself honestly
Now that, my friend, is very hard to do.”
When you’re in your 20’s, you just graduated college, you just got a full time job, and it’s the first time you truly have some money to play with. You start to go crazy, become materialistic, and party it up. Deep down, the original you is still there, but you’ve added a facade to the people around you. There is a good probability that your friends have done the same.
“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential”
Eventually and hopefully, you grow out of it. You start focusing on life even more and how to improve oneself. It will always be an ongoing process, but I’m constantly trying to hack away at the unessentials to reveal who I really am.
“Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential”
But even as you simplify your life, don’t lose the drive to better yourself. Don’t become stagnant. Know that you have so much more potential in life.
“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
We’ve all doubted ourselves and our capabilities. But, push yourself and know that if you work hard, you can do it. So as I turn 32 today, I am reminded by Bruce’s life to keep it simple, honestly express myself, and to constantly grow as a human being. I plan on making this year, the best one yet.
“The Key To Immortality Is First Living A Life Worth Remembering.”
