Bruce Lee On Emptiness, The Secret of Life & The Principle of Life

Emptiness the starting point. — In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup. My friend, drop all of your preconceived fixed ideas and be neutral. Do you know why this cup is so useful? Because it is empty.

The moment we are born our cup is filled with the ideas, beliefs, opinions, and notions of others. Whether it is your parents, grandparents, teachers or friends, we’re constantly taking on other peoples understandings and in doing so, limiting the space in the cup for our own thoughts. In this manner, we’re filled with preconceived notions about what to like or dislike, how to behave, what to think about, what’s considered the right way, what’s the wrong way and so on. All of these limitations then further limit our ability to connect with other people who may be living a life different from our own.

That’s where the conflict comes in. This conflict either shows itself externally where two individuals disagree and fight, such disagreements run rampant on social media because that’s melting pot for individuals from all over the world to interact with one another.

Another way this conflict shows itself is internally. This is when you meet someone who is essentially doing the opposite of what you have been told to do and this person makes sense to you and seems to be fulfilled. Such encounters lead to the examination of oneself which leads to your own growth by shedding certain preconceived ideas. However, sometimes the opposite happens as well where you double down on your beliefs because the uncomfortable process of rewiring your belief system can be a difficult one.

Either way, the advice from Bruce Lee is simple at first but the application is hard. Yet, the fewer fixed ideas and opinions you hold, the more flexible you are and better you will be at handling the twists and turns of life and easier it will be for you to connect with your fellow man.

The secret of life — The aphorism “as a man thinketh in his heart so is he” contains the secret of life. James Allen further added “A man is literally what he thinks.” This might be a shocking statement, but everything is a state of mind.

Your thoughts make and shape you. Whatever you are constantly thinking about, that will be at the forefront of your mind and actions follow what your mind obsesses about. Through action you mold your habits and behaviors and what you repeatedly do, you are.

The principle of life — Life is never stagnation. It is a constant movement, unrhythmic movement, as well as constant change. Things live by moving and gain strength as they go.

Life can only be improved by action. The reason for this is that life itself is always moving and acting. If you’re not willing to match its stride then you’ll be left behind. The simple principle is true. Life isn’t stagnant and you can’t be either.

The only way to get stronger is by acting.

The only way to get smarter is by acting.

The only way to build confidence is by acting.

The only way to overcome your fears is by acting.

The only way to lessen your anxieties is by acting.

The only way to find someone you love is by acting.

The only way to improve your life is by acting.

The only way to inch towards your dreams is by acting.

The only way to experience life is by acting.

Book Referenced: Striking Thought by Bruce Lee