Bruce Lee on style & creating your own personal way...

On Style...

To reach the masses, some sort of big organization (whether) domestic and foreign branch affiliation, is not necessary. To reach the growing number of students, some sort of pre-conformed set must be established as standards for the branch to follow. As a result all members will be conditioned according to the prescribed system. Many will probably end up as a prisoner of a systematized drill.

Styles tend to not only separate men - because they have their own doctrines and then the doctrine became the gospel truth that you cannot change. But if you do not have a style, if you just say: Well, here I am as a human being, how can I express myself totally and completely? Now, that way you won't create a style, because style is a crystallization. That way, it's a process of continuing growth.

To me totality is very important in sparring. Many styles claim this totality. They say that they can cope with all types of attacks; that their structures cover all the possible lines and angles, and are capable of retaliation from all angles and lines. If this is true, then how did all the different styles come about? If they are in totality, why do some use only the straight lines, others the round lines, some only kicks, and why do still others who want to be different just flap and flick their hands? To me a system that clings to one small aspect of combat is actually in bondage.
This statement expresses my feelings perfectly: 'In memory of a once fluid man, crammed and distorted by the classical mess.'


On Creating Your Own Personal Way...

Learn the principle, abide by the principle, and dissolve the principle. In short, enter a mold without being caged in it. Obey the principle without being bound by it. LEARN, MASTER AND ACHIEVE!!!

Knowledge in martial arts actually means self-knowledge. A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and accept the consequences of his own doing. The understanding of JKD is through personal feeling from movement to movement in the mirror of the relationship and not through a process of isolation. To be is to be related. To isolate is death. To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. Now, it is very difficult to do. It has always been very easy for me to put on a show and be cocky, and be flooded with a cocky feeling and feel pretty cool and all that. I can make all kinds of phoney things. Blinded by it. Or I can show some really fancy movement. But to experience oneself honestly, not lying to oneself, and to express myself honestly, now that is very hard to do.

Never let up.....by Rise & Grind...

An excerpt on Never Letting UP written by Rise & Grind... (Source) 

 ...Just when you think you have it all GOD will give you a punch in the gut to let you know you aren’t finished.  I was the cat growing up who never stopped doing whatever was ahead of me but as I get older I realized I have let up a lot.  Now it only comes back to haunt me when bullshit in my transactions are fucked up primarily of a technicality.  Something so small and insignificant but to the cat I am trying to do business with it’s what they base the deal on.  When I sit down and think about it on the whole I can pinpoint it to me not finishing something off completely.  I’m usually really good at ending things but one I made the mistake of thinking time is on my side I end up paying for it later on in time.  

I used to accomplish so much when I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.  I mean I would read like 12 hours a day on just about any topic related to money.  I would work out at least 3 times a day, 3 x 45 minutes on the elliptical, bench press, biceps, squats and damn near the whole gym.  I would work a side job at night and still had time to break bread with my homies at happy hour, then a club and then an after hour margarita bar each Friday night.  Man I was in the zone and on top of my game as I was making money and living life. 

Sooner or later I got used to things just coming to me in an easy way.  I lost my discipline and my aggressiveness towards making chips.  I started to become just like all the other Suckers in the game walking around here worrying about bullshit politics.  I just let everything go like I was watching seagulls at the beach.  I woke up 4 years later and realized I didn’t care to much about anything and was becoming happy with nothing.  I got out of my hole and I was born into and for once in my life I was actually enjoying life.  I lost all my anger and frustrations and was damn near turning into a HIPPIE in life.  I had all that I needed and I was cool with living that life.  Shit I saw everything I wanted to see, ate everything I wanted to eat, lived everywhere I wanted to live and thought there was nothing new under the sun. 

Then one day the bug got in me again and I took off again to start a new mission.  This one is not so much based off of being rich but about building something.  I’ve been ramping up and getting back in overall fighting shape.  But, since I let up so long ago I have to take care of shit I should’ve never stopped building in this game.  While it’s frustrating at times I know I’ll get there. But DAMN I wish I would’ve never let up…

Ten quotes and phrases to live by on fighting...

“When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right”
― Fiona Apple

 
“For the coming of that day shall I fight, I and my sons and my chosen friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his life. For his honor.”
― Ayn Rand, Anthem

 
“The road to hell was paved with the bones of men who did not know when to quit fighting.”
― Paulette Jiles, Enemy Women

 
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

 
“If you can't go back to your mother's womb, you'd better learn to be a good fighter.”
― Anchee Min, Red Azalea

 
“FEARLESS is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again....even though every time you've tried before you've lost.”
― Taylor Swift

 
“Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die.”
― Herbert Hoover

 
“To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.”
 --E.E. Cummings

 
“One of the most difficult things everyone has to learn is that for your entire life you must keep fighting and adjusting if you hope to survive. No matter who you are or what your position is you must keep fighting for whatever it is you desire to achieve.”
--George Allen

 
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
-- Sun Tzu

Boxkator Championship...the Cambodian martial art... (3min Video)

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Compliments of Ayrton Orio...

Rain trickling over the elephants' skin, the fighters are dancing like tree monkeys in the puddles of water… Competition of Boxkator between France and Cambodia in Siem Reap.

Bokator, or more formally, Labokkatao (ល្បុក្កតោ) is a Cambodian martial art that includes close hand-to-hand combat, ground techniques and weapons. Possibly the oldest existing fighting system in Cambodia, oral tradition indicates that bokator or an early form thereof was the close quarter combat system used by the armies of Angkor 1000 years ago. The term bokator translates as "pounding a lion" from the words bok meaning to pound and tor meaning lion. A common misunderstanding is that bokator refers to all Khmer martial arts while in reality it only represents one particular style. (source: Wikipedia)

"Keep It Moving"... First video from the album "Ice cream for the eskimo"

“I try to adopt the therapy of the pit-bull, as I disclose my frustrations by directing my energy into exercise. I don’t want no beef with you, I want to be a vegetarian.” – B.A.N.G. 

DOUGH'NUT | B.A.N.G. - KEEP IT MOVING

A DOUGH'NUT PRODUCTION©

Directed/DOP/Shot by:
Joppe Rog & Roby Kikic

Editing:
Joppe Rog & Roby Kikic

What is...is constantly moving...

A very powerful quote, on staying true to oneself, written by Jiddu Krishnamurti...

To know that one is in a certain condition, in a certain state, is already a process of liberation; but a man who is not aware of his condition, of his struggle, tries to be something other than he is, which brings about habit.  So, then let us keep in mind that we want to examine what is, to observe and be aware of exactly what is the actual, without giving it any slant , without giving it an interpretation.  It needs an extraordinarily astute mind, and extraordinarily pliable heart, to be aware of and to follow what is; because what is, is constantly moving, constantly undergoing a transformation, and if the mind is tethered to belief, to knowledge, it ceases to pursue, it ceases to follow the swift movement of what is.  What is not static, surely – it is constantly moving as you will see if you observe it very closely.  To follow it , you need a very swift mind and a pliable heart- which are denied when the mind is static, fixed in a belief, in a prejudice, in an identification; and a mind and heart that are dry cannot follow easily, swiftly, that which is.

Carl Von Clausewitz on boldness...

 

An excerpt On War by Carl Von Clausewitz...

...Let us admit that boldness in war even has its own prerogatives. It must be granted a certain power over and above successful calculations involving space, time, and magnitude of forces, for whenever it is superior; it will take advantage of its opponent's weakness. In other words, it is a genuinely creative force. Whenever boldness encounters timidity, it is likely to be the winner, because timidity itself implies a loss of equilibrium. Boldness will be at a disadvantage only in an encounter with deliberate caution, which may be considered bold in its own right and is certainly just as powerful and effective; but such cases are rare. Timidity is the rood of prudence in the majority of men… The higher up the chain of command, the greater is the need for boldness to be supported by a reflective mind, so that boldness does not degenerate into purposeless bursts of blind passion...

Anyone can follow a path....but few make their own...

Courtesy of the United States States Marine Corps and Till I Collapse...

Arnold on becoming a champion...

“A beginner does eight repetitions of a certain exercise with his maximum weight on the barbell. As soon as it hurts, he thinks about stopping. I work beyond this point, which means I tell my mind that as soon as it starts aching it is growing. Growing is something unusual for the body when you are over eighteen. The body isn’t used to ten, eleven, or twelve reps with a maximum weight. Then I do ten or fifteen sets of this in a row. No human body was ever prepared for this and suddenly it is making itself grow to handle this new challenge, growing through this pain area. Experiencing this pain in my muscles and aching and going on is my challenge. The last three or four reps is what makes the muscles grow. This area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion. That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens. I have no fear of fainting. I do squats until I fall over and pass out. So what? It’s not going to kill me. I wake up five minutes later and I’m OK. A lot of other athletes are afraid of this. So they don’t pass out. They don’t go on.”

“The only way to be a champion is by going through these forced reps and the torture and pain. That’s why I call it the torture routine. Because it’s like forced torture. Torturing my body. What helps me is to think of this pain as pleasure. Pain make me grow. Growing is what I want. Therefore, for me pain is pleasure. And so when I am experiencing pain I’m in heaven. It’s great. People suggest this is masochistic. But they’re wrong. I like pain for a particular reason. I don’t like needle’s stuck in my arm. But I do like the pain that is necessary to be a champion.”

Heres to the crazy ones...

“Because the people who think they are crazy enough to change the world are the ones that do.” - Apple

Contribution per Apple...

Play Like An American...

Contribution per Nike Soccer...

In Hard Work....We Trust...

Contribution per Gym Motivation ...

The Most Successful People In Life are Magicians...

An excerpt from The Book of Hov ...

There are two quotes from Jay-Z that I want to share with you, one from the Lenny Kravitz-featured song, “Gun and Roses” and the other from his memoir, Decoded. I think the best way to illustrate the insight in these quotes is to give you a sports analogy. Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. He was a highly skilled player who could do it all; shoot, pass, rebound, play defense. But as great as he was as a player, he was far from perfect. In fact, he was often lucky. Many of the phenomenal shots he made throughout his career he could not do twice. The most skilled player is often the luckiest.

You can never have too much skill in your hustle. Mastery of craft gives you a powerful advantage as you move forward in your life. Some people seek fortune, fame (even if it’s just popularity in your ‘hood) and gratification without being willing, ready and able to master the drive that can get them to their desired destination. We saw Jordan’s great performances on the basketball court on game day. But what we never saw was all of the hard work before, during and after practice that made Jordan the player he was. In any given game, Jordan’s hard work before tip-off paid off in ways that he couldn’t plan. Because he played with skill, oftentimes, good luck happened.

“They say when you play with skills, good luck could happen.”
–Guns and Roses

“Without work, the magic won’t come.”
-Decoded

There were moments on the basketball court when Jordan was in a zone. It’s as if he couldn’t miss a shot! When an athlete is in a zone, he’s playing with skill-and luck. But as Jay states in his memoir “Decoded”, you won’t reach your full potential “without work”. But he goes further than that. The harder you work the more you put yourself in the position to do extraordinary things.

Working hard to master your skill is a tried and true formula for success. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Even the most ambitious person can accomplish things greater than expectations and way beyond imagination. When you work hard and play the game of life with skill-good luck happens and the magic comes.

11 Lessons We Can Learn From Steve Jobs...

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma- which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."- Steve Jobs

An excerpt from Personal Excellence written on Apple Creator & Innovator Steve Jobs...

In Remembrance of Steve Jobs: 11 Lessons We Can Learn From Him

1. Life is what you make it out to be

2. Dream big- very Big

"Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently
— they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." – Apple’s Think Different commercial (#9 on the list)

3. The greatest things started somewhere

4. Certifications don’t matter

"Truth be told, I never graduated from college. And this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation." – Steve Jobs, during his address at Stanford Commencement 2005

"I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance." – Steve Jobs

5. Live every day like it is your last

"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

6. Stop listening to what others say

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." – Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

7. Do not underestimate the impact you can have on the world

 "I want to put a ding in the universe." – Steve Jobs

8. Failure only happens when you deem it to be so

9. Do what you love

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is [...] to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle." – Steve Jobs

10. Have faith - Never lose hope

"Sometimes life’s going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith." – Steve Jobs, on getting fired from Apple back in 1985

"You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." – Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

11. Outdo yourself - Over, and over again

"You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new."
– Steve Jobs