MESSAGE #1524 BRUCE LEE, PEAK PERFORMER
Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.
-Bruce Lee
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MESSAGE #1224 BRUCE LEE 3
“Defeat is a state of mind.
no one is ever defeated
until defeat has been accepted
as a reality.
To me, defeat in anything
is merely temporary,
and its punishment is but an urge
for me to exert greater effort
to achieve my goal.
Defeat simply tells me
that something is wrong in my doing;
it is a path leading to
success and truth.”
-BRUCE LEE
MESSAGE #1223 BRUCE LEE TOO
As promised, today’s message will include more of Bruce Lee, who would have turned 70 yesterday.
“If you want to learn to swim, jump into the water. On dry land, no frame of mind is going to help you.”
-BRUCE LEE
Think about it. If you learn all the technical and physical aspects of your sport/job, that is good. But you have to put yourself out there to get “tougher.”
In college, you learn theory.
In the real world, you gain experience and first-hand knowledge.
In practice, you learn theory.
In competition, you gain experience and learn how to win.
Most people don’t like to be thrown into pressure situations, but it is there where you learn the most.
It is there where you grow the most.
MESSAGE #1007 LET IT FLOW
Have you ever been in the zone?
Didn’t the tennis ball look like a beach ball?
EXERCISE
Part One: Look around you and find a nearby object, like a pen or piece of paper. Now slowly reach for it tightening every muscle in your body. Move as slow as you can. Now slowly bring it to your chest and slowly place it down back where you found it.
Part Two: Now reach for the same object normally and bring it to your chest and back.
Didn’t it feel effortless the second time? When you’re in the zone (or as I like to say, “the state of ‘ON'”) you are just flowing; you are just doing.
When we think too much, especially about negative things, we mentally tighten up just like when you were physically reaching for that object a moment ago.
When you mentally tighten up, your mind is not clear and therefore your body won’t function at peak performance.
Your effort should be ALL-OUT…
But your attitude should be A LITTLE RELAXED.
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
MESSAGE #805 AUTUMN ADRENALINE…
“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
-BRUCE LEE
The quote above is from Renita Kalhorn’s In the Flow Coaching website. Kalhorn is a Julliard-trained classical pianist with a martial arts black belt and an MBA from INSEAD, one of the top international business schools.
Last night I attended Renita’s Autumn Adrenaline workshop in New York City.
The purpose of the workshop was to “Kick Your Life Into High Gear.” Many of the attendees were looking to improve in areas such as…
-Focus
-Achieving
-Getting more done
-Getting unstuck
-Balancing time
Athletes have the same challenges. Goals are a critical component to success. Kalhorn says that goals keep her life “buzzing.”
According to Kalhorn, the three keys to success are Desire, Action and Energy.
DESIRE
-Find Your Why: Why are you pursuing this goal?
-Visualize: Vividly imagine in your mind yourself achieving this goal
-Feed Your Mind: Place positive images in your mind
-Ask Better Questions: Instead of asking “Why am I not succeeding,” ask instead, “Why am I so successful?”
ACTION
-Think Small: Start small and gain some momentum
-Slip In The Back Way (Virtuous Cycle): Just get started, then you get into it
-Find a Balance Between Challenge and Ability: Hypo stress is when your ability is greater than your challenge. Hyper stress is when your challenge is greater than your ability. And Eustress (Ideal) is when challenge and ability are equal.
ENERGY
-Set Your Intention: Say something like, “Now I am going to…”
-Create Rituals: Develop good habits.
-Rest and Recover: Take a break every 90 minutes.
If this is new to you…Great, take some notes.
I already knew much of what was covered in the workshop, but I still got a lot out of it.
Why?
Because it’s not about doing something once or knowing what to do. It’s doing something consistently. And there are parts of my life that I am working on and last night’s workshop helped inspire me to take different action. Starting today. It was also nice to see someone conduct a workshop and learn new ways to do things.
I conduct similar workshops on my own, but it was still wonderful to participate, learn and stay motivated. I think I just got to another plateau.
Thanks Renita!
Thanks for reading.
MESSAGE #483
“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
-BRUCE LEE
“That which we persist in doing becomes easier – not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased.”
-RALPH WALDO EMERSON
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
-HENRY DAVID THOREAU
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardship and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
-ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
The quotes above are from Renita Kalhorn, peak performance specialist’s website (http://www.intheflowcoaching.com/).
I try to help others improve.
But I, also, want to improve…
DO YOU?
Thanks for reading.