“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and 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.”
- Bruce Lee
I love the above quote. There is so much depth in it's content. I find that when I am having a difficult day it is helpful to say to myself "be like water". I see this as a reminder to soften the mind and be gentle with myself and others. Embrace gratitude for all that is given and taught. Learn to explore and flow with ease while enjoying the moment. Be resilient and allow myself to adapt and change fluidly.
This past week has continued to be challenging. I remember reading Mr. Bauer's blog about meditation a few days ago. There were some great insights and content, but I remember thinking "meditation is not going to help improve my mood!" And yet, as I thought about this some more, I have come to realize that an accumulative approach is what is going to make the difference. So even though I won't necessarily feel great after one meditation, I will feel better and better through daily meditation. Repetition and consistency is the key towards being successful in most of what we do in life.
Everything that we do is a step forward along as we learn from it and don't give up. How often have you thought about quitting, giving up or giving in? I know that this is a thought that has crossed my mind from time to time, especially when stress and anxiety has me feeling overwhelmed and I start to question why am I doing this to myself. I think that when this happens we all need to ask ourselves "what would quitting or giving up mean?" "What do I stand to loose when quitting/giving up?" "What would others stand to loose and am I ok with the associated missed opportunities?"
Most of us have developed the ability to look for and see the positive in our struggles. This ability to reflect and discover the gifts we have been given as a result of our struggles are important to our growth as martial artists and as human beings. But, I also think that it is important to be able to share how we are doing on a deeper level that sometimes can be raw and may not in the moment feel like a gift. Too often we only see the surface struggles and are trying to put on a happy face for others around us. Sometimes the positive for ourselves and others comes later and through sharing. Struggling by yourself doesn't help you and it won't help others either. Can we truly have compassion and empathy for others if we are not sharing on a deeper level? Sorry, many questions that I don't have all he answers for. Just some thoughts.
Namaste!
No comments:
Post a Comment