Bruce Lee Podcast

We are having our first live event tonight, Thursday, July 20th, at 6pm at the Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles. It's first come first serve with limited seating so try to be there by 5:30pm! This episode marks our one-year anniversary for the podcast! We created this podcast to honor and celebrate Bruce Lee's philosophy and share it with the world. Thank your for listening and going on this journey with us. We wanted to celebrate the one-year anniversary and recognize the 44th anniversary of Bruce Lee's passing by completing the Bruce Lee Podcast Challenge for two weeks. When we shared the challenge, we worried that people might not participate, but so many of you completed it. We got such an overwhelming response to the challenge that it's taking us much longer to go through all the entries, and we won't be able to pick just one winner. Your accomplishments, roadblocks, and leveling up have truly astounded and moved us; you blew us out of the water. We applaud you Bruce Lee Podcast Community! Since we can't pick just one winner, over the coming weeks we will pick several winners. Each winner will receive the prize, a conversation with us, and a chance to be on the podcast. Even if you don't win the prize, we read so many wonderful Bruce Lee moments you should stay tuned into future episodes because you might hear your name on the podcast as our Bruce Lee moment. Shannon and Sharon both did the Bruce Lee Podcast Challenge, and shared their experiences on this episode. Shannon's Affirmations: 1."Be": Rather than striving for some perfect expression, or impression, in each moment I will simply be. I can fill the space with my energy by radiating my being-ness because I am enough as I am. 2."Natural Action": Knowing that I am easily tired by forceful actions, when I do act I will take the most organic and natural route for my soul, so that I may flow with rather than against my own stream. 3."Intention": Knowing that my soul is fed when I am purposeful, I will imbue my actions and plans with meaningful intentions, so that no matter what I am doing, whether resting or working etc., I am doing so with deliberate awareness. These three affirmations work together. Shannon used all of the action items together, the "I'd feel better in my body if…" and "Letting others be," and they became affirmations as well. Shannon's second action item was "I'll feel better in my body if I meditate everyday." She also had a second one: "I'll feel better in my body if I were to slow down and eat more thoughtfully, and chew my food more thoroughly." Sharon's Affirmations: 1."I love my body! It's the source of creativity, connection and outrageous pleasure!" 2."I am so blessed. I am so loved by the love of my life. My children are healthy, happy and flourishing. I am free to create anything I want. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" 3."Today will be a day of abundance, magic and joy. All green lights and delights!" Sharon's second action item of "I would feel better in my body if…" was based off a quote by Michael Pollan: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." Sharon adjusted the quote to be personal to her: "Eat delicious food, mostly plants. Taste each bite and enjoy!" Her other action item was "Move my body once a day in a joyous way!" Harmony action item: "Letting others be." The last action item of "Letting others be," was challenging and illuminating. You expend energy when you judge, rant and rave, so when you minimize those thoughts, you actually conserve energy. When you get anxious and stressed about other people's choices you amp yourself up into a frenzy of negative energy. If you just turn the volume down and let them be, you can save energy and feel better. Just meditating on the simple idea of letting others be provides you with great relief and freedom. We're honored that you are listening, participating and growing with Bruce Lee's wisdom. Thank you for co-creating this show with us. Much love, Shannon & Sharon

Gentleness was key to Bruce Lee's philosophy of life and practice as an artist. Bruce equated gentleness with his idea of emptiness, non-resistance internally, the place in which the moment can happen and where spontaneous action springs from. Gentleness equals life. Gentleness is strength. "The essential unity of the universe, the leveling of all differences, the relativity of all standards, and the return of all to divine intelligence and the source of all things – from all this naturally arises the absence of desire for strife and contention and fighting for advantage. A peaceable temper is bred in man that emphasizes nonresistance and the importance of gentleness." Gentleness is the coming together, not the coming a part of things. "The assimilation of the tao has its foundation in tenderness and quietness." Bruce Lee personally struggled with having a temper, but he researched his own experience. He was able to be neutral about examining himself and recognized that he needed to cultivate his gentleness. "Because a man can yield, he can survive." Yielding is an action. "Act spontaneously without prearrangement, ensure the spirit of harmony with nature, see no violence done and have the result of peace and freedom from disturbance. Nourish the spirit so it can find stability." "True stillness, is stillness in movement." There's always action, always things happening, but if we can remember our gentleness then we can be more content. "You cannot hurt that which is formless. Nothingness cannot be confined; the softest thing cannot be snapped." "Patience is concentrated strength." To have discipline is to have patience, is to have endurance, and is to keep moving one step at a time. "I must give up my desire to force, direct, strangle the world outside of me and within me in order to be completely open, responsible, aware, alive." Take Action: How can you re-envision gentleness as strength? Where can you "allow" instead of force? Practice hitting the pause button this week instead of reacting with anger, impatience or negativity. #AAHA This week our #AAHA is from a listener nomination: The awesome Asian/Hapa that I'd like to share with you and the world is my cousin Arus Ubeque Manning. Arus is Blasian (half black half Asian) and was raised in Oakland California but now lives in Dallas TX with is beautiful wife and 3 children. He works for NBC as a video/graphics art designer for our local channel 5. When my cousin Arus was about 6 I remember hanging out with him as a young adolescent myself and Arus being so inquisitive about EVERYTHING! "Why this and why that?" A torrent of questions and discovery was always in flow with him. Two years ago his dad passed away after a bout with lung cancer and I looked at the man he has become and could see so many quiet, satisfactory inaudible answers emanating from that same curious kid! He is the embodiment of peace, happiness and 'cool.' I wish the world knew the man that I admire and love... My Hapa, Arus Ubeque Manning." #BruceLeeMoment This week's moment comes from Richard B.: "In 2000 I was an officer in an Air Force cybersecurity unit. A top-tier book publisher saw me speak at a conference and asked if I would write a book on detecting and stopping hackers. I considered this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I declined. I did not feel that I was prepared to authentically express myself in written form. I spent several years refining my thoughts, and in 2003 I sent a detailed outline to the publisher. They accepted it, and in 2004 "The Tao of Network Security Monitoring" arrived in bookstores. I named it after Bruce Lee's most famous book because I felt that I was expressing myself through my philosophy and practice of network defense." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

What is the meaning of life? "The meaning of life is that is to be lived." What he means by this is that life is meant to be engaged with, present in, taking action toward; it is not to be conceptualized or only thought about, but actually participated in. Water was Bruce's metaphor for life, always moving, always changing, always flowing, and you want to be right in the flow of it. "You can never step in the same water twice, my friend. Like flowing water, life is perpetual movement. There is nothing fixed." "Realize the fact that you simply live and not live for." "Living exists when life through us- unhampered in its flow, for he who is living is not conscious of living, and in this is the life he lives." It's important to fully feel the bad or difficult experiences so that you can let it flow through you and you can let go the negative energy. If you don't let it flow through you then you end up holding on to and internalizing that pain. "Be pliable, when a man is living he is soft and pliable, when he is dead he becomes rigid. Pliability is life, rigidity is death, whether one is speaking of one's body, mind, or spirit." When you are rigid about something it actually becomes easier to be hurt. "Since life is an ever flowing process one should flow in this process and discover how to actualize and expand oneself." There is freedom when it is ok to take risks, when it's ok to fail, when it's ok to have unlimited joy. Have the attitude "Well, let's see what happens," because when you're pliable whatever happens you can bend and recover. "Remember, my friend, to enjoy your planning as well as your accomplishment. For life is too short for negative energy." Success is not a destination; it's in the journey. You can have your plan and your goals, but you must engage in the process and be open to change. Don't engage in negative energy or feelings because they can trap you along the way to your goal. "We realize that manipulation and control are not the ultimate joy of life – to become real, to learn to take a stand, to develop one's center, to the support of our total personality, a release to spontaneity – yes, yes, yes!" "To spend time is to pass it in a specified manner. To waste time is to expend it thoughtlessly or carelessly. We all have time that we can either spend or waste, and it is our decision what to do with it, but once it has passed it is gone." Take Action: How can you let go of negativity? How can you be more present? Try not to trap life in a box, but live it moment to moment. How can you flow? "The primary reality is not what I think, but that I live." #AAHA This week our #AAHA is Californian Filipino Victor Diaz Zapanta. Victor has worked in tech, politics, and political activism. He's an advocate for Asians getting represented properly in media. Victor has used his skills as a digital producer, researcher, news media, and user experience designer, for a number of government organizations such as Data.gov. He organized Google Hangouts in Asian languages, it was the first hangout aimed at educating Korean Americans how to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act, and other topics aimed at Asians making sure they have proper access to different government programs. Victor has great style and is skilled at writing haikus. Victor, we think that you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment "I was water. I flowed in the stream of life, carving my own path. Sometimes I crashed, but I continued to flow. As I became older, I began to make choices that froze me. I became a piece of ice, drifting in the stream. Gone are my choices and freedom. Now I am frozen with debt and restriction, only flowing where the stream takes me. Paths I wish to take pass by as I am no longer able to flow where I wish. When I pay debts I melt, ever so slightly." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

What does it mean to "hack away the unessentials"? "It is not daily increase but daily decrease, hack away the unessential. The closer to the source, the less wastage there is." Bruce Lee applied this primarily to his martial art, but also in life, heading towards simplicity of movement, thought, and being. "Avoid the superficial, penetrate the complex, go to the heart of the problem, and pinpoint the key factors." "Do not beat around the bush. Do not take winding detours. Follow a straight line to the objective; simplicity is the shortest distance between two points." This doesn't mean take the shortest route, but ask in real life what is unnecessary. "Scratch away all the dirt your being has accumulated and reveal reality in its nakedness." We accumulate this dirt as protection and security, and it's not easily shed. There are so many distractions clothed as things to make your life easier, but they distract and clutter instead. "It is not difficult to trim and hack off the nonessentials in outward, physical structure. However, to minimize inwardly, is another matter." Practice minimizing inwardly by clearing your physical space and then taking that practice inward and clearing your mind of negative thoughts. "To obtain enlightenment means the extinction of everything which obscures the "real life." At the same time it implies boundless expansion." "The spirit is by nature, formless, and no "objects" are to be harbored in it. When anything is harbored there, psychic energy loses its balance, its native activity becomes cramped, and it no longer flows with the stream. Where the energy is tipped, there is too much of it in one direction and a shortage of it in another direction. But when the spirit harbors nothing in it, nor is it tipped in one direction, it transcends." Take Action: Examine your life and ask, "Am I living the life I want to live? Where are areas where could I have more joy?" What can you let go of? How can you be more direct? How can you un-clutter your environment? #BruceLeePodcastChallenge The challenge ended Monday, and we are now accepting your entries until Friday evening, June 30th, 2017. Enter here: brucelee.com/podcastchallenge #AAHA Sumi Jo is a Grammy Award-winning South Korean lyric coloratura soprano. In 1983, Jo decided to leave SNU in order to study music in Italy at the Academia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. In August 1986, she was unanimously awarded first prize in the Carlo Alberto Cappelli International Competition in Verona, one of the most important contests, open only to first-prize winners of other major competitions. In 1986, Jo made her European operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto at the Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste. Simple Song Number 3, written by David Lang, performed by Jo, and featured in Paolo Sorrentino's 2015 film Youth, was nominated for an Academy Award in 2016 in the Best Song category. Jo was invited to the ceremony and attended, but she was not invited to perform the song. Jo and Lang voiced their disappointment with the producers' decision to exclude the song, indirectly referencing the controversy relate to that year's Academy Awards lack of racial diversity. Thank you for sharing your talent Sumi Jo, we think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment From listener Francisco: "My Bruce Lee moment was when I got tattooed "Be like water" in my arm. It was a time when I was going through a lot of things in my job, my relationships and my vision of the world that is very vicious and dangerous…This quote helped me to be flexible, adapt and not react but understand other's people intentions and where they come from and build confidence and mindfulness in my relationships with the world that I used to see as harsh, but now I see it as an adventure and daily challenge that makes me better." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

The three stages are of learning, technique, and cultivation, have all been touched upon in previous episodes, but this week we dive deeper into each one. The three stages of learning: 1. A punch is just a punch 2. A punch is no longer a punch 3. A punch is just a punch Three Stages of Technique 1. Synchronization of self 2. Synchronization with opponent 3. Under fighting condition "Within all the training thrown to the wind, with the mind perfectly unaware of its own working, with the self-vanishing nowhere, anybody knows where, your art attains perfection." Three Stages of Cultivation 1. Partiality 2. Fluidity 3. Emptiness "All technique is to be forgotten and the unconscious to be left alone to handle the situation. Technique will assert its wonders automatically or spontaneously. To float in totality, to have no technique, is to have all technique." "Pride is a sense of worth derived from something that is not organically part of us. While self-esteem is derived from the potentialities and achievements of self." Bruce Lee used martial arts to learn about himself as a human being. When we learn something new, then we learn more about ourselves. "A fateful process is set in motion when the individual is released "to the freedom of his own impotence" and left to justify his existence by his own efforts. The individual on his own, striving to realize himself has created all that is great in literature, art, music, science, and technology. This autonomous individual is a breeding ground of frustration and the seed of the convulsion that shakes our world to its foundations." Take Action: Try an experiment: Go out and decide what you want to learn. Have these stages in mind to use as a vehicle to learn, but also to know oneself. If you're looking to break through from stage 2 to stage 3, look for your points of frustration to find the things that you need to work on. #BruceLeePodcastChallenge We are in the 2nd and final week of the Bruce Lee Podcast Challenge! We've been making a daily practice of three action items from previous episodes and we've invited all of you (our listeners!) to participate. We're really looking forward to sharing our experiences and hearing from you. It's not too late to join us for the last few days. Entries aren't due until June 30th and you can find more info at Brucelee.com/podcastchallenge #AAHA This week our #AAHA shout out goes to Nellie Wong, poet activist for feminist and socialist causes. Wong was born in Oakland, California in 1934, to Chinese immigrants. The interment of her Japanese American neighbors left a profound impact on her intellectual development, sensitizing her to issues to racism and concerns of Asian Americans. While in her mid 30s, Wong began studying creative writing at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and began to write and publish her poetry. In the 70s, Wong co-founded the Asian American feminist literary and performance group Unbound Feet. She has recited her poetry globally. She has received awards from the Women's Foundation, and University of California. We love and celebrate you, Nellie, for releasing your passion out into the world and thank you for being such a brave and great role model for other Asian women! You're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment From Luke K.: "I had a workout regimen I did for about 3 years, and it made a huge improvement on my body. However, after doing this for so many years it has become a bit tedious and boring to a point that it was hard to work out. I started to ask myself why I want to workout. What is it that I want to improve on my body and why. Like Bruce I was starting to more at a function body than just having a ripped one. Now I'm doing a variety of workouts to improve my punching capability, gain a higher kick, and over all have more energy and stamina." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Intuition is often described as your "gut feeling," but Bruce Lee defined intuition in many different ways--as body feel, the root, the creative tide in us, natural instinct, guidance, and free movement of spirit. "What we are after is the root and not the branches. The root is real knowledge; the branches are surface knowledge. Real knowledge breeds "body feel" and personal expression; surface knowledge breeds mechanical conditioning and imposing limitation and squelches creativity." "The superior man lets himself be guided." "Don't think – feel. Feeling exists here and now when not interrupted and dissected by ideas or concepts. The moment we stop analyzing and let go, we can start really seeing, feeling – as one whole." A truly awake person is using their mind, body, and heart all at once. "Here is natural instinct and here is control. You are to combine the two in harmony. If you have one to the extreme, you will be very unscientific; if you have another to the extreme, you become a mechanical man and no longer a human being." "Trust the life-giving force within." Bruce wrote a letter to his friend Pearl when he was 21 where he discusses this feeling and he writes about all the things he wanted out of life and wanted to do with his life. "I feel I have this great creative and spiritual force within me, that is greater than faith, that is greater than ambition, greater than confidence, greater than determination, greater than vision, it is all these combined. And my brain becomes magnetized with this dominating force which I hold in my hand." At this young age, Bruce is becoming in touch with this inner energy and recognizing that if he can combine it with his dreams and what his mind wants, he can accomplish anything. "Sharpen the psychic power of seeing in order to act immediately in accordance with what it sees." Often we can be too analytical about a situation letting our minds decide everything for us. Bruce was able to accomplish so much in his short life because he sharpened this ability to see the truth and then to act immediately in accordance with that. "Freedom lies in understanding yourself from moment to moment. If you look within yourself and know you have done right, what do you have to fear?" Take Action: Listen to your whole body and follow your gut. Journal about it and create an awareness of repeated themes. Try a test of following your gut and see how it works out for you. Does following your gut work out to be the right choice for you? #BruceLeePodcastChallenge We started the Podcast Challenge on Monday, we're doing it and you should do it too! It's for two weeks and it's not too late to join us. We're excited to have our friend actor Osric Chau participating in the challenge too! Find the rules at Brucelee.com/podcastchallenge #AAHA This week our #AAHA is Indian director Shekhar Kapur. He's known for directing "Elizabeth" which was nominated for 7 Oscars. In 1975, Kapur started his career in film as an actor in the movie "Jaan Hazir Hai" and later moved to directing with the movie "Massom" in 1983. In 1994 he directed the acclaimed "Bandit Queen," and in 1998 he received international recognition for the Academy Award winning film "Elizabeth". Shekhar Kapur, we respect your true artistry and think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's moment comes from listener Grant: "I realized that I had allowed myself to enter the pattern and I was punching the water repeatedly and allowing my frustration to build because the results were always the same and that I needed to find a different way. I realized that the place I wanted to be was simply enjoying what time I have with my family and that I was choosing to step aside from that to focus on a sideshow aimed at making me unhappy." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Meditation has been around for thousands of years, but it's recently become popular with a broad audience. Modern people need it to create peace from a frenzied world with unrelenting distractions and demands. Typically, mediation is thought of as the practice of sitting still in the crossed leg position, for an extended period of time to quiet the mind. Bruce Lee practiced meditation through movement, such as running, practicing punching, on his exercise bike, or just walking around his backyard in quiet contemplation. He used natural movement as a way to meditate and connect to himself. "It is not a technique of introversion by which one seeks to exclude matter and the external world, to eliminate distracting thoughts, to sit in silence emptying the mind of images, and to concentrate on the purity of one's own spiritual essence. Meditation is not a mysticism of "introversion" and "withdrawal." It is not "acquired contemplation." To think that this insight is a subjective experience "attainable" by some kind of process of mental purification is to doom oneself to error and absurdity." "We do not arrive, we are. Don't strive to become, but be." "Do not separate meditation as a means from enlightenment as an end." When we're in our normal, everyday headspace, we are often in "list" mode, thinking about all the things we have to do or fix. In the moment of meditation you don't need to be goal or purpose oriented. "Any effort the mind makes will further limit the mind." When we are meditating we are the unattached observer, existing without concentrating on any particular thing. In meditation, just letting something "be" is the practice of being non-judgmental for a short time. "A simple mind is one that functions, that thinks and feels without motive. Where there is a motive, there must be a way, a method, a system of discipline. The motive is brought about by the desire for an end, for a goal, to achieve that goal there must be a way, etc. Meditation is a freeing of the mind from all motives." Take Action: Try meditating for a week, five minutes a day or longer if you want. Try different types of mediation to figure out what works for you—sitting, walking, bathing, dancing—whatever connects you to this effortless space where your mind is free of motives. Notice how it feels in your body to connect to this calmness. Podcast Challenge: Starting this Monday June 12th, 2017, join Shannon and Sharon in a 2-week Action Challenge to practice Bruce Lee's philosophies. One winner will be picked to be a guest on the Bruce Lee Podcast and receive a Bruce Lee gift bag! Find the rules and challenges at Brucelee.com/podcastchallenge #AAHA Our shout-out goes to English actress Jessica Henwick. She's the daughter of a Singaporean Chinese mother and a Zambian-English father. In 2009, she was the first actress of East Asian descent to play a role in a British TV series when she was cast in the lead role of Bo for the BBC show Spirit Warriors. She went on to be in Game of Thrones, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Iron Fist. Her acting chops continue to be praised and she's become a fan favorite. Jessica, you're doing great work and we think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week our moment is from listener Thom: "I wind up with a philosophy degree plan after some soul-searching, but before I could complete my final year, I suffered a stroke. I don't remember what or how it came about that I landed on "Just Remember to Breathe, " but when I say that to myself I recognize my thoughts are just that, thoughts. All the possible outcomes of my day boil down to one, my emotions are reined back, my mind clears a bit and I recognize the past can't be undone, the future is unwritten, so what's left? Now. It's all we got. Time to act." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

The Art of Soul is about living the artist's life and mastering the art of living as a whole human being. "The ultimate aim of the artist is to lay hold of the art of living. Be a master of living for the soul creates everything." Bruce had a clear vision about what it took to be an artist of life: "Requirement to be an artist – purity of heart." "The aim of art is to state in aesthetic creation the deepest psychic and personal experiences of a human being." "An artist's expression is his soul made apparent. Behind every motion, the music of his soul is made visible." Bruce Lee believed that we are each artists of our own lives. We don't have to create creative artifacts or achieve the status of an artist in society in order to be an artist. "Art is the way to the essence of human life. The aim of art is not the one-sided promotion of spirit, soul and senses, but the opening of all human capacities – thought, feeling, will – to the life rhythm of the world of nature." This is about co-creating your life with the world and revealing your soul. Everyone has their own expression of artistic activity, whether it's in your relationships or actually an artistic creation. This is the personality as a reflection of our soul, not our social persona we put on for show. "The artless art is the art of the soul at peace." When you start to cultivate what makes your heart sing and you start to flow with that, that brings a sense of centeredness and peace which is fully self-generated. "All vague notions must fall before a pupil can call himself a master." These vague notions hold you back and cause you to drift in a place of uncertainty. "The true artist has no public. He works for the sheer joy of it, with and element of playfulness, of casualness. Art reaches its greatest peak when devoid of self-consciousness. Freedom discovers man the moment he loses concern over what impression he is making or about to make." There is true freedom in being yourself. Be as weird as you want to be. "Simplicity is the last step of art and the beginning of nature." When we simply and honestly express our soul, we become more natural—closer to nature. Take Action: What makes your heart sing? How could you share that? How could you unfold your personality and make who you are more visible? If you're just starting this, it doesn't have to be the world, it can just be one trusted co-conspirator who won't judge you who you can be honest with. #BruceLeePodcastChallenge: June 12, 2017 - June 26, 2017 A 2 week action challenge to integrate Bruce Lee's philosophy into your daily life. One winner will be picked to be a guest on the Bruce Lee Podcast! Go to brucelee.com/podcastchallenge for more details! #AAHA Our shout-out goes to Korean American actor and musician John Cho. He's best known in his role in the Harold and Kumar movies, and plays Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek reboot film series. Cho is open about experiencing racism in his career in Hollywood and purposely pursues roles that break Asian stereotypes. He has said that one of his biggest frustrations is how Hollywood seeks to follow trends and acts like followers of culture rather than starting and leading social trends or artistic movements. We think you're awesome John Cho! #BruceLeeMoment This week's moment is from listener Thomas N.: "Long days of study were overshadowed by frantic thoughts of whether I could be approaching the task in a more efficient or intelligent way. Bruce says: "Like everyone else you want to learn the way to win, but never to accept the way to lose. To accept defeat—to learn to die—is to be liberated from it! So when tomorrow comes, you must free your ambitious mind and learn the art of dying." That was it. I had to accept the possibility of failure, stop trying to find ways to weasel myself into success, and simply do." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

The six diseases of the mind are obstacles that you will confront on your path to wholeness and fluidity. The Six Diseases: The desire for victory The desire to resort to technical cunning The desire to display all that has been learned The desire to awe the enemy The desire to play the passive role The desire to get rid of whatever disease one is affected by All of these diseases occur when we seek outside validation. The desire for victory is the desire to win at all costs, usually at the cost of someone else. Wanting to win is not a bad thing, but when it overtakes you and blinds you to everything else is when it becomes a problem. It becomes not about the victory itself, but about coveting and becoming attached to that outcome. The desire to resort to technical cunning is the desire to outsmart, to be overly clever, to the exclusion of other tools of success. This is being showy, flamboyant and attached to form. The desire to display all that has been learned this is the desire to appear super knowledgeable and "wow" people with your knowledge. Essentially, this is a desire to be a know-it-all and be better than everyone else in the room. This creates no space for anyone else's opinion. The desire to awe the enemy this is the desire to have your enemy to look at you with fear and wonder. This is an intimidation through show of force. The desire to play the passive role this is the desire to be unaccountable or to be the martyr. This is a desire to appear easy going, but it can be used as a weapon of guilt. The desire to get rid of whatever disease one is affected by. It is good to want to get rid of your disease, but you don't get rid of it by denying the disease, you get rid of it by being with it. By integrating it you see that you are participating in this disease; the desire to get rid of the disease is a fantasy of being perfect without working through it. "Any technique, however worthy and desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it." Desire can quickly lead to obsession and can keep away from your real life. "The deluded mind is the mind affectively burdened by intellect. Thus, it cannot move without stopping and reflecting on itself. This obstructs its native fluidity." "We should not seek knowledge, but discover the cause of our ignorance." Take Action: Any tool becomes a problem if you rely too much on it. How much do you rely on outside validation? What changes are you resisting? Are your moods based on outside validation? Create a list of the times where you experienced each of the Six Diseases. #AAHA This week our #AAHA shout out goes to Chinese contemporary classical composer, Tan Dun. He's known for doing the scores for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, " and "Hero" and composing music for the 2008 Beijing Olympics medal ceremonies. A lot Dun's music incorporates organic materials such as paper, water, and stone and is often inspired by traditional Chinese theatrical and ritual performance. Tan Dun won an Academy Award for his score of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Dun continues to create audio-visual masterpieces, experimenting with theater, film, and opera. Tan Dun, thank you for your work and we think you're awesome. #BruceLeeMoment This week our moment comes from listener Tony P.: "For Christmas several years ago, my wife bought me The Artist of Life. I could not put it down. For someone who could not finish even a short book before, I completed this book in record time. I also began to love Bruce for the philosophy and wisdom that he had. I have worked on putting his passion and commitment to excellence to work in all areas of my life. I now pick a couple of things I want to work on and I put my all into it. As Bruce would say, "I make mind up to do and I am going to do it, man!" Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Read full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

"The mind is a fertile garden – it will grow anything you wish to plant – beautiful flowers or weeds. And it is with successful, healthy thoughts or negative ones that will, like weeds, strangle and crowd the others. Do not allow negative thoughts to enter your mind, for they are the weeds that strangle confidence." Bruce Lee had a really strong practice of planting seeds of beautiful flowers in the fertile mind. Often we have people come into the office to look through Bruce's journals and they wonder where his writings on his doubts and struggles are, and Shannon tells them that these don't exist. Bruce had a regimented practice of keeping his mind on the things that he wanted instead of the things he didn't. Bruce would turn anything that did not feel like success into a learning moment, converting it into something that would lead towards success. He would keep focused on the things that he wanted saying: "You will never get anymore out of life that you expect." Optimism takes effort, it is a practice, especially in the face of difficulties. "If you think a thing is impossible, you'll make it impossible. Pessimism blunts the tools you need to succeed." If you're constantly worrying about all the possible bad scenarios, it takes you out of the moment. These "what if" scenarios might never happen, but they can distract and worry us. "Suffering is mostly self-manufactured." "Suffering itself does less to afflict the senses than the anticipation of suffering." The mind is neutral but it will grow anything you plant, including negative or positive thoughts. "One who is possessed by worry not only lacks the poise to solve his own problems, but by his nervousness and irritability creates additional problems for himself and those around him." Every time we retell our problem stories to others, we are putting that negativity on that person too. "Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality." "Every man is what he is because of the dominating thoughts which he permits to occupy his mind." Take Action: Become aware of your negative thoughts. Know what they are, think about any place in your life where you are struggling. Take anything you are having negative thoughts about and make a list on a piece of paper. Then on the other side of the paper take the time to write the negative thoughts as positive ones. Example: Change "I don't have enough money" to "I am in the process of finding a way to make more money." You can return to this list to affirm what you want. #AAHA This week our #AAHA shout-out goes to Chinese American Steven Ho, martial artist, stunt coordinator, stuntman, director, writer, co-founder of interior design firm, and member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He has followed his passions with a positive attitude, and he came to prominence in martial arts as one of the first martial arts tricksters in open martial art competitions. He is well regarded for his stunt work as Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He and his wife founded Plush home, a successful interior and furniture design firm. Steven, we admire your positive, Bruce-like energy, and we want to say you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week we our moment is from listener Anthony S.: "I've recently graduated college at the untraditional age of 28 and sometimes it's difficult to stay motivated, often feeling like "my time is running out" I have many ambitions and I only seem to get to the "dream phase" of what my life could be. These messages you share give me hope in a way to say to myself "it's never too late," and I am grateful for that…I firmly believe if I engrain or instill your father's message over and over my subconscious will take over and I will follow my own path to happiness and peace of mind." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Bruce Lee often carried notes to himself or affirmations on notecards in his wallet. One of these read: "Be aware of our conditioning. Drop and dissolve inner blockage." "Inner to outer – we start by dissolving our attitude not by altering outer conditions." We are all raised in a culture, whether it is a family, community, or national culture. We all have a way we view the world depending on how we entered or experienced it as a child. When Bruce says, "Be aware of our conditioning," he is saying that it is good to acknowledge and be aware that we are not bias free. Drop and dissolve inner blockage by freeing yourself from things having to be a certain way. This returns to the concept: "Using no way as way, having no limitation as limitation." We start by dissolving our inner attitude, not by altering our outer conditions. "Do not have an attitude; Open yourself and focus yourself and express yourself. Reject external form that fails to reject internal reality." One of our current dominant cultures is the workplace and we let it seep into our personal life more and more. "One should get rid of the obtruding self and apply himself to the work to be done as if nothing particular were taking place at the moment." You don't have to have a rigid framework around everything, take off the rigidity and just do what you need to do. "The mind itself is endowed with infinite mobilities that know no hindrances. " It's clear that these philosophies were helpful to Bruce Lee, especially because during the time Bruce was alive and working towards his goals, other people were constantly putting limitations on him. "Discard all thoughts of reward, all hopes of praise and fears of blame, all awareness of one's bodily self. And, finally closing the avenues of sense perception, let the spirit out as it will." Bruce was in a whole practice of Mind, Body, and Spirit. His gateway into this mental and spiritual experience was through martial arts and teaching. "Man's mind and his behavior are one, his inner thought and outer expression cannot contradict each other." Many of us have personas or masks for every situation and it can be exhausting. Dissolve your attitude and judgment; take off the masks to let your true spirit out. Take Action: Ask this: Can I take off the masks? Can I be myself no matter where I am? Take a step back and ask what your heart really wants. Try being truthful with your spirit and dissolving your attitudes. #AAHA This week our #AAHA shout-out goes to Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist for female education and youngest Nobel Prize Laureate. She's best known for her human rights advocacy for the education of women in Northwest Pakistan where the local Taliban had banned girls from attending in school. In 2009, when she was 11, Malala wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC detailing her life during the Taliban occupation. In 2012, the Taliban made an attempt on her life. That murder attempt sparked an international outpouring of support for her. She has since started the nonprofit the Malala Fund, has co-authored a book "I am Malala", been the subject of numerous documentaries, and been on Time magazine. The most important thing is that Malala has become a voice against the suppression of children and women and for education as a right. Malala, as everyone already knows, you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week our moment comes from Darrel M.: In my spare time I run RPGs (D&D) well I run a Star Wars version. We are having great fun, and this campaign I have introduced a character based on Bruce Lee. It has been fun to try and translate his philosophy into the game. In fact we had a rather long debate (in my gaming group) about the Dark Side, evil, morality, and the like. This made me stop and consider what I had learned from your Bruce Lee podcast…" Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

This week we sit down with journalist Charles Russo, author of "Striking Distance: Bruce Lee & the Dawn of Martial Arts in America." His book covers Bruce Lee's early years as a young martial artist in San Francisco and his polarizing effect as a brash upstart in the Bay Area martial arts scene of the 1960's. Charles Russo's interest in Bruce Lee started with his fascination of the history of the Bay Area (San Francisco, CA.) Russo was sitting in his photojournalist class and another student was sharing images of Chinatown, including a picture of the Chinese Hospital stating that that was the hospital where Bruce Lee was born. Russo says, "It blew my mind…how come no one had every told me that Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco?" It instantly made San Francisco that much cooler and interesting, but he was indignant that no one was celebrating that fact. So he decided to look into that story. Once Charles started looking into the story of Bruce Lee and San Francisco, he found a treasure trove of forgotten history. Bruce's Bay Area years in the 60's mark the origins of martial arts culture in America. And the small group of young martial artists he collaborated with would collectively create the modern martial arts movement. Striking Distance chronicles the old guard of the San Francisco martial arts masters as well as Bruce's influential friendship with James Lee and the young bucks of Oakland trying to modernize the old styles. Russo also tells the dramatic story of the friction Bruce had with the established Chinatown martial arts community resulting in that famous showdown fight in Oakland that inspired Bruce Lee to create his own martial way called Jeet Kune Do. We also discuss who actually won that famous fight between Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man--Bruce's scientific street fighting versus traditional flamboyant style. Charles also tells us why Bruce Lee is one of the philosophical godfathers of MMA. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) Charles Russo had two #AAHA shout-outs for us. His first shout-out goes to his friend and colleague Sara Hayden, a young hapa journalist who helped Russo with editing his book. Sara is currently working on a project called The Silk Knots Project, which documents and preserves the stories of Asian Americans and Hapas in the American West. Russo's second #AAHA shout-out goes to his childhood friend Korean American Brian Leo, a visual artist in NYC. Leo's work is "garage-pop surrealism" and you can view his work at brianleo.com. Sara and Brian—you're awesome, keep up the amazing work! #BruceLeeMoment Russo shares that since working on his book, he has had many #BruceLeeMoments. Specifically, when he was watching the Netflix show "The Get Down" and seeing the character Shaolin Fantastic who wears a Bruce Lee belt buckle, how Bruce Lee is viewed as the badass cool in the early hip-hop community. Russo thinks of the Bruce Lee quote, "Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, make something uniquely your own," as he's watching the early DJs discuss isolating the break beat parts of records and making something uniquely their own. Russo realizes this embodies exactly what Bruce Lee was talking about. He now recognizes so many of Bruce's ideas influencing culture and that we are just now understanding the ideas he was talking about over 50 years ago. You can purchase Charles Russo's book here: "Striking Distance: Bruce Lee and the Dawn of Martial Arts in America" Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

Bruce Lee often carried around philosophical ideas written on small index cards as reminders throughout his day. One of these was: "Inwardly, psychologically, be a nobody." To him, this meant, get the ego out of the way, have some detachment, and be a blank slate--a human being first. That way you can approach each situation anew with fresh eyes. Be as neutral as you can be. "Establish nothing in regard to oneself. Let things be what they are. Move like water, rest like a mirror, respond like and echo, pass quickly like the nonexistent, and be quiet as purity." As an active person with big goals, Bruce often encountered obstacles throughout his day and quotes like this helped center him and maintain his flow. "I must give up my desire to force, direct, strangle the world outside of me and the world within me in order to be completely open, responsible, aware, alive." This is not to say you should not exercise your willpower, it's to say that your willpower should be connected to your essence and your heart. "It is to see things as they are and not to become attached to anything – to be unconscious means to be innocent of the working of a relative mind – when there is no abiding of thought anywhere on anything – this is being unbound. This not abiding anywhere is the root of our life." Be in response to everything in the moment. Be free of masks and identities. If we get too attached to any identity, it takes us into a direction away from our essential humanity. "My only sure reward is "in" my actions and not "from" them." "You cannot hurt that which is formless. The softest thing cannot be snapped and emptiness be confined." "To be consciously unconscious or to be unconsciously conscious is the secret of nirvana. The act is so direct and immediate that intellect finds no room here to insert itself and cut it to pieces." Take Action: Be a nobody and go on a social media diet. What does it feel like to go on a break from their outward projection of identity? Another step is to write down this quote, "Inwardly, psychologically, be a nobody." and carry it around for a week and use it to help you navigate situations without ego. #AAHA This week our #AAHA shout-out goes to Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei. He was the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics. From 1981 to 1993 he lived in the U.S. and studied briefly at Parsons School of Design in NYC. He began experimenting with art by altering ready-made objects. In 1993, Ai returned to China after his father became ill. This is when he started doing his first architecture projects. In 2008, there was an 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the Sichuan province and Ai led a team to survey and film the post-quake conditions. Ai felt that the government lacked transparency in revealing the names of the students who perished in the earthquake and so he launched a "Citizens' Investigation" to compile the names of the victims. He has been viewed very harshly by he Chinese government because of his activism and was held for 81 days without any official charges being filed. We just want to applaud Ai Weiwei for his courage and for being a real artist in the world. We think you're awesome Ai Weiwei! #BruceLeeMoment This week's moment comes from listener Carrie L. M.: "I think what moves me most, is the commitment to not just present Bruce Lee's material accurately, but that you both are very congruent and committed to your personal growth not only in the process of presenting this legacy, but in yourselves. This adds an element of integrity to the cast which makes it even more of a powerful force in passing forward the wisdom Bruce honed and mastered over the years." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Bruce Lee played many characters that were unassuming and didn't want to get into fights, but then could kick everyone's butt in 10 seconds when he needed to. As a small Asian man, no one expected that sort of power from him. Because of the characters he played, many people think of Bruce Lee as an Underdog who became a Top Dog through dedicated training. He gave everyone who felt underestimated or undervalued hope and strength. In this episode, we talk about Bruce Lee's broader philosophical ideas of The Underdog and the Top Dog. An Underdog is a person thought to have little chance of winning a fight or a contest; a person who has little status in society. And the Top Dog is usually an aggressive Alpha-type person. Bruce called the Top Dog and the Underdog the "two clowns" of our personality. "The Top Dog usually is righteous and authoritarian; he knows best. He is sometimes right, but always righteous. The top dog is bully and works with "you should' and "you shouldn't." The top dog manipulates with demands and threats of catastrophe, such as – "I you don't, then…you won't be loved, you won't get to heaven, you will die…" and so on." "The Under Dog manipulates with being defensive, apologetic, wheedling, playing the crybaby, and such. The underdog has no power. The underdog works like this, "I tried my best; I can't help it if I fail. I have good intentions." So you see the underdog is cunning, and he usually gets the better of the top dog because the underdog is not as primitive." "So the top dog and the underdog strive for control. They strive for each other for control. The person is fragmented into controlled and controller. The inner conflict is never complete because both the top dog and the underdog fight for their life." People often view Bruce Lee as a perfectionist, but he was actually against perfectionism as the ideal. "The ideal is a yardstick which gives you the opportunity to brow beat yourself, to berate yourself and others. Since this ideal is an impossibility, you can never live up to it. You are merely in love with this ideal and there is no end to the self-torture, the self-nagging, self-castigating. It hides under the mask of "self-improvement." It never works." At the bottom of his essay on the Underdog and the Top Dog, Bruce writes: NOW = EXPERIENCE = AWARENESS = REALITY Take Action: Do you identify more strongly with Underdog or Top Dog? Can you identify the two sides within yourself? Once you notice where you let the Top Dog out or the Underdog out, try in that moment to reel it back to create more space and resist the habitual reaction. #AAHA This week our #AAHA shout out goes to Tony Award Winning playwright, screenwriter, and theater professor David Henry Hwang. His early plays dealt with the role of the Chinese American and Asian American in the modern world. David has won many awards including the Obie Award for FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) and was the first Asian American playwright to win a Tony Award for his play M. Butterfly. After that he became a frequent collaborator as a librettist with world-renowned composer Philip Glass. In 2014, David premiered his play Kung Fu about the life of Bruce Lee at the Signature Theater Off-Broadway. David has done a lot of amazing work and is excellent at shining a light on the depictions of Asians and Chinese in America. We think you're awesome David Hwang! #BruceLeeMoment This week our moment comes from listener Tommy N.: "Listening to the podcasts and stretching, meditating, cooking organic food, going to the market, creating new recipes, really going with the flow and bettering myself, I realize that Bruce Lee was able to realize the 'Buddha' potential and was able to work daily on cleansing the mind, body, spirit, of uncleanliness that pervades our 'toxic' 'ecosystem environments." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Bruce Lee lived his life as a human being who was connected to all of humankind—one unified family on this planet. He said, "You know how I like to think of myself? As a human being. Because under then sky, under the heavens, there is but one family." What we need, especially in these divided times, is a message of unity and connection. Bruce Lee has a way of uniting people, and his fans are global. We continue to hear stories of how Bruce has affected so many different people from all around the world. One such story is about the town of Mostar in Bosnia, After years of enduring a violent civil war, they finally reached peace and wanted to build a monument that symbolized this new peace. They decided to construct a statue of Bruce Lee as a "symbol the whole community could rally behind" and a "monument to the idea of universal justice, one idea having that justice, knowledge, honesty, good intentions can fight against corruption, evil, ignorance." To many people around the world, Bruce Lee symbolizes an energy of universal justice because he lived with integrity, advocated for the underdog and dedicated his life to self actualization and being in harmony with his fellow man, his community and the planet. No matter where Bruce was in his life, his close friends said he always treated people the same and authentically—no matter who they were. His wife Linda would say that Bruce looked at everyone evenly. "Wisdom does not consist in trying to wrest the good from the evil but in learning to "ride" them as a cork adapts itself to the crests and troughs of the waves." "The world is to be seen as an inseparable, interrelated field, no part of which can actually be separated from the other. Oppositions are mutually dependent instead of mutually dependent instead of mutually exclusive, and there is no longer any conflict between the individual man and nature. That is, there can be no bright stars without dim stars, and, without the surrounding darkness, no stars at all." Take Action: Think of something you can do to create unity energy in your life and try to take action towards it. Think of a person who you would normally have judgment for, and try to have compassion for them instead. #AAHA Allen Joe is credited with giving Bruce Lee his first set of weights and inspiring Bruce to build up his body. Allen trained under Ed Yarick with such luminaries as the four Mr. America Body Building Championships: Clancy Ross, Jack Delinger, Roy Hilligenn, and Hercules-actor Steve Reeves. In fact, Allen was the first Asian to win the Mr. Northern California Bodybuilding Championship in 1946. He is also a World War II veteran, Allen currently 94 years old says, "you can never forget Bruce, once you have met him" and indeed, he still carries a picture of Bruce in his wallet. #BruceLeeMoment This week's moment comes from Khnum "Stic" Ibomu (dead prez): "I am a hip hop artist and producer (dead prez), and Bruce Lee's legacy and philosophy has been one of my greatest inspirations. I am writing this letter to express my sincere gratitude for the impactful work you are doing to continue sharing the legacy of your father in a way that is tremendously helpful for others. I can't put into words how much of an inspiration and personal contribution he has made and continues to make in my life. I truly appreciate the podcast and how much love goes into sharing his philosophy and making the concepts tangible and actionable. Bruce's wisdom is immeasurably valuable and your eloquent unpacking has given me new layers of perspective and invigoration. Thanks to Bruce's inspiration, I realized that I am not limited to fit in any one box and I've been able to explore and develop many aspects of my self from the "no way as the way" Philosophy I have adopted from His teachings." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Truth was an important concept to Bruce Lee and it shows up often in his journal entries. But the way he used the word "truth" was not to describe a fact or to be the opposite of a lie. He wrote about a deeper, more of a philosophical, spiritual definition of truth—a concept close to the Tao. It's why we're calling it The Real Truth. "The word Tao has no exact equivalent in the English language, to render it into way, principle, or law, is to give it too narrow of an interpretation. Although no one word can substitute for its meaning, I have used the word truth for it." Bruce understood Truth to be the Tao or the way of the universe. Truth is nowhere and everywhere at the same time, and there a little bits of Truth in all things. This is the way of nature. "Truth is a pathless road, a road that is not a road. It is total expression that has no before or after. How can there be methods and systems by which to arrive at something that is living? To that which is static, fixed, dead, there can be a way, a definite path but not to that which is living." The Real Truth is something that's alive, something that we are in relationship with, and happening in the present moment. "Truth comes when your mind and heart are purged of all sense of striving and you are no longer trying to become somebody. It is there when the mind is very quiet, listening timelessly to everything." "I've said before truth is nowhere to be found on a map, your truth is different than that of mine. At first you might think that this is truth, but later you discover another truth and the former truth is denied, but you are, in fact, closer to truth. Perhaps when we have found more about what is not the truth we will be that much closer to the truth." A core tenet of Bruce Lee's philosophy is independent inquiry. "We shall find the truth when we examine the problem. The problem is never apart from the answer; the problem is the answer." If you are moved to this path of Truth, you will come up against established ways and you'll have to confront your own biases. It's ok to hold on to your truths, but you should check in regularly with yourself to see if they remain true. "I'm a changing as well as ever-growing man." Take Action: Are you a seeker? Do you want to be a seeker? Acknowledge that you're a seeker and on this path to truth and freedom. Tackle one judgment or cultural context that you were raised in and be in inquiry with it. Are you happy in your everyday life? What shifts can you make to amplify your joy? #AAHA This week our #AAHA is Japanese artist and writer Yayoi Kusama. She has worked in a wide variety of media: painting, sculpture, collage, performance art, and environmental installations. She was a part of the pop art movement and influenced Andy Warhol, and exhibited alongside them but did not receive very much recognition during the 1960s. Kusama is now recognized as one of the most important living artists to come out of Japan. In 2008, Christies's New York sold a work for her for $5.1 million, then a record for a living female artist. Major retrospectives of her work have been held at the MOMA, the Whitney Museum, the Tate Modern, and the Hirshhorn Museum. Her Infinity Room exhibit is currently on display at the Broad in Los Angeles. Yayoi Kusama, you are so awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's moment comes from listener Bruce P.: "I just wanted to say thank you for the great podcasts. I am a hospice chaplain and I obviously deal with grief all day long on a daily basis. Shannon's frequent laughter as she discusses Bruce's philosophy and daily life certainly helps me break out of the oppressive spiraling memory of what I have just witnessed at the bedside of a patient. Thank you for the refreshing dialogue and thought provoking discussions presented in such an entertaining way." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Taky Kimura once wrote Bruce Lee a letter saying that the students at Bruce's Gung Fu studio were asking for more techniques. Bruce wrote back that they didn't need "more" but to go deeper into the practice and expand the students' imagination: "First and foremost I would like to impress a most important rule of teaching in your mind and that is the economy of form. Follow this rule and you will never feel like you have to add more and more so-called sizzling techniques to keep your students interested." "I hope I have impressed in your mind a most important rule of our style. Stick to the program I have given you, use variety, and do not worry too much that your student need more and more to stay with you. True only if they can do perfectly all that you've taught them. Remember, the idea that one has to come in thousands of times in order to perfect one judo throw. And of course, use your own experience and imagination, and you will do well. I have faith in you, Bruce." Bruce was trying to communicate the difference between experience and imagination or another way he expressed this ideas was knowledge and knowing. "Knowledge is from a source, from an accumulation, from a conclusion, while knowing is a movement, is a constant movement. Therefore there's no static state, no fixed point from which to act. Knowledge is binding but the movement of knowing is not binding." When you're stuck in a set pattern, this is where imagination comes in and asks: What if this is not true? Where can this lead instead? Imagination expands the experience to infinite possibilities. Imagination can feel really big or fantastical, but just by questioning something you are using your imagination and seeing something that wasn't there before. "If you learn concepts, if you work for information, then you don't understand, you only explain. When a man is thinking, he stands off from what he is trying to understand." Go ahead and learn the knowledge—even master the knowledge, but also apply it to the real world, test it out and see how you can modify it to fit your own needs. Cut away all that is not essential until it fits you perfectly. Bruce Lee always customized ideas or practices to fit his own mind body and spirit. "Remember, I am no teacher. I can merely be a signpost for a traveler who is lost; it is up to you to decide on the direction. All I can offer is an experience, but never a conclusion. So even what I have said needs to be thoroughly examined by you." Take Action: Test a formula or conclusion that you have. How can you customize it? Where are you finding yourself bored? Inquire as to why you're bored. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week our #AAHA is Inbee Park who is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour. In 2013 and 2014 she was ranked #1 in the world and has won seven major championships in her career. She is the youngest player to win the Women's US Open and the second player to win the Women's PGA Championship three years in a row. In 2016, she won the first Olympic gold medal since 1900 in the women's individual tournament. Inbee you're killing it, and we think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes from Ven: "After hearing your podcast on Bruce's Lee poetry I simply had to write to you both. I remember you both mentioning the importance of expressing yourself to the ones you love. Whether that be through writing a poem about that person or just generally breathing life into the feelings you have inside about them in some way. Well for me, I wrote a song about my long-time girlfriend of four years, LeCreshia. I released the song on my social music sites in honor of my true and genuine appreciation for her for sticking with me all these years." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Bruce Lee embodied so much confidence both onscreen and off that you might have assumed that he was born that way. But in fact, self-confidence was a trait he practiced and cultivated with clear intention and a daily ritual. "I know, through the principle of auto-suggestion that any desire I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means of attaining the object. Therefore, I will devote ten minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of self-confidence. I have clearly written down a description of my definite chief aim in life, and I will never stop trying until I shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment." In these 10 min, Bruce would reference his daily affirmations and visualize succeeding, and then he would take action. Another part of his confidence practice was not being dependent on the approval of others or letting their criticism hold him back. "The spiritual power of man's will removes all obstacles." "Action is a high road to self-confidence and esteem. Where it is open all energies toward it and its rewards are tangible." "Remember my friend, it's not what happens that counts but how you react to it. Your mental attitude depends on whether you make it a stepping stone or a stumbling block." "Suffering itself does less to afflict the senses than the anticipation of suffering." "Never waste energy on worries or negative thoughts all problems are brought into existence, drop them." If you have faith in yourself, then all of these worries and anxieties will dissipate. "Persistence, persistence, persistence. Just don't give up. The power can be created and maintained through daily practice, through continuous effort." "Because one's self-consciousness is too conspicuously present over the entire range of ones attention, one should get rid of the intruding self and apply himself to the work to be done, as if nothing in particular were taking place at the moment." "What does self-willed mean? Hell, isn't it knowing that one is the captain of ones soul, the master of one's life? Accept responsibility for yourself." "Success means, doing something sincerely and wholeheartedly." Take Action: Make a 10 min. daily practice of putting your thoughts towards your goals, saying your affirmations aloud, honestly praising yourself, and willing yourself to take action. Turn this into a journal entry and pick one action item that will help you towards your goal. #AAHA This week's #AAHA comes as a recommendation from listener Jeronimo, thank you Jeronimo for telling us about Mark! Mark Bustos is a Fillipino American who is a hairstylist for an elite salon in NYC with a celebrity client list and provides free haircuts to the homeless. His idea is simply to give back. Mark says, "Whether I'm giving one at work or on the street, I think we can all relate to the haircut and how it makes us feel. We all know what it feels like to get a good haircut." We want to say thank you for gifting your talents, you're awesome Mark! #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes from Thomas: "The big, intimidating problem, high on speed and blocking the door, walking toward me demanding money, also indicating he has a gun. As terrified as I am I realize that this is what I have been training for all my life. a moment of crisis; a possible injury or death. I remember my lessons which I take as don't define this moment, be free of my ideas of this being bad or good, of facing death or the threat of dying with dignity. Be a lesson in how you care for this moment. Because he is too high, he is in danger of harming all of us, me, my girlfriend and her father who may return any moment, and himself. His actions show me he is not able to take care of us, so it is my responsibility to care for us all." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

"Being a real human being" is a concept that comes up often in Bruce's writings, he didn't want to be considered just an actor or a martial artist, but as a human being who was growing, evolving and creating. "The function and duty of a quality human being, is the sincere and honest development of potential and self-actualization." "Do you know how I like to think of myself? As a human being. Because under the heavens, under the sky, there is but one family." There is a unifying quality to Bruce Lee that connects us on a human level. This unifying philosophy is needed now because of the divisiveness among people in the world. "The simple truth is that these opinions on such things as racism, are traditions which are nothing more than a formula that was laid down by elder peoples experience. As we progress and time changes, it is necessary to reform this formula. I, Bruce Lee, am a man who never follows these formulas of the fear mongers. So no matter if your color is black, or white, red or blue, I can still make friends with you without any barrier." "If I say that everyone under the sun is a member of a universal family, you may think that I'm bluffing and idealistic. But if anyone still believes in racial difference, I think he is too backward and narrow. Perhaps he does not understand man's equality and love." "I'm not one of those guys who can just brush people off. If I can take a second to make someone happy why not do it? A person cannot forget someone who is good to them." Most of our anxiety and pain comes from feeling disconnected and just little moments of empathetic human interaction can make us happier and feel like a human being. "Sensitivity is not possible if you are afraid." "The point to be made about ego is that man should use his ego and not be used by ego or blinded by it." "Don't have an attitude, open yourself, focus yourself, express yourself, and in doing that connect with people so that they can share in the expression of who you are." Take Action: How do you move through the world? Are you open to growth and change? Do you think of people as the "other"? If you find yourself feeling fearful about human connection and vulnerability, why is that? Try to just smile at another person. Find small ways to open the door a little. Pick someone who you already like and share with them something you appreciate about them. If you go out into the world with the view that we are all one family, how does that change how you interact with the world? #AAHA This week we have an #AAHA nomination of Tyrus Wong from listener Lauren L.: "I would like to nominate the late Tyrus Wong for the #AAHA segment of your podcast. In his 106 years of life, he was an incredible artist; of paintings, murals, and kites. He comes from rough beginnings where, at the age of nine, he immigrated with his father from China. His career as a designer, illustrator, and storyboard artist for Hollywood was most certainly no cake walk; especially as an Asian man in his profession during the 1930's-1960's. The number of times he had faced discrimination and being called "chink" is hard to keep track of. Despite the struggles, Tyrus did succeed in his field. He was the storyboard artist for a number of notable live-action films like "Rebel Without a Cause" and he was the head artist on the Disney animated film, "Bambi." #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes from Thinh L.: "The episode "Medicine for my suffering" thoroughly resonates with me. Early 2012 I developed a spinal condition known as spondylolisthesis, in which one vertebra in my lower back becomes disjointed from the other. Like the quote says, "the ailment came from within myself". I was my own worse enemy in this instance. But I also realized that I was my own best medicine." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #Take Action progress with at [email protected]. The full version of the show notes is at BruceLee.com/podcast

Gung fu translated means: discipline and training toward the mastery of some skill. It is applied to martial arts but it can be applied to anything. Ultimately, Gung fu is a pathway toward mastery and a deeper understanding of yourself and life. Yin Yang is the basic structure of Gung fu. This is expressed with the Law of Harmony: "One should be in harmony within and not rebellion against the strength and force of opposition." "The law of harmony thus fits in with the law of non-interference with nature, which teaches a Gung fu man to forget himself and follow his opponent. He does not move ahead but responds. So the basic idea is to defeat the opponent by yielding to him and using his own strength against him." "No-mindedness is not a blank mind that excludes emotions, nor is it simply a calm or quiet mind. It is the "non-graspiness" of the mind that constitutes the principle of no-mindedness. A Gung fu man employs his mind as a mirror, it grasps nothing, it refuses nothing, it receives but does not keep." "Concentration in Gung fu does not have the usual sense of restricting the attention to a single sense object. It is simply a quiet awareness of whatever happens to be here and now. The mind is present everywhere because it is nowhere attached to any particular object and it can remain present because even when relating to this or that it does not cling to it." If you have such artistry and mastery then in you are in the flow. The attainment of self-mastery or connectedness is grown through the daily practice of life. We can all be artists of our own lives, through our discipline, practice, and training at being a human being, you can gain freedom and transformation. "There are three stages in the cultivation of Gung fu: the primitive stage, the stage of art, and the stage of artlessness." "Remember that man created method and method did not create man. You yourself are expressing the technique, you're not doing or following the technique." Gung fu is anything you practice with effort, discipline, harmony, and humility, towards mastery. "True mastery stems from mastery of oneself. The ability developed through self-discipline, to be calm, fully aware, and completely in tune with oneself and the surroundings. Then, and only then, can a person know himself." Take Action: What is your Gung fu? What is it that you are actively working on mastering? It doesn't have to be a physical skill, it's a skill that is natural to you and should excite you and bring you joy. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week our #AAHA is Korean-American filmmaker and actor Justin Chon. He just premiered his film "Gook" at Sundance. It's a film about living through the LA riots in the 90's and his family's experience owning a market that was looted. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the riots and Justin wanted to create a film about the Korean American experience during that time. About half of all the damage caused by the LA riots were to Korean businesses. The police weren't coming to help them so the shop owners had to defend the stores themselves. Justin raised money through Kickstarter, and actually raised double what he asked, which showed him that people really wanted this story told. We think it's great that you're creating your own projects, Justin--you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment excerpt comes from Matthew R.: "I suffer from PTSD, OCD, & Social Anxiety from the trauma of hearing of [my father's] death and other traumas I experienced in my life. I have always been a fan of your dad and his outlook on life. I recently started listening to the podcast and love it. It is very therapeutic for me. A quote, and the story behind it, of his that has recently made a big impact on my life is, "When life gives you obstacles you must summon the courage and walk on!" Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #Take Action progress with at [email protected] Full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

The idea of Personal Liberation was very important to Bruce Lee. This idea was so important that his wife Linda included the quote "Your inspiration continues to guide us towards our personal liberation," on Bruce's headstone in Seattle where he and his son Brandon are buried. Many of Bruce's writings cover the topic of personal liberation and its connection with flow and freedom. "Freedom is something that cannot be preconceived. To realize freedom requires an alert mind, a mind that is deep with energy, a mind that is capable of immediate perception without the process of graduation, without the idea of an end to be slowly achieved. Pre-formations simply lack the flexibility to adapt to the ever changing. At this point many would ask, 'How then do we gain this unlimited freedom?' I cannot tell you because it will then become an approach. Although I can tell you what it's not, I cannot tell you what it is. That, my friend, you will have to find out all by yourself, for there is no help, but self-help." Some patterns that we set-up are good for the moment, but we have to constantly be aware and tweaking so that we live in the moment. Personal liberation relates to being in a process, living and understanding your authentic self. "When our mind is tranquil, there will be an occasional pause to its feverish activities. There will be a letting go and it is only then, in the interval between two thoughts that a flash of understanding, understanding which is not thought, can take place." "Where there is resistance there is no understanding. A so-called well-disciplined mind is not a free mind. A choice method, however exacting, fixes the mind in a pattern, a crystallization. Fixing forms can never bring freedom. This type of dead drilling is not an adequate response to the ever-changing moment. This ever-changing moment must be met newly, freshly for the moment is always new." Freedom lies in understanding yourself from moment to moment. "Listen, can you hear the wind? And can you hear the birds singing? You have to hear it. Empty your mind. You know how water fills a cup? It becomes the cup. You have to think about nothing. You have to become nothing." Take Action: Observe closely what you normally practice without judgment. Where are you feeling stuck or trapped? Where are you striving and straining to do something? Document where you feel peace of mind, what is happening when you feel that freedom from patterns. If that can be captured and repeated, make time for that on your calendar and dedicate weekly time to create more moments of peace of mind. #AAHA This week's #AAHA shout-out goes to Vietnamese-American actor Ian Alexander. Ian's debuts his talents on Netflix's show The OA. His character is Buck Vu, an Asian transgender teen, just like Ian himself. At only 15, the OA is Ian's first acting project, but his performance is outstanding. He got the part because he responded to an online open casting call. Ian's family has lived in Japan, Hawaii, and D.C., and he's always had an interest in the arts and is an advocate for trans rights. We know that especially in the Asian community, it can be challenging to be anything but the "norm," so we want you to know you're awesome Ian! Check out The OA on Netflix, it's great and we love the diverse cast. #BruceLeeMoment This week's excerpt comes from Jeddy A. read more at Brucelee.com/podcast: My "Bruce Lee Moment" occurs every morning during my dawn meditation and movement practice. Every 15 minute bike ride to work. Every window of opportunity - however brief - to tap into your father's message and decide how that fits into my own experience. Of all the layers and textures of Bruce that I relate to, the most resonant is his journey of holding and living a massive vision while relishing in the magnificence of my wife and 1 year old son. Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

"Life is wide, limitless, there is no border, no frontier." Bruce Lee believed that there were no limitations or borders in life, and this is reflected in his core tenet of Jeet Kune Do: "Using no way as way, having no limitation as limitation." When you encounter boundaries or walls in life, then it's time to step back and see if there is another way. These blocks mean the way you are going is not working, not that you can't do it. The baseline for living in oneness with life is embracing the limitless condition of life. You may face plateaus in life but there are no limits to how much more you can learn, grow, enjoy life, be happy and become conscious. "The oneness of all life is a truth that can be realized only when false notions of a separate self, whose destiny can be considered apart from the whole, are forever annihilated." Living in oneness is living in a connected state with your environment, nature, and those around you. The pain a lot of people experience is when they have feelings of isolation from their environment or other people. "We are always in a process of becoming and nothing is fixed have no rigid system in you and you will be flexible to change with the ever changing. Open yourself and flow my friend. Flow in the total openness of the living moment. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond, like an echo." "The western approach to reality is mostly through theory and theory begins by denying reality. You talk about reality, you go around reality, to catch anything that attracts our sense, intellect and abstract it away from reality." In Taoism: "The world is seen as an inseparable, interrelated field, no part of which can actually be separated from the other. That is, there would be no bright stars without dim stars and without the surrounding darkness no stars at all. There is no conflict between individual man and nature." "Life is a living now. Completeness, the now, is absence of the conscious mind striving to divide that which is indivisible. For once the completeness of things is taken apart, it is no longer complete." Take Action: What are some of the things keeping you isolated from others and your environment? What changes can you make? Take a survey of your activities, behavior, and space because sometimes you form habits that keep you separated. When you are feeling connected, how does that make you feel? How can you expand on that? #AAHA This week's #AAHA shout-out is a group since recently at the US Ice Skating Championships Asian Americans dominated taking home gold in three of the four events. Karen Chen won the women's title, Nathan Chen won the men's title, and Maia and Alex Shibutani nabbed their second consecutive title in ice dancing. Karen Chen, age 17, had a record breaking program which she choreographed herself. She is one of the big hopes for Olympic Gold. Nathan Chen, also 17, is the youngest men's champion in 51 years. He is the first skater to land five quads in a single performance. He is also America's hope for the Olympics. Maia and Alex Shibutani are a brother and sister ice dancing duo who returned as reigning champs and they held onto their title winning gold again. They are also considered favorites to win gold in the Olympics. You guys are killing it and we can't wait to see you in the Olympics! We think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This #BruceLeeMoment comes from Geovany C. read more at Brucelee.com/podcast: "I'm looking for a new kung fu studio. May I ask, is there a school in this world close to his teachings, and if there is one, please may your share this location? No matter where it is I will save up to go there. That's how much I believe it will better myself. I'm looking to really study and change my life into Bruce Lee's philosophy." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and your #ActionItem progress with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

This week we talk with Daniele Bolelli. Shannon first met Bolelli when he was interviewed for the documentary "I Am Bruce Lee" and later she was a guest on his podcast "The Drunken Taoist." Bolelli is an Italian born author, college professor, martial artist, and has two podcasts, "The Drunken Taoist" and "History on Fire." Bruce Lee came into Bolelli's life when he was a 7 year old kid growing up in Italy. Daniele and his dad watched a Bruce Lee movie together and he was hooked. Bruce's energy and personality as a movie star captivated the young Bolelli, but he built a life-long relationship with him by reading Bruce's writings and philosophies. Bolelli is also a martial artist who starting his training at 15. He finds that Bruce Lee's philosophies are helpful in studying martial arts and life. Like Bruce, he studied several styles of martial arts including Chinese kung fu, Brazilian jiu jitsu, boxing, wrestling and MMA. He currently prefers Judo because of the aesthetics of the big throws and the "ground game" where he gets to put Taoism in action. He says the ground game is like playing high level chess with your body and that it's not just about brute strength. "If you dedicate yourself to one thing and one thing only all the time, then it's not about life anymore, it's about that one field…Anything you do in life should be at the service of enriching you as an individual. It shouldn't be the other way around that you sacrifice your individuality in the name of this one field or this one idea. That's missing the point." - Bolelli The Bruce Lee philosophies that are most relevant to Bolelli are: "Research your own experience" and "Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own." These concepts have influenced Bolelli's whole life, and also inspired one of his books called "Create Your Own Religion." Similar to Bruce Lee, Bolelli writes down what he wants out of his life and his goals. He takes time throughout the week to write down ideas or thoughts, and this helps with his mental clarity. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) Daniele Bolelli's #AAHA shout-out goes to his 7-yr-old daughter, Isabella who is half Chinese. He is so inspired by her wise thoughts and ideas that he often writes them down and occasionally features them on his podcast The Drunken Taoist. He has been documenting her thoughtful ideas since she could speak so it's becoming a collection of her own wisdom that he will eventually give to her when she's older. She even has a Bruce Lee postcard by her bed. Thank you Isabella—we think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment excerpt comes from listener Phil C. read the full moment online at Brucelee.com/podcast: "I was listening to your Steve Aoki podcast and his mention of the racism he experienced growing up reminded me of one of the two Bruce Lee moments I had: The first one was in junior high. I was sometimes bullied there. One tormentor was about to beat me but before he did, he asked if I knew kung fu. I didn't answer. He backed off, probably because my not answering meant maybe I knew some (and that I'm of Chinese ethnicity, probably helped, the stereotype working in my favour). The art of fighting without fighting." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

"Don't think. FEEEEEEEEL! It's like a finger pointing away to the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all of the heavenly glory!" In this scene from Enter the Dragon, Bruce is teaching his student about the importance of staying fully present in the moment. If you just concentrate on the finger, you'll miss the glorious experience of the moon. We often take ourselves out of a moment we are experiencing for many reasons—to analyze it, to think about it, or document it. Even when we pause to take a picture of a beautiful sunset, we have to leave the moment of experiencing that sunset to take the picture. When we do this, we lose the feeling of the moment. "There's too much tendency to look inward at one's moods and to try and evaluate them, to stand on the outside and try to look inside is futile. It's like turning on a light to look at darkness. Analyze it and it's gone." "Feeling exists here and now when not interrupted and dissected by ideas or concepts. The moment we stop analyzing and let go we can start really seeing, feeling as one whole." An important part of the lesson Bruce is giving in this scene is about the process of relating, being in relationship with the whole thing, not isolated. "To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person, relationship is a process of self-revelation, relationship is the mirror in which you discover yourself. To be is to be related." "To live is a constant process of relating, so come out of that shell of isolation and conclusion, and relate directly to what is being said." So many of us are hungering for a connection, even if we don't know to articulate it. What's driving a lot of the pain in the world is viewing people or the planet as separate from us or as the "other." "The primary reality is not what I think, but what I live." "I do not experience, I am experience, I am awareness." Bruce Lee was living in the present moment all the time. Take Action: Take note when you pull away from an experience to analyze it or try to hold onto it. When you feel the connectedness or excitement of the moment, instead of pulling away just be with it. Compare this feeling to when you pull away and document or think about the moment. Another practice is to have a moment of silence when you feel that connected experience to stay in the moment. #AAHA This week our #AAHA shout-out goes to Sammy Lee, the first Asian American man to win Olympic gold and the first American man to win two consecutive golds in platform diving. Sammy Lee was named to US Olympic Hall of Fame in 1990. Lee was also a physician and served in the US Army Medical Corps in South Korea and coached several Olympian divers. He learned to dive at a public pool in Pasadena, but was only allowed to go on Wednesdays, the only day Latinos, Asians, and African Americans were allowed to use the pool. Then the pool was drained and refilled with clean water. Even after becoming an Olympian, Lee continued to face discrimination, including being told he could not buy a house in a certain neighborhood. Sammy Lee Square is named after him in Koreatown, he has a spot on the Anaheim Walk of Stars, and an elementary school named after him. Sammy Lee, we honor you and think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week our #BruceLeeMoment comes from Kristy, read more at brucelee.com/podcast: "Being keen to journal, I previously wrote down my bigger 'why' or purpose and steps to achieving what I most desired. However, I noticed, there it was again…that striver giving me plans, actions, strategies to be better - to become perfect! So, instead after your podcast I decided to revisit my why, and come up with my own affirmations and anchors back to stillness when my mind becomes noisy, not to become perfect, but instead to simply acknowledge and celebrate who I am." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations or your #ActionItem progress with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

The Root was an important concept to Bruce Lee. The Root is where real knowledge and real personal expression can spring from, the starting point and essence of "Who am I?" "What we are after is the root and not the branches. The root is the real knowledge and the branches are surface knowledge. Real knowledge breeds "body feel" and personal expression, and surface knowledge breeds mechanical conditioning, and imposing limitation and it squelches creativity." "The Root is the fulcrum on which will rest the expression of your soul. The Root is the starting point of all natural manifestation. It cannot be when the root is neglected that what should spring from it will be well ordered." Your body is the vehicle through which you manifest everything, even your thoughts. When we neglect the vehicle that holds our vital energy then we can get ungrounded. Bruce Lee was integrated with mind, body, spirit and his body was in service to his greater Purpose in this world. Even if your path in life is not of an athlete or martial artist like Bruce Lee, you still need your body to carry out your plans, dreams, and to move through the world. "The Root is the foundation and the Root is the knowing, it's the inner wisdom that you have." Your body is sending you signals all the time, and gives you a definite feeling about questions you ask yourself. You can use your body as a divining rod to gauge your true feelings about a situation or a decision. Bruce was directed by his heart--his love, passion, and joy were all strengthening his Root. "When I look around I always learn something, and that is, to be always yourself and to express yourself, to have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it, but start from the very root of your being which is: How can I be me?" "This achieving the center, being grounded in oneself is about the highest state a human being can achieve." "We realize that manipulation and control are not the ultimate joy in life, to become real, to learn to take a stand, to develop one's center to the support of our total personality, a release to spontaneity, yes, yes, yes." Take Action: If you're feeling unrooted, think of the last time that you felt in tune with your body--when was that? Write down the memories, you'll likely see a pattern. Identify discomfort in your body, aches or anxiety, where and when do you feel this way? Another exercise: write down the answer to "How can I be me?" Keep asking yourself this over time as it is answered differently as you grow. If you'd like to share how you're doing with this action item you can email us at [email protected] #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week our #AAHA is Aziz Ansari, American actor and comedian. Aziz is known for Masters of None, Parks and Recreation, and his stand-up comedy. Ansari was born in South Carolina, and graduated from NYU as a marketing major. He started doing stand-up while at NYU and in 2008 joined Parks and Rec. Ansari offers intelligent, thoughtful comedy and continues to do stand-up throughout his acting commitments. After the Boston Marathon bombings, Ansari performed a benefit at the Wilbur Theater in Boston and all ticket proceeds went to The One Fund and The Officer Richard Donohue Fund. Aziz, we love your work and think you're awesome, thank you for making us laugh! #BruceLeeMoment This week our #BruceLeeMoment comes from listener Gerry, read more online: As a long distance trail runner: "The miles in between are so tough but to arrive at an aid station, where there is water and food and just such beautiful powerful good energy, is so uplifting and strengthening that it renews ones life force to move through the race. So the phrase "aid station to aid station" came to represent the ideas both of reducing a larger challenge into smaller ones, and also that we can't do this alone." Share your #AAHAs and #BruceLeeMoments with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

Bruce Lee was driven by his own Purpose in life: "All in all, the goal of my planning and doing is to find the true meaning in life: peace of mind." Bruce's Purpose was "peace of mind," rather than his specific goals of becoming a big movie star or financial success. His big Purpose was self-actualization. "Completeness, the now, is an absence of the conscious mind to strive to divide that which is indivisible. For once the completeness of things is taken a part, it is no longer complete. All the pieces of a car that has been taken a part may be there, but it is no longer a car in its original nature which is its function or life." If your goals are infused with purpose, then it never feels like you're striving, it feels like it's a pursuit of becoming. You feel like you're becoming more of yourself in the accomplishment of your goals rather than needing to accomplish goals for outside accolades and prestige. So much of our culture is built on the pursuit of things, prestige and status—these do not make us happier and often cause anxiety. "I don't really worry about the reward but to set into motion the machinery to achieve it." "A purpose is the eternal condition of success." It's hard to find your purpose if you are struggling with simple tasks, but if you can imbue your daily tasks with purpose, then they can be easier to accomplish and less overwhelming. "Come to some sort of realization as to whatever your pursuit might be. In my case, it has been the pursuit of becoming moment to moment, and constantly questioning myself: What is this Bruce? Is it true or not true? Do you really mean it or not mean it? Once I've found that out, that's it." For everyone asking what your purpose is, your main purpose is to become your true self. You don't have to have your purpose figured out, but put yourself on a path to find it. Do you feel like you're in the flow, or stagnant? Take Action: Ask this: Can I create purpose around whatever task that I have to do? Take a mundane task and infuse it with purpose. A larger research project would be to ask 10 people close to you how they experience your essence and the moments when they see you come alive and express joy. Ask: when do you see me light up or become joyful? People close to us can sometimes see us more clearly than we can see ourselves. AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week we highlight Lulu Wang, an American filmmaker and writer. Shannon knows Lulu because they worked together several years ago when Lulu was first starting out. Born in Beijing and classically trained in piano, Lulu graduated from Boston College with a double major in Literature and Music. In 2016, Lulu released her first feature length film "Posthumous" and earlier in 2014 she was awarded the Chaz and Roger Ebert Directing Fellowship. Her short film "Touch" premiered at the 2015 Palm Springs International ShortsFest and won Best Drama at the Asians on Film Festival. In May 2016, Lulu wrote a story for NPR's "This American Life" that is being developed into a feature film. Lulu you're successfully pursuing and we think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment is from Gakuji Tobiyama, read the full version at brucelee.com/podcast: "When I first heard him talk about his water analogy, that was my first Bruce Lee Moment, because right then, I knew I had not been living my life like water but rather a block of ice. Drop me and I smash into pieces, clench me long enough and I'll give the beholder a mild frostbite…I'd been brittle solid ice for a long time, and Bruce Lee taught me to let my "mental molecules" change state to allow myself to flow smart or "crash" through mental barriers with intent and intensity." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected].

During one of the busiest times in his life, Bruce Lee wrote a letter to himself titled "In My Own Process". When Bruce wrote this, he had just halted production on Game of Death was in mid-prep for Enter the Dragon which included re-writing script pages, creating fight choreography, and being a producer. He was moved to pause and write several drafts of this letter to himself—each version was an evolution of the ideas he began pondering. Through the different versions, you can witness his thinking and creative process—adding, building and refining with each iteration. He wrote: "At the moment I'm wondering for whom am I writing this organized mess? I have to say I am writing whatever wants to be written." "I have come to the realization that sooner or later what it really amounts to is the bare fact that even an attempt to really write something about ones self demands, first of all, an honesty towards oneself to be able to take responsibility to be what we actually are." "What it boils down to is my sincere and honest revelation of a man called Bruce Lee. Just who is Bruce Lee? Where is he heading? What does he hope to discover? To do this a person has to stand on his own two feet and find out the cause of ignorance. For the lazy and hopeless, they can forget it and do what they like best." Most of us spend our lives avoiding these questions or distracting ourselves, Bruce confronted these questions directly. "The truth is that life is an ever going process ever renewing and it just meant to be lived but not lived for. It is something that cannot be squeezed into a self-constructed security pattern, a game of rigid control and clever manipulation. Instead, to be what I term "a quality human being" one has to be transparently real and have the courage to be what he is." Take Action: When you feel compelled to express something meaningful to yourself, write it down. Keep track of all the different versions to research your own life and mark your progression. If you'd like to share how you're doing with this action item you can email us at [email protected] or on social @BruceLee #BruceLeePodcast. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week our #AAHA shout-out goes to a close family friend of Shannon's, Taky Kimura, a Japanese America, martial artist, and one of Bruce Lee's best friends. Taky was one of Bruce Lee's top students, closest friends, best man at Bruce's wedding, first person Bruce certified to teach Jeet Kune Do, one of Bruce's first assistant instructors, and was pallbearer at Bruce's funeral. Taky is in his 90's and still teaching in Seattle, WA. Taky's family was interred in WWII with his family and experienced a lot of the prejudice and racism that followed the war. Taky met Bruce when he was in his 30's and credits Bruce with renewing his spirit. Taky has lived a quiet life and has trained people in his family's grocery store basement for free. Taky, you have been a wonderful friend to Bruce and Shannon's family, and you're awesome, thank you! #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes from Felix Sinn in Hamburg, Germany, read the full version in our show notes online: "I moved away from my family and friends south Germany up north to Hamburg, where I am going my own way and where I founded my company. And I am not only working on the company but also on myself and on being myself which seems to be a lifetime challenge. I am 28 years old now and there is nobody who I could copy, nobody who tells me what to do, and no mentor. And although I did not know too much about Bruce´s person I felt his philosophy. It felt like some of his spirit lives in me all the time and now as I hear all the information about him and his philosophy in the podcast, it is like you would tell me all these things that I already had in my heart but couldn´t express it in words like Bruce did." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

This week we discuss a typical day in the life of Bruce Lee, his habits and activities on an average day when he wasn't filming. The Wing Luke Museum in Seattle has an exhibit called "A Day in the Life of Bruce Lee" and you can make your own "Day in the Life" infographic here. Bruce Lee believed in the restorative powers of sleep, typically getting about 8hrs a night. He went to sleep around 11pm and got up at 7am. In the mornings he would stretch and go for a jog. Bruce liked to use jogging as a form of meditation. Following his morning workout, Bruce had breakfast then played with the kids. Then he would usually teach a private lesson in his students' backyard or in his own backyard. Between the hours of noon and 4pm he would have lunch and then either teach or work on his writing. Then, he would have an hour and a half for his own personal training (his second workout of the day!) Bruce spent his early evening hanging out with the family and playing with the kids. For the rest of the evening, Bruce would have dinner and extra training with his students and friends. He had a Wednesday Night group, mainly students from his classes, who would come over for extra instruction and philosophical conversations that would turn into a communal dinner. Bruce didn't have a regular 9-5 job, but his workday consisted of a few hours of concentrated effort, a break, and then a couple more hours of concentrated effort and so on rather than one long 8 hour stretch. This Day in the Life of Bruce Lee shows what productivity and harmony is possible for anyone. What's obviously missing from his daily routine is any TV or computer time. Bruce dedicated time for physical, mental and spiritual development in his daily life—creating a harmonious day filled with training, learning, teaching and connecting with family and community. Take Action: Document your every day for a week or month to see how you spend your time. Technology makes it easy to record your day, find the app you like. Are there any changes you'd like to make or things you'd like to add to your life? You can also create your own day here. If you'd like to share how you're doing with this action item you can email us at [email protected] or on social @BruceLee #BruceLeePodcast. Listener letters: We've been receiving lots of emails from our listeners updating us on their #ActionItems and their #DefiniteChiefAims so we'd like to share a few of them with you in our shownotes online. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's #AAHA is Maya Lin, an American designer and artist known for her sculpture and land art. She first came to fame at 21 as the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Maya won a public design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and it was a controversial design since it was non-traditional, she was an Asian female, and she lacked professional experience. Maya actually had to go before Congress to get them to approve her design. She has said that had it not been a blind selection process then she wouldn't have been selected. Now she owns and operates the Maya Lin Studio in NYC and in 2016 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Maya we love your work and think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes from Eric Colby, who wrote us before about a leadership opportunity at his work and now he's writing to tell us how it went, read the full version at Brucelee.com. "The thoughts that I ultimately decided to share came from your episode on Goals, Mistakes, and Success…from aiming high in your goals in order to broaden your horizons and see what is possible, to listening to your mistakes in order to grow, to recognizing that defeat is a state of mind and only has power over you if you accept it, to defining success as "doing something sincerely and wholeheartedly."" Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

When Bruce Lee was 21 he wrote: "I feel I have this great creative and spiritual force within me that is greater than faith, greater than ambition, greater than confidence, greater than determination, greater than vision, it is all these combined. My brain becomes magnetized with this dominating force which I hold in my hand. Whether it is the godhead or not, I feel this great force, this untapped power, this dynamic something within me. This feeling defies description and no experience with which this feeling may be compared. It is something like a strong emotion mixed with faith, but a lot stronger." This energy is something that Bruce Lee talked about a lot, and energy is also often how we talk about Bruce Lee. Bruce would talk about energy in relation to his willpower, vital life-force to create, to move, to accomplish, and to motivate. He talked about it as a creative and spiritual force within himself and also talked about not wasting this force but using it for good. "A creation uncontaminated by thought. The creative tide in us that flows outward." Bruce also recognized that this energy is infinite and connected to the spiritual force of the universe. Like Bruce Lee, we all have this vital life-force within our bodies and it's ours to cultivate. "The function and duty of a human being, a quality human being that is, is the sincere and honest development of potential and self-actualization. One additional comment, the energy from within and the physical strength from your body, can guide you toward accomplishing your purpose in life and to actually act on actualizing your duty to yourself." Your energy can be really hampered by your mind when it gets into these worry-filled loops. This preoccupation with negative thoughts and worries will drain your energy. Be aware of where you're wasting your energy. Take Action: Run an experiment where you limit your exposure to draining people or activities, and increase your exposure to energizing people or activities that make you feel great. Reframe your negative thoughts into positive or neutral thoughts. See how you feel at the end of the day. Then you'll start to have all your energy to create and manifest your truest self. If you'd like to share how you're doing with this action item you can email us at [email protected] or on social @BruceLee #BruceLeePodcast. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week we want to recognize I. M. Pei, renowned Chinese-American architect. He was recruited in 1948 by New York real estate magnate William Zeckendorf and went on to establish his own independent design firm. I. M. Pei went on to design buildings around the world including the glass and steel pyramid for the Musee de Louvre in Paris. He came from a family known for selling medicinal herbs, but felt the call to pursue architecture and design. On April 26th, 2017 I. M. Pei will turn 100 years old! I. M. Pei, we find your work and life inspirational and think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes from Emil Monajemzadeh, here's an excerpt and read the full version at brucelee.com/podcast "In January 2016 I found a school in Copenhagen where I could learn Kung Fu and Yoga. I remember talking to my shifu after my first training session, and our conversation went exactly like follows: "What do you do besides this?" "I study Philosophy." "Then you have come to the right place." " Yes I know." I think university students sometimes can be quite full of themselves thinking they are better than others. Because of this I felt like I couldn't use much of my knowledge for anything, also because of the pressure that is on all the subjects in the humanities right now. But in realising that all knowledge is self-knowledge I found a whole new way of studying - mainly to not study others through reading but rather myself." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

This week we sit down with Friend of Bruce Lee, and self-professed Bruce Lee geek, W. Kamau Bell! He's a comedian and TV host. He hosts CNN's United Shades of America, and podcasts Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period and Politically Reactive. Kamau Bell became a Bruce Lee fan as a kid watching 70s martial arts films on TV. He thought Bruce Lee was in tons of movies because of all the knock-off Bruce Lees on TV. It wasn't until he was 13 when he went to the video store and found "Enter the Dragon" that he realized that the real Bruce Lee was the real deal. He watched the VHS tapes over and over and sought out Bruce's other film. That's when Kamau became a superfan. He bought all his movies, got Bruce Lee posters, made his own iron-on T-shirt of Bruce and converted his friends to fans. He even created a petition at his high school to get Bruce Lee a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He studied Wing Chun because Bruce Lee studied Wing Chun and took a bus all the way across Chicago to study it. As a young man, he thought a career in martial arts was more feasible than a career in comedy, but Kamau always wanted to be a comedian. Trusting his inner voice is something that Kamau got from Bruce Lee, following his own path in his career and doing it his own way is something he saw Bruce do. As the son of a single mom, Bruce Lee's philosophy helped guide Kamau while he was growing up, showing him how to be a man and how to gain a secure sense of self and know his limitations. The Bruce Lee philosophy that had the biggest impact on Kamau was: "Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is essentially your own." Following Bruce Lee's example, Kamau invents his own path in Hollywood, seeking and creating projects that honestly express his true essence. He also trusts his intuition to avoid what doesn't feel right for him and his family—sometimes that means turning down gigs that are lucrative. But he is confident that his own eclectic path is the right one for him. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's #AAHA is recommended by Kamau Bell. Irene Tu is an up and coming San Francisco based stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. In 2016, she was named one of the "Bay Area's 11 Best Stand Up Comedians" by the SFist. Thanks Kamau for supporting your local SF talent and introducing us to Irene. Irene—you are awesome! #BruceLeeMoment The #BruceLeeMoment that Kamau returns to often is the moment in Chinese Connection when Bruce Lee comes into the enemy's martial arts studio and fights everyone and wins. Bruce says at the end of the fight: "Now you listen to me. I'll only say this once. We are not sick men." This statement resonated with Kamau as a young black man trying to claim his own space in a racist society. He was moved by Bruce Lee's confidant statement of resistance against oppressors and taking pride in his people. Over the years this scene about claiming space for your people continues to grow in meaning for Kamau and it's something he continually addresses in his work and life. Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS8ex1LlqpU Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected].

When Bruce Lee spoke about the Art of Dying, he did not mean dying in the literal sense, but as a metaphor for letting go of the past and things that limit you, so you can be a fluid human in the present moment. "Like everyone else, you want to learn the way to win, but never to learn the way to lose. To accept defeat, to learn to die, is to be liberated from it. Once you accept this you are free to flow and to harmonize. Fluidity is the way to an empty mind. You must free your ambitious mind and learn the art of dying." Bruce was constantly practicing this idea of dying because to him it meant returning to beginners mind and neutrality. He even had an art piece tombstone created which stated, "In memory of a once fluid man crammed and distorted by the classical mess." This was a physical reminder to let go of anything that keeps you rigid or limits growth. "To understand and live now, there must be a dying to everything of yesterday, die continually to every newly gained experience be in a state in choiceless awareness of what is." Dying in this instance is more about living in the moment, and being able to continue to be the student and learn. "Drop and dissolve inner blockage, a conditioned mind is never a free mind. Wipe away and dissolve all its experience and be born afresh." "We live in clichés in patterned behavior, we play the same role over and over again. To raise our potential is to live and review every second refreshed." "People try to hold on to sameness, this holding on prevents growth." "To desire is an attachment. to desire not to desire is also an attachment. To be unattached then means to be free at once from both statements. In other words it is to be simultaneously both yes and no, which is intellectually absurd." "If when you're being knocked down, you can stop and say 'Why am I being knocked down?' then if you can examine that in that way then there's hope for your growth." Take Action: Practice being in the present moment and letting go. Where are you being rigid in your life? Where can you bend more? Where do you have a firm attachment to an idea or position? If you can identify the attachment and create a little bit of space between you and the attachment then you are on your way to freeing yourself from that attachment. If you'd like to share how you're doing with this action item you can email us at [email protected] or on social @BruceLee #BruceLeePodcast. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week our #AAHA is Ang Lee, Tawainese born director, screenwriter, and producer, known for many iconic films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi, Hulk, and Brokeback Mountain. Ang brings both East and West to his films, exploring the fantastic and the dramatic. He has two Oscars, both for Best Achievement in Directing, a testament to his incredible storytelling and cinematic talent. He's always pushing the boundaries of film technology—but only in service to the story and emotional experience of the film. Ang Lee completely devotes himself to his work and only works on one project at a time. He's also a longtime Bruce Lee fan. Thank you Ang for your incredible artistry, we think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment is from Daniel from Australia, below is an excerpt, read the full moment in our show notes on our website: "I remembered the 'Don't think, Feel' statement again, but it was not ironically until I heard about the Bruce Lee podcast. I was concentrating on listening to the intro to the podcast when I realised I had applied this philosophy unknowingly for the longest time and had actually became 'water' myself, adapting it to mean that even though your hurt with a loss, to stop and think about the life you had together and remember the love that came from that is what's important!" Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

Bruce Lee started writing poetry when he moved from Hong Kong to the U.S. at age 18. He wrote poetry to express his feelings of contemplativeness, love, melancholy, and oneness with nature. The poetry was a way to process and understand his own feelings. Bruce also wrote poems and letters to his wife Linda expressing love and gratefulness for her. Linda says that she can still feel the warmth of his love through his writing. Bruce Lee was a masculine man of action who also had a very integrated feminine side. He was always cultivating both Yin and Yang. The Dying Sun The dying sun lies sadly in the far horizon, The autumn wind blows mercilessly. The yellow leaves fall From the mountain peak two streams parted unwillingly. One to the west one to the east. The sun will rise again in the morning, the leaves will be green again in the spring but must we be like the mountain stream never to meet again? Love is like a friendship caught on fire Love is like a friendship caught on fire, In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce but still only light and flickering. As love grows older our hearts mature, and our love becomes as coals deep burning and unquenchable Walking along the bank of lake Washington The breeze on the bank already blows cool and mild The distant merging of lake and sky is but a red trace of sunset The deep silence of the lake cuts off all tumult from me Along the lonely bank I move with slow footsteps Alone, the disturbed frogs scurry off Here and there, are houses, cool beads of light spring out from them A dazzling moon shines down from the lonely depths of the sky In the moonlight I move slowly to a gung fu form Body and soul are fused into one. Take Action: Write a poem, and either keep it for yourself, or share it with someone. Or find a poem you like and read it aloud. Take a moment and write down how much you love and are grateful for someone in your life, date it, and give that note or letter to that person. You can also share those sentiments in person. Here are good resources for poetry and poetry recordings: PoetryFoundation.org PoetryArchive.org http://www.openculture.com/audio_books_poetry If you'd like to share how you're doing with this action item you can email us at [email protected] or on social @BruceLee. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's #AAHA is a recommendation from Marcus Wang, read the full version on our website: I think it's wonderful that you take the time to recognize Asian-Americans and Hapas who are making a difference in our world, and I'd like to introduce you to Derrick Wang, a charismatic young composer and attorney with degrees from Harvard, Yale and Maryland Law who has achieved renown in the world of opera - a rarity for an Asian-American. Your podcast on harmony brought him to mind - Derrick's recent acclaimed opera, "Scalia/Ginsburg," focuses on the unlikely but genuine friendship between Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the late Antonin Scalia. #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BLM comes from Sarah in London, read the full version on our website: "The quote of 'be water my friend' has really stayed with me since I heard that first episode. At work I have been challenged by several senior leaders due to a project I am leading, and at times those challenges felt very personal. I held your fathers words in my mind during those moments and at first I tried to be still and calm like water - however that made me feel stagnant and immobile, and a little like a punching bag, but then I remembered your father's words about water crashing and flowing, and have since focused on not seeing people or things as obstacles but simply detours or interesting bends in the road. They are not obstacles to me and I will not batter myself against them but will flow around or over them. This has given me a sense of calm and strength." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

The Yin Yang symbol is circle with two interlocking teardrop shapes in complimentary colors with a dot on each side. It's used in popular culture, but it is a core Chinese philosophy. The Yang side represents positivity, firmness, masculinity, substantiality, brightness, day, and heat. The Yin side represents negativity, softness, femininity, insubstantiality, darkness, and coldness. Excerpt from Book 1 Chapter 28 of the Tao Te Ching: "Know the masculine, but keep to the feminine. And be a valley to the realm….If you are a valley to the realm then constant virtue will be complete and you will return to the uncarved block. The uncarved block is cut into vessels wise men use them as rulers of vessels, the great cutter does not cut away." Read the full version here Bruce Lee could take heady philosophy and physicalize it, giving it a purpose in a human context, and illustrating it in an entertaining way. Instead of viewing the Yin and Yang as opposites, Bruce would say that they are complimentary to each other. He said that the basic theory in Yin Yang is that "nothing is so permanent as to never change." Bruce's core symbol for Jeet Kune Do is a modified Yin Yang symbol that he added to. He added two arrows around the Yin Yang to represent the continuous interplay of the two parts and a Chinese phrase around the arrows that says: "Using no way as way, Having no limitation as limitation." Bruce had his friend George Lee create 4 plaques that showed the stages of a man's cultivation: Partiality, Fluidity, Emptiness, and the core symbol for Jeet Kune Do. Bruce incorporated his version of the Yin Yang into his martial arts practice by not only learning hardness and toughness, but gentleness and softness, as sometimes you need to flow with your opponent's energy as opposed to always stopping or hitting. Yin and Yang are in harmonious relationship with one another. "Taoism is a philosophy of the essential unity of the universe, of the leveling of all difference, the relativity of all standards, and the return of all to the one. The divine intelligence, the source of all things. From this naturally arise the absence of desire for strife, contention, and the fighting for advantage. It emphasizes non-resistance and the importance of gentleness." "Fluidity leads to interchangeability, self knowledge leads to awareness, totality leads to ultimate freedom." Take Action: What extremes are you holding on to? When you're in conflict, can you to hold on to your point of view, yet soften to hear the other person? Whatever your position is, it is half of the Yin Yang symbol, try and soften to see the other side. If you'd like to share how you're doing with this action item on Yin Yang, email us at [email protected] or on social @BruceLee. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's #AAHA is Cary Fukunaga, an American film director, writer, and cinematographer, and his recommendation comes to us from his childhood friend. Cary is known for directing Sin Nombre, Jane Eyre, HBO's season 1 of True Detective, and Netflix's Beasts of No Nation. On Beasts of No Nation he was the writer, director, cinematographer, and producer, which reminds us how Bruce Lee would write, produce, and direct his own work. Cary, we admire your mastery, artistry, storytelling, and hard work, keep being awesome! Read his friend's wonderful email recommendation in our show notes on our website. #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BLM is from Tory Elena, here's an excerpt, read her full moment in our show notes online: "I grew up practicing martial arts with my family and my father and I shared a love for Bruce Lee's films…I've rekindled my passion for martial arts and studying the philosophy and words Bruce left behind for the world….As a professional creative I use the JKD motto as a mantra in my life, "Using no way as way. Having no limitation as limitation." " Share your #AAHAs and #BruceLeeMoments with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

Bruce's wife and Shannon's mom Linda Lee Cadwell joins us again and she shares more stories about Bruce, telling of his spirit of generosity and charity. And for the first time she shares stories about their son Brandon Lee. When Linda first visited Hong Kong in 1965, it was a tough time for many Hong Kong people. There were a lot of very poor people and many would stand on corners asking for donations. Bruce never passed up anyone without giving some coins and saying a kind word. He had great feeling for those who were less fortunate and was always willing to give his possessions and time to those in need. For most of their marriage, Linda and Bruce never had two dimes to rub together, but Bruce was always generous with his money, time and expertise. At a time when the country was still mired in racial tension, Bruce's studio was filled with people of all races and backgrounds. He taught movie stars and regular people in the same way. Bruce himself faced discrimination again and again, so it was of utmost importance to him to see the humanity in all people. As a child actor, Bruce was surrounded by successful Chinese artists who taught him about the beauty of Chinese culture and how to live gracefully in the face of adversity. This daily immersion with artists influenced his outlook and his identity as an artist. He had many adult mentors in his life including his martial arts teacher Ip Man who taught Bruce much of the philosophy that he later expanded upon. Linda thinks that these early creative and philosophical teachers were critical in helping Bruce stay optimistic and fluid as he faced hardships in his life. One of the main hardships Bruce faced was his massive back injury. He was in bed for many months recovering. But he used that time studying, writing and researching his own rehabilitation program. They couldn't afford a full time physical therapist so Bruce took charge of his own recovery. He never accepted the doctors' diagnosis that he would never walk normally or practice Kung Fu again. During this recovery time Bruce developed his philosophies and his writings. Brandon shared many similar traits with his dad. He was rebellious, passionate, and his charismatic energy came through the screen. When his father died, Brandon was 8, and it was then that he decided to be an actor. Linda shares that he never wavered in that passion. Brandon was a free spirit, and didn't always follow the straight and narrow, especially in school, but he was an avid reader and writer. Like his father, Brandon was an artist who did things his own way. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week our #AAHA is Yuja Wang, a Chinese concert pianist and child prodigy from Beijing. She started studying piano at 6 and studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, later studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She is known for wearing very interesting clothing when she performs, often changing her outfits to reflect the music she is playing. She has become someone who is known for heightening the musical experience through the visual aspect of her performance. Yuja tours the world performing and is doing things her own way. Yuja Wang, we think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment Today we have an excerpt of an email from Sam Litvan, read the full version on our website: "I remember how I learned that he wrote, produced and directed his films, this made me realize that there is no one role for any of us. He cleared that idea that being macho doesn't preclude one from being intelligent or funny…I've had many influences over the course of my life, but what Bruce Lee achieved in his short time motivates me to accomplish as much as I can because what his short life taught me is that none of us know just how much time we have and so we must value every second." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

11/27/16 is Bruce Lee's birthday and he would have been 76 years old today. In honor of his birthday we are reposting the Be Water, My Friend episode (#2) with a special birthday message from Shannon Lee. To honor Bruce, take a moment for yourself today to listen or re-listen to this episode. It's filled with great tips on how to center yourself, clear your head and move around obstacles you have in your life. "Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water. Now you put water into 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."

At the request of fans, this week we discuss Bruce Lee's approach to nutrition and fitness! Nutrition and fitness were ongoing obsessions for Bruce during his life, and we can't cover everything, so we'll discuss the big ideas on this episode not specific regimens. Bruce Lee was constantly experimenting on himself and seeing what worked for his body. There was cardio, weight training, martial techniques, teaching as training, nutrition from diet to supplements, meditation, and reading books. Often Bruce would be found doing several things at once, such as stretching and reading, using his time efficiently. Bruce's diet varied, but he consistently drank protein shakes and juices from their commercial grade juicer, an unusual household appliance in the 60's. Bruce Lee explored many diets, including one with organ meats because of their high mineral content. He drank tea every day and put supplements into his tea such as ginseng and royal jelly. He was also a big proponent of getting enough sleep, getting 8hrs a night. Bruce enjoyed all kinds of food, but he didn't smoke, drink alcohol, or drink coffee. It was after Bruce's big fight in Oakland that he started to explore fitness and nutrition in more detail. He started weight lifting, but disliked being bulky. Bruce began training for function over form to make his body strong, fast, and nimble. Bruce created and modified his own exercise equipment to target specific parts of his body. Bruce kept detailed daily planners where he wrote how many kicks, punches, crunches, or miles run he did each day. Stretching and meditation were also important parts of his fitness routine. "Jogging is not only a form of exercise to me, it is also a form of relaxation. It's my own hour, every morning, when I can be alone with my thoughts." Bruce's philosophy about food is one we can all follow: "Eat what your body requires, and don't get carried away with foods that don't benefit you." He was not extreme or rigid about food. He also did not believe in depriving yourself. "Health is an appropriate balance of the coordination of all of what we are." While Bruce was experimenting with nutrition and fitness, he made sure he was in harmony with his body. Health is inline with the philosophy of self-actualization since you can listen to, cultivate, and balance your body. If you're interested in learning more about Bruce's fitness and nutrition routines check out Bruce Lee: The Art of Expressing the Human Body. Take Action: To focus on your nutrition and fitness is to ask yourself this: "I would feel better in my body if I did _____" and fill in the blank with one action you can take. #AAHA This week's #AAHA shout-out goes to Jeremy Lin, American NBA basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets. He's known for unexpectedly leading a winning turnaround for the New York Knicks in 2012, gaining a huge following called "Linsanity." Lin had a rough start to his NBA career, receiving no drafts and getting put in the D-league, and finally joined the Knicks in the 2011-2012 season. Jeremy Lin is the first American of Taiwanese descent and one of few Asian American NBA players. Jeremy, we applaud your hard work, how you've overcome prejudice and obstacles, and your love of basketball. Keep being awesome! #BruceLeeMoment Below we have an excerpt from a #BruceLeeMoment email from Lecroy "Lee" Rhyanes, Jr. Read the full version in the shownotes at Brucelee.com. "There have been many #BruceLeeMoments throughout my life …One that I'd like to share is in response to the 'Walk On' episode #11 topic about phrases that we use to help us. The phrase I use is Bruce Lee's quote "Life itself is your teacher, and you are in a state of constant learning." There is no quote that I've applied in my experience as a student and educator more than this one." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

This week we talk with Friend of Bruce Lee Steve Aoki. Steve is a Grammy nominated Electro house musician, DJ and record producer. Steve's unique musical life is the subject of a new Netflix documentary called "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," Steve has been a die-hard Bruce Lee devotee since he was a kid. When he was taking karate classes, and he emulated all of Bruce Lee's moves and became obsessed with watching every Bruce Lee movie repeatedly on VHS. Aoki looked up to Bruce Lee as an Asian man who "made it" when there weren't any strong Asian role models. Having a strong, kick-ass Asian man like Bruce Lee as a role model helped Aoki build confidence even though he experienced racism growing up in Newport Beach. As a teen, Aoki and his friends studied Bruce's interviews and read the Tao of Jeet Kune Do together. This practice became the basis for his lifelong love for Bruce Lee's philosophy. The Bruce Lee quote that Aoki always uses is "Be like water" and he adds "...by any means necessary." He also uses: "Sometimes a goal is just something to aim at." He applies these philosophies in his life by being fluid in his journey towards his goals and following his own creative path. "To live like Bruce Lee, is to be fluid like water and make your own journey." Aoki on Bruce Lee's influence: "Talking about the human side of things, there are a few people that have really changed the world by their words…Bruce Lee is one of them. There are only a few people that can really talk to people in a way that really touches you to the soul. And you know how genuine and authentic and human it is. It's not about the martial art really, the martial art is an extension of his philosophy and the human side of everything. So when you get there, then you're a devout fan for life, you're changed forever." Bruce Lee's philosophy also informs Steve Aoki's creative process and how he thinks about making music--putting his whole heart into his work. "Music isn't just something that you listen to, and especially at shows, you're experiencing all your senses." #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) Steve Aoki does this week's #AHAA's shout-out to his friend Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park. Shinoda is a Japanese American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, graphic designer, manager, and film composer. He co-founded Linkin Park in 1996 and Machine Shop Recordings in 2004, and his artwork has been featured in the Japanese American National Museum. Keep on being awesome Mike! #BruceLeeMoment Even though Steve Aoki can claim his whole life as one big #BruceLeeMoment, he shares a specific #BruceLeeMoment: "Game of Death was an incredible film. It's like a video game but he was fighting all these different characters. And the fight he did with Kareem Abdul Jabbar, I stood in front of the framed poster of him fighting Kareem Abdul Jabbar, it's just so epic, him in his yellow jumpsuit and Kareem being 90 ft tall. I just remember that moment right now, it just popped in my head, it always pops in my head. He's just a badass, what can I say? But like what I was saying throughout this whole podcast, all the different ways that I've been able to survive and thrive and build these many successes, and really think about my life, it's always from a Bruce Lee quote. Whether it's "Be like water," or "The journey is more important than the destination." You have to be able to speak to people where you're not excluding them too. That's what he did, he spoke to everybody. It wasn't like he was a human rights leader, but he was in the way in that he didn't exclude anyone…and that's one thing that really made me love this guy so much." Thank you Steve Aoki for sharing how Bruce Lee has shaped your life and career. We support you and think you're awesome! Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

"Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system." From a very young age Bruce Lee was a rebellious thinker with a keen awareness that established systems could restrict the full development of a human being. One event that sparked this questioning was the discrimination he faced at his Kung Fu school in Hong Kong. He was ultimately kicked out of that school because he wasn't 100% Chinese. He learned that the institution favored an arbitrary rule over his passionate devotion to study martial arts. This made no sense to him--even as a young man. Bruce Lee eventually called classical martial arts styles "organized despair" because he felt that the rigidity of the styles limited people from discovering themselves and their personal style of martial arts. "Why do you as an individual depend on thousands of years of propaganda? Ideals, principles, the 'what should be' leads to hypocrisy." He said "you do not have to become a robot," in any system. In the beginning stages, it is okay to figure out who you are, what you're into. While doing so it is important to be your best self and be in harmony. Only then you begin to listen and become in tune to what truly speaks to your heart (not the system). "Man is constantly growing, and when he is bound by a set pattern of ideas or 'Way' of doing things, that's when he stops growing." After years of classical study, Bruce Lee developed his own martial way called Jeet Kune Do. Though Bruce enjoyed teaching others the discoveries he had made, he recognized that as soon as he defined the style to others, it was in danger of becoming dogma. Bruce Lee wanted every student of martial arts to discover what works for them and to develop their own styles. This approach requires one to spend a lot of time studying one's own thoughts, body and energy. "In solitude you are least alone. Make good use of it." When you're alone, you are with yourself and with your own thoughts. It's when you're alone that you can truly assess yourself. Take Action: Try an exercise of being alone with yourself without distraction. Identify what systems you're a part of right now, and are they serving you? What ideas, values, and interests come up for you when you're alone? Write down the thoughts that come to you when you're alone. Are your thoughts and values in sync with any institution you're a part of? If you'd like to share your experiences trying our exercise in being alone, please reach out via [email protected] or via social media @BruceLee. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week our #AAHA shout-out goes out to Yo-Yo Ma, the prodigious Chinese American cellist. He has won 18 Grammys in his career. Aside from classical music, he is interested in Blue Grass, traditional Chinese music, and tango Brazilian music. He has collaborated with many artists including Bobby McFerrin, and Quincy Jones, and movement artists such as Charles Lubbock Riley. Beyond music, Yo-Yo Ma is a United Nations Messenger of Peace and has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. So also he uses music as a way to cross cultures and bring people together. He has a film coming out soon called The Music of Strangers. Thank you Yo-Yo Ma! We appreciate your awesomeness and all the levels of your artistry. #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes from Youssef E. and he tells us about how Bruce Lee's philosophy has always been a part of his life and how he is excited to pass it along in his family for generations to come. Read the full #BruceLeeMoment in our show notes at Brucelee.com/Podcast. Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected].

In this week's episode we are finishing up our 3-part discussion of Bruce Lee's affirmations with the 7th and final affirmation: Willpower. Affirmation 7: "Recognizing that the power of will is the supreme court over all other departments of my mind, I will exercise it daily when I need the urge to act for any purpose, and I will form habits designed to bring the power of my will into action at least once daily." Bruce believed that, "A self-willed man has no other aim than his own growth. He values only one thing – the mysterious power in himself, which bids him live and helps him grow. His only living destiny is the silent, ungainsayable law in his own heart, which comfortable habits make it so hard to obey but which to the self-willed man is destiny and godhead." Bruce Lee didn't view willpower as the voice in your head forcing you into action, but more as the energy of mastery over one's soul.Being a self-willed man is about tapping into your heart, your life force, that power within you, that thing that is tugging at you to live, and go for the things that speak to you and speak to your heart. Which in return, serve as a catalyst for action or willpower. "The enemy of development is pain phobia: the unwillingness to do a tiny bit of suffering. As you feel unpleasant you interrupt the continuum of awareness and you become phobic and this weakens the heart of the will." "A self-willed man obeys a different law, the one law I too hold absolutely sacred – the human law in himself, his own individual will." The other 6 affirmations lead up to this final affirmation, willpower, which is the culmination of Memory, Subconscious Mind, Imagination, Reason, Emotion, and Conscience. "[Willpower] the mysterious power in himself which bids him live and helps him grow." Take Action: Identify something in you that makes you feel alive, that is something that you want to grow. Continue to develop your own affirmations, or you can use Bruce Lee's, and write them down and carry them around for you to reference daily. And take some small action steps every day inspired by your affirmations We'd love to hear about your affirmations, please reach out via [email protected] or via social media @BruceLee. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week we give an #AAHA shout-out to Eleanor Mariano, a Filipina American physician and military officer. She is the first Filipina American graduate of the Uniformed Services of Medicine to reach the rank of Rear Admiral in the US Navy. She's the first woman to be the director of the White House Medical Unit and she's the first military woman in the history of the US to be appointed as personal physician to the President serving as physician to George Bush Senior, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Eleanor, we just want to say we think you're awesome and thank you for your service! #BruceLeeMoment This week we have a #BruceLeeMoment from Russ Grant: As a 55-yr-old English male, I have never felt the need to email best wishes to any company. But I send my heartfelt best wishes in your endeavors to take the Bruce Lee philosophy to a wider audience. I grew up on Bruce Lee films, and there's not a man in the world who wouldn't want the skills he had. All the best for the future, Russ Grant Thank you for your best wishes Russ, we really appreciate it! Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

This week we continue our discussion of Bruce Lee's Affirmations with three more concepts: Emotions, Reason, and Conscience. Even though we are discussing each affirmation individually, Bruce Lee used all 7 together to help achieve wellbeing. 4th Affirmation: Emotions "Realizing that my emotions are both positive and negative, I will form daily habits which will encourage the development of the positive emotions and aid me in converting the negative emotions into some form of useful action." 5th Affirmation: Reason "Recognizing that my positive and negative emotions may be dangerous if they are not guided to desirable ends, I will submit all my desires, aims, and purposes to my faculty of reason, and I will be guided by it in giving expression to these." 6th Affirmation: Conscience "Recognizing that my emotions often err in their over-enthusiasm, and my faculty of reason often is without the warmth of feeling that is necessary to enable me to combine justice with mercy in my judgments, I will encourage my conscience to guide me as to what is right and wrong, but I will never set aside the verdict it renders, no matter what may be the cost of carrying them out." Take Action: Continue to develop your own affirmations, or you can use Bruce Lee's, and write them down and carry them around for you to reference daily. We'd love to hear about your affirmations, please reach out via [email protected] or via social media @BruceLee. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) Our #AAHA shout-out goes out to Ali Wong, badass actress, comedian, and writer. She graduated from UCLA in Asian American studies, but then decided at 23 to try stand-up for the first time. Since then she's acted on several TV shows including "Inside Amy Schumer," "Black Box," and "Are you there, Chelsea?" and became a TV comedy writer best known for the series "Fresh Off the Boat." Ali Wong has continued with stand-up comedy and she's incredible in her most recent comedy special on Netflix called "Baby Cobra." If you haven't seen it already, check it out! We couldn't stop laughing. You keep being you Ali, and stay awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week we have a lovely email from Robyn R. in Connecticut about how Bruce Lee's "Artist of Life" has helped her deal with her relationship with her estranged son. Read the full version in our show notes at Brucelee.com/podcast Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected].

This week we discuss Bruce Lee's affirmations. These are 7 ideas he wrote on small note cards and carried with him always: Memory, Subconscious Mind, Imagination, Reason, Emotion, Conscience and Will Power. These 7 ideas are part of a whole system of well being and self-cultivation Bruce developed. And they work together as a harmonious ecosystem. Today we discuss the first three ideas: Memory, Subconscious Mind, and Imagination. 1st Affirmation: Memory "Recognizing the value of an alert mind, and an alert memory, I will encourage mine to become alert by taking care to impress it clearly with all thoughts I wish to recall and by associating those thoughts with related subjects which I may recall to mind frequently." Bruce Lee on memory: "Not memory for memory's sake, not accumulation of knowledge, but synthesis and application." 2nd Affirmation: Subconscious Mind "Reorganizing the influence of my subconscious mind over my power of will, I shall take care to submit to it a clear and definite picture of my major purpose in life and all minor purposes leading to my major purpose and I shall keep this picture constantly before my subconscious mind by repeating it daily." 3rd Affirmation: Imagination "Recognizing the need for sound plans and ideas for the attainment of my desires. I will develop my imagination by calling upon it daily for help in the formation of my plans." "Creative intuition opens the wellsprings within man, activates the inner light, and is free and limitless." Take Action: Create your own affirmations and write them down on a 3x5 card. They can be your own ideas or quotes you find inspiring. Carry them around with you for a week or a month and read them out loud to yourself each day. We would love to hear about your affirmations! Email us at [email protected] or share via social media @BruceLee. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week we want to give a shout out to Jimmy Chin, a professional climber, mountaineer, skier, photographer, and filmmaker. For a long time he was with the Northface team, taking photos and having awe-inspiring adventures. His documentary film Meru follows the harrowing first ascent of the "Shark's Fin" route on Meru Peak in the Indian Himalayas. Jimmy follows his true heart's mission and we think that's awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week our BruceLeeMoment comes from Germany, Martin Priebe: Dear Shannon, Dear BruceLee.com team, My name is Martin and I live in Germany. I just want to share my #BruceLeeMoment with you (as you mentioned in your podcast) I´m a huge fan of bruce lee. Not only the films, I like the philosophy as well. And I´m working as a software developer and I´m doing wing chun since a while. So what happened was that I was reading "Tao of JKD" and working for my job simultaneously. Then I was stunned for a few seconds. I recognized that JKD and Bruce Lee´s philosophy matched exactly the style of agile software developing. The next days Í was thinking about it. This idea was like a hammer that was banging my head. And few weeks ago I did a presentation about "Was Bruce Lee the first agile coach? And what can we learn about it for our daily business" on a convention for software development. "Be water, my friend", "sophisticated style stripped to it´s essentials", all the wing chun principles, the way he developed his style, "individuals more important than any style." And what can I say... It was great. It was a lot of fun. And it was not easy to teach nerds :) But I had to do it. Every time I was thinking "oh, should I do that" I remembered the words "Expressing yourself honestly". I want so say thank you. Thanks for the power and energy! Thanks for your words too and keep on going. You are doing a great job! Mit freundlichen Grüßen/best regards, Martin Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

Bruce Lee, was an extremely joyous person who loved to laugh. It's an often overlooked part of his personality but he loved to joke and play around, and make other people laugh. He also thought of happiness as a synonym for well-being. Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce's wife, tells us about Bruce's humor and how much she laughed during their years together. Bruce was also quite a prankster on set and with friends, and he loved a good pun. His playful character also created a fun-loving energy in his home. Brandon Lee, Bruce's son and Shannon's brother, seemed to have inherited his father's jokester personality. Shannon shares how Brandon would pull pranks and how their family was filled with a sense of play, lightness, joy, and laughter. For Shannon, laughter is an integral part of who she is and she considers laughter the best medicine. Bruce Lee distinguished "being happy" with "happiness." Being happy was just about passing moments while achieving happiness over a lifetime involved being productive towards ones goals, being kind to other people, being grateful for what you have, having a social conscience, surmounting obstacles, and making progress in your life. Happiness was action-oriented for Bruce. He also used humor while teaching martial arts and in his writing and acting projects. Laughter and joy were integral parts of Bruce Lee's philosophy of living and well-being. Take action: Try to incorporate more laughter and joy "medicine" into your life. Seek light and playful moments that make you smile or creates laughter between people. If you have someone in your life who brings you joy and laughter, let them know you appreciate them. Once a week, try to give the next person you meet a big, warm smile. Bring some joy into the room and see how the energy changes for everyone. We'd love to hear about your experiences with taking action, please reach out via [email protected] or via social media @BruceLee. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's #AAHA shout-out goes to Jeanette Lee aka "The Black Widow", a world class billiards player. She was ranked as the #1 Women's Billiards player in the 90's and took home the gold for the US at the 2001 World Games. She has been featured on ESPN and in numerous other sports magazines. Not only is Jeanette a world champion pool player she is an author, public speaker, and philanthropist. She has served as the National Spokesperson for the Scoliosis Association for almost two decades. Keep on killin' it Jeanette! #BruceLeeMoment Our #BruceLeeMoment this week comes from Ricky St Claire, and he writes: Hi ladies, I love the podcast! I've been craving something positive and uplifting to listen to and this has touched the spot. It goes without saying Bruce Lee has transcended everything he touched. He was so ahead of his time and paved the way for so many people in so many genres. My own Bruce Lee Moment was inspired by the narrative in the movie Dragon, where your father was warned not to teach the "gweilo" (the foreigners.) I was in an apparently failed relationship with another religious background that I was warned by everyone I shouldn't get back with, as Bruce was warned not to teach. Long story short, I defied what I was told by everyone and got back with her and proposed to her. Ten years on and we are still strong and we have two amazing daughters. Watching Jason as Bruce come back from injury, defy the odds, and do everything he did in the movie, inspired me not to be afraid to fight for what I want. Keep inspiring! Regards, Ricky St Claire Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

In this week's episode we have a special guest Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce Lee's wife and Shannon's mom. Linda shares stories of her life with Bruce, how they first met and what it was like to be married to and in a partnership with him. She said that Bruce considered his greatest accomplishment was being a father. She describes what kind of father he was to Brandon and Shannon, and how his unusual schedule allowed him to spend more time with his kids than other fathers at the time. Every day was different for Bruce with teaching, traveling, training or filming. Linda shares some daily rituals that grounded Bruce—he drank tea with honey and ginseng every morning, and throughout the day to maintain his energy. We also discuss the unique path Bruce decided to take in his film career. After facing discrimination in Hollywood, he chose to go to Hong Kong to create his own production company and make the films he wanted to make. "You need to know yourself, you need to believe in yourself, you have to have faith in yourself." This was a mantra that Bruce put into action in his career and in his life. Linda shares that Bruce used to say, "All knowledge is self-knowledge." He was always in the process of learning about himself and becoming himself. Linda and Bruce were married in 1964, 3 years before the US Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week we give a shout out to DJ Qbert, Filipino American turntablist and composer. Suggested to us by a write in from a podcast listener, we want to recognize the awesomeness that is DJ Qbert. He's been in the DJ game for a long time and started his career with group FM20 with Mix Master Mike and DJ Apollo in 1990. He innovated DJ turntable and scratching products and launched Qbert Skratch University. Keep on innovating DJ Qbert! #BruceLeeMoment We have an email from Michael H.: Hi, I just wanted to drop you a line to say how much I appreciate your podcast. I always knew Bruce was an amazing action star and person, but I didn't realize until now what a deep thinker he was. In particular, I thought it was really interesting that a guy as manly as Bruce was happy to try hairdressing, I wish more men were that comfortable in their masculinity. My Bruce Lee Moment involved a bully at work. The bully always made me feel small and angry. And I constantly felt like in order to compete at work I would have to get down at the bully's level and become like them. But then I thought about Bruce saying "Be like water, my friend." And I realized I could go further by flowing past the bully, and finding more innovative ways to succeed that didn't put me in the bully's path. I really really appreciate that now. Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

"The medicine for my suffering I had within me from the very beginning but I did not take it. My ailment came from within myself, but I did not observe it until this moment. Now I see I will never find the light unless, like a candle, I am my own fuel." This quote is very close to Shannon's heart. When her brother Brandon unexpectedly died in 1993 on the set of the Crow, Shannon was overwhelmed with intense pain and grief. It was on her journey to find healing from her grief that she started to delve into her father's writings for the first time and she found this quote. Bruce's words helped his daughter find space to heal and process Brandon's death. Shannon is motivated to share her father's writings and quotes because his words personally helped her get through the toughest time of her life. After discovering her father's writings, Shannon experienced her own #BruceLeeMoment of self-awareness and the call to be on a path of self-actualization. She quit acting and decided to dedicate her life to spreading her father's wisdom and legacy. We also talk about Kung-fu: the acquisition of skill through hard work. You can have kung-fu in anything, whatever you've developed mastery in. We often ask our team and visitors: what is your Kung-fu? Three layers of awareness: - Awareness of self - Awareness of in-between - Awareness of the world Take Action: Start with noticing where you are struggling in your life; it might be something big or small. Decide to move in a positive direction and seek the tools that are out there that will help you have constructive motion. We recommend journaling to help you take action with your struggle. If you would like to share your moment of taking action, we would love to hear from you! Share via social media @BruceLee or by email at [email protected] #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's #AAHA shout out goes to Phil Yu, also known as Angry Asian Man, a Korean American blogger and content creator. He started off with just his blog, highlighting things out in the world that he had issue with or he felt needed more discussion. Now he has won numerous awards, has a podcast and youtube talkshow, and sits on the board of Visual Communications that produces the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. Phil has given a voice to his own culture and his own identity, and we think that's awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes to us via email from Justin Lewis: Hello Shannon and Sharon, My #BruceLeeMoment happened to me at 18. My parents were great at making their kids feel comfortable when we were growing up, but I knew for a while that there were some problems with my parents' relationship. Finally they got divorced and it spun me off into this world I didn't know and made me very uncomfortable with my surroundings. I was angry for a while and had no problem whatsoever letting my feelings be known. Being a young man, I was faced for the first time to try to cope with something outside my comfort zone. It was here that I rediscovered a documentary. Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey. Now I've seen this doc before, but when Bruce was going against the Escrima master with the bamboo stick, something stuck with me. The whole speech about "the willingness to adapt to broken rhythm" spoke to me and from then on, I was able to start to adapt to my surroundings, and try to be more fluid with life. Now I'm moving on to the next #BruceLeeMoment in my life, as I pursue my career in writing for film and comic books. After listening to your podcast about Taking Action, I realize that it is now or never. I learned how it was to be reactive, but now let's see what happens when I become active. Thanks, and keep up the good work two! Forever flowing, Justin "Lou" Lewis Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

"Walk on." There's a story behind this famous quote. In 1969, Bruce severely injured his back during a routine training session because he didn't warm up properly. He was told he could never practice martial arts again and may never walk normally. Devastated by this news, Bruce became a researcher of his injury, his body and ultimately created his own path to healing. The journey was long and there were many ups and downs. At one point he took one of his business cards and wrote "Walk on" on the back. He put this card where he could see it to remind him every day to move forward with his recovery. No matter what anyone else said, he would always "Walk on." It is from this year-long recovery period that produced much of Bruce Lee's writing. Since he was confined to his bed, Bruce would read and write constantly to stay active. In one of his writings Bruce says: "Whether I like it or not, circumstances are thrust upon me, and being a fighter at heart, I sort of fight it in the beginning. But soon realize that what I need is not inner resistance and needless conflict, rather by joining forces to readjust, I need to make the best of it." "Walk on and leave behind all the things that would dam up the inlet or clog the outlet of experience." Later when writing to a friend about his back injury: "But with every adversity comes a blessing because a shock acts as a reminder to oneself that we must not get stale in routine." It's not the situation that's the problem. It's how you react to it. Bruce Lee used Buddhism's Eight-fold path in relation to martial arts, but Shannon believes her father also used this path to design his recovery. "You must see clearly what is wrong. You must decide to be cured. Speak so as to aim at being cured. You must act. Your livelihood must not conflict with your therapy. The therapy must go forward at the staying speed. You must feel it and think about it incessantly. And learn how to contemplate with the deep mind." "Walk On" is an action phrase. Here's how you can take action with what we discussed this week: Think: Do you have a phrase that you use that helps you? Or what could be a phrase that you can create that can help you with whatever you are struggling with right now? Please share your phrases with us, we'd love to hear from you. Share via social media with the hashtag #BruceLeeMoment #AHAA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's #AHAA shout-out goes to actress Constance Wu, currently on the TV show "Fresh Off the Boat. "Recently, she ignited a Twitter-storm in response to the news of Matt Damon being cast in a movie called "The Great Wall" which is about China's Great Wall. Constance starts off strong: "We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world. It's not based in actual fact. Our heroes don't look like Matt Damon. They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela." Bruce Lee was a huge advocate for casting people of color in leading roles and did not believe that America would only accept White lead characters. Thank you Constance for speaking truth and being awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week we have an email from a fan named Bryon Yu: Hi my name is Byron from San Diego, CA. I've been listing to your podcast for a few days now and it's been very inspirational. It's awesome that you focus on Bruce Lee's philosophies, because there truly is more to him than the martial arts he's known for. As a Chinese-American, I've always struggled with finding the balance between the culture I am born into and the culture I am born from. And hearing how one of the most famous Chinese-Americans thinks definitely helps me puts things into perspective. Perhaps it's not so important to find a defined middle path, but to simply walk the path you believe is good and right. Thank you Shannon, Sharon, and the podcast team for doing this! Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected].

In this week's episode we talk about the three core tenets of Jeet Kune Do: Simplicity, Directness, Freedom. Bruce Lee applied these tenets to martial arts, but also to everyday life. Shannon shares the story of the pivotal fight that led Bruce Lee to develop his own martial arts philosophy and way: Jeet Kune Do. In Bruce Lee's words: "The art of Jeet Kune Do is simply to simplify. Jeet Kune Do avoids the superficial, penetrates the complex, goes to the heart of the problem and pinpoints the key factors. Jeet Kune Do does not beat around the bush. It does not take winding detours. It follows a straight line to the objective. Simplicity is the shortest distance between two points. Jeet Kune Do favors formlessness so that it can assume all forms and since Jeet Kune Do has no style, it can fit in with all styles. As a result, Jeet Kune Do utilizes all ways and is bound by none and, likewise, uses any techniques or means which serve its end." Essentially: Taking what is useful and rejecting what is useless. You have to know the rules to rewrite the rules. The problem is never apart from the solution, the solution is within the problem, if you're willing to confront and face the problem. "To realize freedom, the mind has to learn to look at life without the bondage of time. For freedom lies beyond the field of consciousness, don't stop and interpret "Hey I'm free" then you're living in a memory of something that has now gone." If we, in our own lives, start to hack away at the unnecessary, take out everything we don't need or that we thought we needed but don't, that will give us the space to explore what it's like to be free from ego, free from form, free to express our true selves. The mark of genius is to see and express what is simple, simply. True freedom relies on the balance of structure and formlessness. "Learning Jeet Kune Do is not a matter of seeking knowledge or accumulating stylized pattern, but is discovering the cause of ignorance." "If you follow the classical pattern, you're understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow, you are not understanding yourself." What you can do to practice this philosophy: Look around your own life and ask how can I be more direct? How can I simplify? What can I let go of? What is cluttering up my life right now? Pick a space (physical space or they way we do something) and ask what is the most useful part of this? And strip away the useless. We'd love to hear about your experiences applying this philosophy to your life. Feel free to share with us via social media @BruceLee or at [email protected] #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's #AAHA shout-out goes to Jake Shimabukuro, the talented ukulele musician and composer. He is constantly breaking expectations and exploring his instrument. He's also a big Bruce Lee fan: "As I got older," he says, "I realized that I could also learn from guitar players, drummers, violinists, pianists, singers and even dancers. And then I started to observe athletes. Athletes are artists too. I was heavily influenced by people like Bruce Lee and Michael Jordan – applying their philosophy and intense, mental focus to music performance." #BruceLeeMoment Jake Shimabukuro is also this week's #BruceLeeMoment! "With Bruce Lee, I was really into his philosophy and the way he approached martial arts. All this mixed martial arts that you see now, that was his concept decades before. I kind of wanted to take that mindset of a mixed martial artist and bring it to music. Like being an MMA musician in a way where you learn to appreciate all different styles of music. And then you take the thing that runs parallel to your taste and expresses who you are. That was, in a nutshell, what Bruce Lee was all about. Martial arts to him was a form of human expression." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected].

"Under the sky, under the heavens, we are but one family." This week we discuss harmony. Harmony was an important part of Bruce Lee's philosophy and the way he lived his life. He was always seeking connection over opposition and never needed to compare himself with anyone else. He truly believed that we are one family—black, white, brown, yellow, red—we are all one. Bruce Lee believed in the harmony of totality versus partiality. You need to be aware of your surroundings and relate to your surroundings, and this helps you be in harmony with yourself and the world. It is hard to learn about yourself in complete isolation, you need to live in the world. We also discuss the idea of "Harmonious Individuality." This is one of Bruce Lee's core principles. It's a fusion of Eastern and Western ideas. You can be a very unique individual and yet still be connected to and in harmony with the world around you. Being an individual does not have to mean that you are separate from your community or your environment. Separation is a false concept. "The oneness of all life is a truth that can be fully realized only when false notions of a separate self are forever annihilated. " What can we do to help us live in harmony with our surroundings, our community, and ourselves? Try this test: Letting others be. Practice living in harmony by not saying anything negative about anyone else or yourself for 48hrs. If you try the 48hr test and want to share your experiences with us, tell us about it via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected] #AAHA: Awesome Asians and Hapas This week's shout out goes to Jenova Chen, videogame designer and founder of videogame company That Game Company. He created the beautiful, meditative indie videogame "Journey." Unlike most console-based games, the point of Journey is not to gain points, blow up enemies or strategize for victory. Rather, it's an emotional exploration on birth, death, collaboration and transcendence—the journey of life. It was inspired by Jenova's wish to alleviate loneliness and make meaningful human connections. It's so heartwarming to know that a creator like Jenova is out in the world making his art. We think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's Bruce Lee Moment comes from legendary skateboarder Christian Hosoi. Christian says, "I wanted to be like Bruce Lee. I wanted to be a martial artist. I was going to be the best in the world. But I got introduced to skateboarding, and I was like, oh wow, this is something no one has done. I can actually be the Bruce Lee of this sport. I wanted to be the dominator. I wanted to smash people like Bruce Lee did. I wanted to be the best, and that was my goal at 10 years old." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

"To change with change is the changeless state." Change often brings fear, and many times we resist. But if you can flow and be adaptable, you can move through all of the things that life throws at you, with much ease you will remain in a place where you wont freak out and you will remain in a changeless state. "To understand your fear in change is the beginning of really seeing." Life is constantly moving and changing and you have to follow that movement like the shadow following the body. Being tense and fearful of change brings despair and destruction of your joy. Being present in the moment for what the moment brings is more important than worrying about something that hasn't happened. "Wisdom does not lie in trying to wrest the good from the evil but rather lies in learning to ride them as a cork adapts itself to the crest of a wave. Resisting change is resisting life. "The meaning of life is to be lived." #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's shoutout goes to Judy Joo, a chef, writer and TV personality. Judy left a prominent banking job to follow her passion for cooking. She began in a test kitchen and worked her way up to become an iron chef in the UK and opened her own restaurant Jinjuu, in London and Honk Kong. Judy is on the Food Network with "Korean Food Made Simple" and also published a book by the same name. #BruceLeeMoment (Bruce Lee's philosophy in action IRL) This week's #BruceLeeMomment come from Isaiah Thomas professional NBA player for the Celtics. Thomas says: "I've been studying four great professional including Bruce Lee. I carry a quote from Bruce Lee with me, "be water my friend." I think it is the best quote that he has, because it can adapt to anything. Bruce's mentality was just so different from everybody else's in life. You read his quotes and make so much sense when it comes to just trying to lock in what is at task. I think a lot of his game and mentality is how you carry yourself and how you think of yourself." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

"What was that? An Exhibition? We need emotional content. Now try again!" What did Bruce Lee mean by "Emotional Content?" He was describing the feeling of being totally present in your body and connected to your own life force. A spiritual life force that is the energy of creation. This force helps you become a human being from moment to moment. When you are creating emotional content, you are creating in awareness, openness and receptivity to everything around you. You are in a state of relating to your surroundings. You are not in isolation—you are connected. "Don't think, FEEL." Don't pull yourself out of a real moment by thinking and intellectualizing. Stay in the moment and be totally present for the total experience. Emotional content is also about the creation of art. Art is the communication of authentic feelings. We are all artists of our own lives. Bruce Lee believed that art is the work of enlightenment. And the origin of enlightenment comes from understating your own heart and living whole-heartedly. Action step for this week: release yourself to spontaneous action when you're inspired by your own spiritual life force. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's shoutout goes to Olympic fencing champion Alexander Massialas. Alexander is part of the US men's fencing team that won the bronze medal in Rio and he also won an individual silver medal in foil fencing. Alexander is a Hapa, born to a Greek father and Taiwanese mother. Thanks for representing the US with such excellence and athletic mastery. Alexander, you are awesome! #BruceLeeMoment (Bruce Lee's philosophy in action IRL) This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes from one of our listeners David Hunt: I wanted to share a Bruce Lee moment that I experienced that actually encouraged me to embed it into my university's graduation speech :) The Story At the time, I resided in Philadelphia and traveled back home to Charlotte, North Carolina for winter vacation. The day was nothing less than relaxing - I caught up with old friends, tried some new food, and walked through the mall all in solitude. A few hours into my excursions and my cell phone died. Uh oh - no calls and more importantly no uber to the family dinner that was fast approaching. The weather was unusually warm so I decided to walk the five miles and take a chance that I'd show up for dinner on time. Along my walk I came across a stream. In some areas the water was swirling around, others it was still, and yet other places the water was moving extremely rapidly over twigs or rocks. I thought to myself if I took an empty glass and collected some of that water, it is the same exact substance although separate. And if I poured it back in, it would merge seamlessly. In a cathartic moment of clarity, I began to question - why can't we do that, why can't us humans interact on such a collaborative level? Placing appropriate attention on our similarities while still acknowledging our differences. Water exists as vapor, liquid, and ice. Humans come in different races, ethnicities, align with different religions and so forth. Yet water always retains its...being of water flowing through vastly different environments adapting itself and always merging with its different forms in some capacity. That's when it hit me - I viewed water as love, this egoless aesthetic of oneness. And not oneness in the sense that we don't have uniqueness but oneness in the sense of how we can interact with each other peacefully. In that moment, it became my mission to be love. When love wakes up in the morning, I want it to say, "I want to be like David." Cheers. Wishing you all a wonderful day and thank you so much for all that you do. I listened to my first Bruce Lee podcast yesterday on Honesty and thought I'd share this moment with you since you all inspired me. With Palpable Vibes, David V. Hunt Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected]

This week we talk about how Bruce Lee documented his goals, valued mistakes and created a personal definition of success. A dedicated journal writer, Lee consistently wrote down his big and small goals. He believed that all goals did not have to be achieved, they were a way to orient yourself towards a big dream with meaning. They were also an opportunity to make mistakes along the way, learn and adapt as necessary—being in flow, using no way as way. He wrote this big goal for himself when he was 28 years old: My Definite Chief Aim I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will have in my possession $10,000,000. I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness. Bruce Lee Jan. 1969 Bruce Lee also valued mistakes and defeat. To him, "defeat is nothing but education. Nothing but the first step to figuring out something better." Mistakes were learning moments. He also said "success means doing something sincerely and whole-heartedly." It was a way of being a human being, not a destination or outcome. The success is in the doing and doing it with your whole heart. Action step for this week: try to write your own Definite Chief Aim. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's shoutout goes to chef and owner of n/naka Niki Nakayama. Niki was born into a restaurant family and tried her hand at the family business with a normal popular sushi restaurant. But her artist's heart longed for something more connected to her soul. She traveled throughout Japan for 3 years learning kaiseki style cuisine, a formal presentation of courses that accompany Buddhist tea ceremonies at monasteries. She then transformed this ancient cooking style into a modern interpretation that is uniquely her own. Her journey is beautifully documented in the Netflix series Chef's Table and it's worth a watch. #BruceLeeMoment (Bruce Lee's philosophy in action IRL) This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes from our team member Richard Grewar who runs the Bruce Lee Foundation Richard has struggled with depression for twenty years. On a particularly tough day when he felt like isolating, shutting down and giving up, this quote from Bruce Lee helped him zoom out and notice the world around him along with some frolicking dolphins: "Its like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at [email protected].