Be Water, My Friend

-How you listen often says more about you than how you respond. I used to be guilty of just filling the silence. What I've learned is how much more impactful it is to truly listen and take in what someone is telling you. 

-The response vs the reaction. My favorite lesson I've ever learned in life is from one of my all-time favorite books “Be Water, My Friend” by Shannon Lee. She talks about her father, Bruce Lee's, mindset regarding the reaction and the response. We don't get to choose how we react. That is our instinct. Our trauma, our fears, our excitement, our upbringing, our past. But our reaction is not who we are. It's just a reaction. Someone cuts you off in traffic? Maybe you blow up on instinct and shout a curse or two. But you catch yourself… you reacted. Now respond. Do you want that anger to change your day? Do you want to tailgate the guy? Do you want to BE your reaction? Whatever you decide, just make sure that you DECIDE. We can't always control our reactions, but we can always control our response. This is also a bit of my take on her and her father's incredibly insightful teachings. Highly recommend the book for much wiser insight.