Artist of Life

"One of Bruce Lee’s primary missions in life was to authentically express himself. He also had a high need to publicly express his excellence. And he found it in the arts—martial arts, as well as the moving arts, TV and film. He was a very deep thinker and an extraordinary doer; he really had the combination of the two. He practiced mindfulness and inner investigation, as well as his external craft. He was one of the archetypes of the balance between those two, the deep commitment to exploring potential. He changed the industry of martial arts, and created a new form. In a deeply-steeped tradition, that’s not easy to do. He was able to disrupt and shift the game. They were not manufactured disruptions; they were authentic disruptions that came through insight and suffering. The combination of those two are very important. He just holds up the flag for the balance again between a deep internal investigation, and a relentless commitment to an external craft. It’s really hard. You know, there are no hacks, no seven steps, no tricks or tips. It is an internal investigation. That discovery process is yours alone. To be able to cultivate the ability to be internally quiet enough to listen is the work. That’s where mindfulness becomes such an accelerant to potential. It’s not about not having thoughts. It’s about being able to observe, and listen, and watch, and feel what happens internally with different thoughts and different emotions. To be able to understand why that is, and what that means, and how to eloquently work with both toward your mission in life. One of the fundamental questions is: Who am I? That’s an ancient meditation that’s been around for thousands and thousands of years. What is my purpose? That’s also been around for thousands and thousands of years. I can’t say what somebody else’s purpose is. But I can say that one of the mechanisms to help get closer to understanding it is to listen. There are at least three ways to listen. One is through a mindfulness or meditation practice. Another is through writing. As we write, we have to force ourselves to choose words, and as we choose those words, there’s a connection, you know? A feeling that goes with that, oftentimes. And then, there is talking with wise men and women. Those three functions can help gather a deeper insight about the person that somebody is working on becoming. “A mark of somebody who has developed their inner capacity is their ability to move freely in the world” Bruce Lee’s investigation here was about authentic expression. Every moment, we have the opportunity to choose thoughts, to choose silence, and to combine those with emotions. There are millions of opportunities every nanosecond. For many people, what happens is that in favourable environments, it is easier to have thoughts, words, and actions that make sense and feel authentic. But when the conditions change and there are stakes on the line—or if there’s real or perceived danger involved, and a high-stress environment—then it’s harder to line up thoughts, words, and actions. We become less authentic in our expression, and more mechanistic or survivalist. So, a mark of somebody who has developed their inner capacity, as well as an external skill, is their ability to move freely in the world around them in any condition, any environment. When we think of the most significant shapers of our world, some died because they were so authentic. Some suffered greatly. And some, in doing both of those, changed the world. I’m thinking here about Dr. King . I’m thinking about some of the greatest influencers in modern times as well."