Be Water, My Friend: The True Teachings of Bruce Lee

by Shannon Lee

So if we want to fulfill our human potential, then we can’t let ourselves be complacent or stopped either—we have to find our way forward and keep being replenished again and again.

You can’t choose a response if you can’t even see that there are choices to be made.

Imagine what it would feel like to be fully present to every experience without losing yourself in it. What

I will gain confidence until the skill I am practicing becomes second nature.

hands in surrender and make the most of a situation than to try to bend everything to my will.

the most important work you have in life is to be yourself,

When your purpose is simply to be the most high-functioning and joyful version of you that you can be,

do not first empty your cup, how can you taste my cup of tea?”

“no longer directing one’s mind to anything. Emptiness is that which stands right in the middle

“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral, which always is as it is.” Similarly,

People get lost; it happens. And the goal is to try not to be lost any longer than it takes to be found again.

“Research your own experience. Reject what is useless. Accept what is useful. And add what is essentially your

“the enemy of development is pain phobia—the unwillingness to do a tiny bit of suffering.

when you confront your fears, a miraculous thing happens: They lose their power over you. They become just another puzzle piece in the process of knowing yourself, another point of interest, another layer of discovery along the way.

Try on some solutions, but follow the problem. See what you notice. Let the problem lead you.

Don’t just think your thoughts; write them down. Physically track what you love, what you’re curious about, your experiments, your ideas, your dreams. If you just think them and don’t truly represent

them in a way that turns them into a concrete practice for you, then they may just float in on one wave-length and out on another, or exist only in a vague dream or recollection with no real plan of action.

reading books, journaling, seeking a mentor, going to therapy, talking things out with trusted friends, meditating—is simply you sleuthing for your solution, looking for your discovery,

To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.

I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine….

There are no limits. There are only plateaus,

We need only observe, notice, and be curious about what is revealed through our responses

“I’m just a reflection of you.”

needed him to be wrong in order for me to be okay. And if that is what you need to be okay, well, is that really okay?

You assign all sorts of motives and blame onto others and make all kinds of justifications for yourself.

Isnt this a root cause of everytging in household bttles ; we always find a resom to justify ourself

“don’t make assumptions” and “don’t take anything personally.”

relationship. In the beginning, I opposed that with force—I got mad. I tried to get him to take notice of me by first demanding his attention in petty ways and then flinging my hurt at him. All that did was make him pull away and put up more resistance, because who

“Knowing is not enough,”

Willing is not enough, we must do.”

“Action is a high road to self-confidence,” my father said. Take one small action, and let that action lead to confidence, and let the confidence create energy toward more action—and from snowmelt, a surging river will form.

“Keep your mind on the things you want, and off those you don’t.” Track your experiments and note your findings.

“To be balanced is to be more or less at rest. Action, then, is the art or method of unbalancing toward keeping oneself moving forward, learning and growing.”

doers act alongside the fear and self-doubt and discomfort.

“The enemy of development is pain phobia—the unwillingness to do a tiny bit of suffering.”

As I mentioned before, people grow by skillful frustrations. If you were never frustrated by something, you would never seek a solution to your frustration. And in our water practice, the goal is to create skillful, intentional frustrations. It’s much better to choose your frustrations rather than get blindsided by them.

“It is not what happens that is success or failure, but what it does to the heart of man.”

Remember, my friend, it’s not what happens that counts; it is how you react. Your mental attitude determines what you make of it, either a stepping stone or a stumbling block.

Worry doesn’t solve a problem; it makes a problem out of the problem. Pessimism doesn’t solve a problem; it makes a problem harder by implying it is impossible to solve. Fear doesn’t solve a problem; it stops us from attacking the problem because we are afraid of failing or making the problem worse. Doubt doesn’t solve a problem; it gives you an excuse not to solve the problem.

Use the ego as a tool rather than a possession. Inwardly, psychologically, be a nobody.

check your ego at the door and don’t let your definition of self-importance or self-protection get in the way of your progress around obstacles.

“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”

No matter what, you must let your inner light guide you out of the darkness.

Pull out your tools and get busy. Live your new way of being through your actions,

Don’t engage in things that you know will derail you—bad habits, toxic environments, negative relationships. Your “therapy

Don’t knowingly throw obstacles into your path. Don’t get in your own way. Don’t let others stand in your way. Keep the path as clear as possible.

hold your own hand and keep pulling yourself forward. And if you have someone who will grab hold and pull you forward as well, then ask them for help, too.

The goal isn’t not to fail; the goal is to fail faster so that the lessons from the failures can be implemented and lead you to success more quickly.

“It takes courage to grow up and be who you really are.”