Bruce Lee Podcast

By Shannon LeeTV & Film Society & Culture

Bruce Lee Podcast episodes

December 29, 2016 #26 Friend of Bruce Lee: W. Kamau Bell
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].
1 hr 6 min
December 22, 2016 #25 The Art of Dying
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]
48 min
December 15, 2016 #24 Poetry
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]
44 min
December 08, 2016 #23 Yin Yang
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]
56 min
December 01, 2016 #22 Linda on Bruce and Brandon
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]
1 hr 15 min
November 27, 2016 #21 Bruce's Bday Wish: Be Water, My Friend
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."
50 min
November 23, 2016 #20 Nutrition and Fitness
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]
46 min
November 17, 2016 #19 Friend of Bruce Lee: Steve Aoki
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]
58 min
November 10, 2016 #18 The Individual Over Any Established System
"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].
39 min
November 03, 2016 #17 Affirmations Part 3: Willpower
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]
39 min

About Bruce Lee Podcast

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On this season of the Bruce Lee Podcast, join Bruce Lee's daughter Shannon Lee as she engages in conversation with special guests from all walks of life about their approach to living life fluidly and…