Bruce Lee is a cultural icon, known the world over for his martial arts and film legacy.

He was also a deeply philosophical thinker.

He learned at an early age that martial arts are more than just an exercise in physical discipline.

They’re an apt metaphor for living a fully realized life.

He died at 32. His daughter, Shannon Lee, has kept his work alive ever since. Her book https://www.amazon.com.au/Be-Water-My-Friend-Teachings/dp/1846046661/ref=asc_df_1846046661?mcid=005d022480b23e7d9bfc6bc949f26229&tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=712257507054&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10581588382545896961&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9069241&hvtargid=pla-923133563492&psc=1&hvocijid=10581588382545896961-1846046661-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1

 is where I’d point you first if you want to read more.

For me, his most enduring lesson is this. 

Be water.

Empty your mind. Be formless. Shapeless. Water poured into a cup becomes the cup. Water poured into a teapot becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. And when they tried to contain your essence, they realized the laws of science. Water can never be stored in a cardboard box.

Be water, my friend.

Now, the four sentences he taught.

I came across a video of Bruce Lee saying these four lines, and they’ve been with me all week. 

Read them slowly.

1) Thank you. For the breath I was given today, the problems I survived, and the lessons that came disguised as pain.

2) I release it. Every worry, every failure, everything I cannot control. I let it go.

3) I am being prepared. What I’m going through is not punishment. It is process. I trust what I cannot yet see.

4) Tomorrow, I rise renewed. My body heals. My mind resets. I wake up closer to the person I was created to be.

I’ve been saying these four lines every night this week. The shift has been real. By a few nights in, I was sleeping deeper. By the end of the week, I was waking up softer and meeting the morning with more openness.