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Shannon Lee: What Bruce Lee can teach us about living fully
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Most of us know Bruce Lee as the famous martial artist and action film star -- but he was also a philosopher who taught "self-actualization": the practice of how to be yourself in the best way possible. In this inspiring talk, Bruce's daughter Shannon Lee takes us inside the mind of her father, exploring how to use his philosophy in your daily life to achieve profound personal growth and make a lasting impact.
Shannon Lee - Actor, producer, writer
Shannon Lee’s mission is to provide access for people to Bruce Lee’s philosophy through education and entertainment. Full bio
Shannon Lee’s mission is to provide access for people to Bruce Lee’s philosophy through education and entertainment. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Bruce Lee is my father,
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and he is best well-known
as a martial artist
as a martial artist
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and an action film star,
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as I'm sure most of you know.
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He died when I was four years old,
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but I have a really deep memory of him.
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I don't have those long-form, storied
memories that you do when you're older,
memories that you do when you're older,
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but the memory that I do have
is of the feeling of him.
is of the feeling of him.
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I remember his energy,
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his presence,
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his love --
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the safety of it,
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the power of it,
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the radiance of it.
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And to me that memory
is very deep and personal.
is very deep and personal.
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And it is the memory of the quality
of his essential nature.
of his essential nature.
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What a lot of people
don't know about my father
don't know about my father
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is that he was also a philosopher.
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He had a very ever-evolving philosophy
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that he lived,
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and it is that distinction --
that he lived his philosophy
that he lived his philosophy
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and didn't just espouse his philosophy --
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that made him the force of nature
that he was, and still engages us today.
that he was, and still engages us today.
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His wisdom has salvaged me
many times in my life:
many times in my life:
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when my brother died,
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when my heart's been broken,
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whenever I have faced a challenge
to my mind, my body or my spirit,
to my mind, my body or my spirit,
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the way that he expressed
himself has lifted me up.
himself has lifted me up.
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And so I come to you today
not as a researcher
not as a researcher
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or an educator or a guru
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or even a life coach,
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but as a student of Bruce Lee --
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as his daughter,
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and also as a student of my own life.
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So ...
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my big burning question that I want
you all to consider today is ...
you all to consider today is ...
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how are you?
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Let me elaborate.
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Whenever anyone would ask my mom
what my father was like,
what my father was like,
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she would say, "How he was
in front of the camera,
in front of the camera,
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how you saw him in his films,
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how you saw him in his interviews
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was, in fact, exactly how he was."
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There were not multiple Bruce Lees.
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There was not public Bruce Lee
and private Bruce Lee,
and private Bruce Lee,
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or teacher Bruce Lee and actor Bruce Lee
and family man Bruce Lee.
and family man Bruce Lee.
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There was just one
unified, total Bruce Lee.
unified, total Bruce Lee.
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And that Bruce Lee had a very deep,
philosophical life practice
philosophical life practice
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called self-actualization.
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You've probably heard that term before.
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It's also known as how to be yourself
in the best way possible.
in the best way possible.
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And that Bruce Lee said this:
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"When I look around,
I always learn something
I always learn something
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and that is to be always yourself,
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and to express yourself
and have faith in yourself.
and have faith in yourself.
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Don't go out and find a successful
personality and duplicate it,
personality and duplicate it,
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but rather start
from the very root of your being,
from the very root of your being,
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which is 'How can I be me?'"
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Many of us have done some soul-searching
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or at least some incessant
thinking and worrying
thinking and worrying
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about things like our purpose,
our passion, our impact,
our passion, our impact,
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our values
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and our "reason for being."
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And that is sometimes considered our why.
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Why am I here? Why this life?
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What am I meant to be doing?
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If we can grab a little piece
of that information,
of that information,
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it can help to ground us and root us,
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and it can also point us in a direction,
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and typically what it
points us to is our what.
points us to is our what.
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What we manifest in the world,
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what we have.
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So our job, our home,
our hobbies and the like.
our hobbies and the like.
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But there's this little space
in between the why and the what
in between the why and the what
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that often doesn't get our full attention,
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and that is our ...
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how.
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How we get there
and the quality of that doing.
and the quality of that doing.
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And I want to offer that this is actually
the most important part of the equation
the most important part of the equation
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when it comes to our personal growth,
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our sense of wholeness
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and even the long-term
impact that we make.
impact that we make.
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How is the action that bridges the gap
from the internal to the external.
from the internal to the external.
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And bridging the gap
is a very important concept
is a very important concept
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for martial artists like my father.
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It's how you get from point A to point B.
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It's how you get from here to your target
under the most vital of circumstances.
under the most vital of circumstances.
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And so it makes all the difference.
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Do you get there as an amateur?
Are you sloppy?
Are you sloppy?
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Are you wild, chaotic,
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sometimes you get lucky,
sometimes you're not lucky?
sometimes you're not lucky?
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Or are you a warrior?
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Are you confident?
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Are you focused?
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Are you skilled?
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Are you intuitive?
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Are you expressive, creative, aware?
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So I want to talk to you today
about your how in your life.
about your how in your life.
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So we do a little bit of --
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we spend a little time
in existential crisis
in existential crisis
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over "Why am I here?
What am I meant to be doing?"
What am I meant to be doing?"
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and we put a ton of effort
into our what --
into our what --
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our job, our career,
our partner that we have
our partner that we have
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and the hobbies we pursue.
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But I want us to consider
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that our how is the expression of our why
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in every what,
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whether we're aware of it or not.
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And so let's take an example.
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Let's say that I have a value of kindness.
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I'm all about kindness,
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I feel really natural being kind,
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I want to see more kindness in the world.
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Is that kindness --
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is that value in the result
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or is it in the doing?
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Are you trying to be kind
when it's hard to be kind?
when it's hard to be kind?
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Can you do something
you don't want to do kindly,
you don't want to do kindly,
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like fire someone?
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Can you leave
a relationship with kindness?
a relationship with kindness?
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If kindness is the value,
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then are you trying to express it
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in the whole spectrum of your doing --
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and trying to do that?
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Or are you just doing it when it's easy?
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So I want us to think
about that for a moment
about that for a moment
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and consider, you know, if we come home
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and we're kind and generous
and loving with our kids,
and loving with our kids,
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but then we go to work
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and we are dismissive
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and rude to our assistant
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and we treat them like a subhuman,
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then there is a fragmentation
in the beingness of our value.
in the beingness of our value.
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And so I want us to consider
that how we are in our lives
that how we are in our lives
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is in fact how we are.
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Meaning, if I am the kind of person
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that walks down the street
and smiles at people
and smiles at people
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and says "hi" as I walk
past them on the sidewalk,
past them on the sidewalk,
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then that is how I am.
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But if I'm also the kind of person
who makes fun of my brother
who makes fun of my brother
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every chance that I get behind his back,
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that is also the kind of person that I am.
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And ultimately how we are
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makes up the totality
of the picture of who we are.
of the picture of who we are.
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And so I want to talk about
how do we unite these pieces
how do we unite these pieces
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if we have any fragmentation.
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I want to understand
how we embody ourselves
how we embody ourselves
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as our one and only self.
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How do we actualize the whole self?
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My father said, "All goals
apart from the means are an illusion.
apart from the means are an illusion.
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There will never be means to ends --
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only means.
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And I am means.
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I am what I started with
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and when it is all over,
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I will be all that is left."
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So you can employ a systematic approach
to training and practicing,
to training and practicing,
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but you can't employ
a systematic approach to actually living
a systematic approach to actually living
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because life is a process not a goal.
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It is a means and not an end.
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So "to obtain enlightenment" --
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and I'm going to say self-actualize,
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to be self-actualized
or to obtain wholeness --
or to obtain wholeness --
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"emphasis should fall
NOT on the cultivation
NOT on the cultivation
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of the particular department" --
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all of our whats --
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"which then merges into the totality
of who we are as a total human being,
of who we are as a total human being,
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but rather, on the total human being
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that then enters into and unites
those particular departments."
those particular departments."
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You are your how.
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You --
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if you have some consciousness
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and you want to bring some practice,
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if you want to step
into that warrior space
into that warrior space
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around your how --
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how you express
in every aspect of your life --
in every aspect of your life --
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then you get to be the artist
of that expression.
of that expression.
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You get to step into that and claim it
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and exercise it
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and bring that beingness
through your doingness
through your doingness
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into your havingness.
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And there you will find
the most profound of your growth,
the most profound of your growth,
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you will find a sense of wholeness
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and ultimately, you will leave
a lasting impact on your environment.
a lasting impact on your environment.
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My father was his how.
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He applied the execution of who he was
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to every aspect of his life.
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He was way more than
that kung fu guy from the '70s.
that kung fu guy from the '70s.
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He was someone who worked very hard
at actualizing his inner self
at actualizing his inner self
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and expressing it out into the world.
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And that laid the foundation
for what continues to inspire us,
for what continues to inspire us,
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engage us,
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excite us
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and attract us to him.
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He was the embodied example
of living fully.
of living fully.
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He said, "I am means."
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And there are only means.
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So I'm going to ask you one more time.
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Thank you for listening,
and please consider,
and please consider,
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for you,
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across the spectrum of your doing,
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how are you?
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Shannon Lee - Actor, producer, writerShannon Lee’s mission is to provide access for people to Bruce Lee’s philosophy through education and entertainment.
Why you should listen
Shannon Lee is the CEO of Bruce Lee Family Companies and executive producer of Cinemax's Warrior, which is based on her father's writings. Lee is a singer, actor, producer, speaker, writer and mother. Her first book -- on her father's philosophy and how to use it in daily life -- will be published in 2020.
Lee also chairs the Bruce Lee Foundation, a 501c3 charity that serves young people by introducing them to martial arts, philosophy, self-discovery and harmonious living. The foundation awards scholarships for programs like Camp Bruce Lee -- a summer camp that teaches Bruce Lee's philosophy to kids ages 5-11 by engaging their mind, body and spirit. Through these different channels, Lee hopes that Bruce Lee's energy and ideas will uplift the planet and create harmony among our human family.
Shannon Lee | Speaker | TED.com