On Friday April 2 I had one of the coolest experiences of my life, it was the day I met Bruce Lee.

I got to pay homage and respect to someone that has greatly influenced my life, and thousands upon thousands of others, maybe even you.

He was a great man, father, husband….

A philosopher, poet, teacher, student, martial artist.

He was one in a million and there will be no other like him.

His name was Bruce Lee, and on Friday April 2nd, I got to meet the man that has impacted so many people in such a positive way.

I wish I could have had a tea with Bruce Lee in a past life or in another time.

Bruce Lee would be one of the top people I wish I could have met,  like Arnold, Krishanumurti, and Layne Staley, (Weird list I know), Bruce Lee ranks up there at the very top of people who have influence my life in a way I could never describe or be grateful enough for.

Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential. – Bruce Lee

I can still remember seeing his striated sinewy muscle in Enter The Dragon.  That left an impact on me to this day. It was because of Bruce Lee that I entered a weight room, a dojo, and began my own pursuit of fitness & martial arts.

Bruce Lee – The Martial Artist

Bruce Lee was far ahead of his time in so many ways.  In the Martial Arts he was decades ahead of his time, only now is his broad view of combat seen take place in MMA all over the world.  Bruce Lee laid the foundation for the current growth of MMA & UFC.  Bruce was so far ahead of his time that we literally needed almost 30 years before we could catch up to his view of Martial Arts & true combat.

Everywhere now we see MMA competitions, MMA Schools, BJJ guys doing Muay Thai, Muay Thai guys doing boxing, Wrestlers doing BJJ.  No longer are there segmentation’s to the martial arts, now we have the martial arts they way they were MEANT to be, an expression of the human body and finding what works for each of us.

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. – Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee  – The Philosopher

What most people don’t realize about Bruce Lee was that he was far more than a fighter and an actor, Bruce was first and foremost a Philosopher.

Bruce Lee studied Philosophy and Drama at the University of Seattle before moving into acting and movies.  He was very well educated and self educated and he never stopped learning.

My good friend Les visiting Brandon Lee's Grave

Bruce Lee believed that any knowledge ultimately led to self-knowledge, and said that his chosen method of self-expression was martial arts.

Bruce Lee’s Impact On Me

I can’t express enough the impact Bruce Lee had on me growing up and to this day.  I remember watching his movies, the way he moved, his build, his confidence, his mannerisms, I just knew I had to know more about this guy called Bruce Lee.

I bought EVERY book I could on Bruce Lee.  This was before the days of Amazon.com or Google.  At one point I got a job in a bookstore and I was AMAZED at all the books they had on Bruce Lee on microfilm.  I never made any money working at that bookstore, every penny I made went into ordering every book I could find on Bruce Lee and every author or book that Bruce Lee mentioned, I was obsessed, and I was very happy in being obsessed.

Cease negative mental chattering. — If you think a thing is impossible, you’ll make it impossible. Pessimism blunts the tools you need to succeed. – Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee changed the world in more ways than we know.  To my friend Les for taking me to Bruce Lee’s grave, I thank you, it is something I will never forget and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life.

Thank you Bruce Lee for everything, I will see you on the other side someday.

Some Amazing Bruce Lee Sites (feel free to add more to the comments below)

One of my favourite books about Bruce Lee & his Philosophy – The Warrior Within By John Little

Bruce Lee Wiki —-> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee

Bruce Lee Wiki Quotes —> http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee

Bruce Lee Official Youtube Page —> http://www.youtube.com/user/BruceLeeOfficialPage

Bruce Lee Official Page —> www.BruceLee.com

Please leave any comments about anything Bruce Lee related below.