#14 Joy and Laughter
Bruce Lee, was an extremely joyous person who loved to laugh. It’s an often overlooked part of his personality but he loved to joke and play around, and make other people laugh. He also thought of happiness as a synonym for well-being.
Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce’s wife, tells us about Bruce’s humor and how much she laughed during their years together. Bruce was also quite a prankster on set and with friends, and he loved a good pun.
His playful character also created a fun-loving energy in his home. Brandon Lee, Bruce’s son and Shannon’s brother, seemed to have inherited his father’s jokester personality. Shannon shares how Brandon would pull pranks and how their family was filled with a sense of play, lightness, joy, and laughter. For Shannon, laughter is an integral part of who she is and she considers laughter the best medicine.
Bruce Lee distinguished “being happy” with “happiness.” Being happy was just about passing moments while achieving happiness over a lifetime involved being productive towards ones goals, being kind to other people, being grateful for what you have, having a social conscience, surmounting obstacles, and making progress in your life. Happiness was action-oriented for Bruce.
He also used humor while teaching martial arts and in his writing and acting projects. Laughter and joy were integral parts of Bruce Lee’s philosophy of living and well-being.
Take action:
Try to incorporate more laughter and joy “medicine" into your life. Seek light and playful moments that make you smile or creates laughter between people. If you have someone in your life who brings you joy and laughter, let them know you appreciate them. Once a week, try to give the next person you meet a big, warm smile. Bring some joy into the room and see how the energy changes for everyone.
We’d love to hear about your experiences with taking action, please reach out via hello@brucelee.com or via social media @BruceLee.
#AAHA
(Awesome Asians and Hapas)
This week’s #AAHA shout-out goes to Jeanette Lee aka “The Black Widow”, a world class billiards player. She was ranked as the #1 Women’s Billiards player in the 90’s and took home the gold for the US at the 2001 World Games. She has been featured on ESPN and in numerous other sports magazines. Not only is Jeanette a world champion pool player she is an author, public speaker, and philanthropist. She has served as the National Spokesperson for the Scoliosis Association for almost two decades. Keep on killin’ it Jeanette!
#BruceLeeMoment
Our #BruceLeeMoment this week comes from Ricky St Claire, and he writes:
Hi ladies, I love the podcast! I’ve been craving something positive and uplifting to listen to and this has touched the spot. It goes without saying Bruce Lee has transcended everything he touched. He was so ahead of his time and paved the way for so many people in so many genres.
My own Bruce Lee Moment was inspired by the narrative in the movie Dragon, where your father was warned not to teach the “gweilo” (the foreigners.) I was in an apparently failed relationship with another religious background that I was warned by everyone I shouldn’t get back with, as Bruce was warned not to teach. Long story short, I defied what I was told by everyone and got back with her and proposed to her. Ten years on and we are still strong and we have two amazing daughters. Watching Jason as Bruce come back from injury, defy the odds, and do everything he did in the movie, inspired me not to be afraid to fight for what I want. Keep inspiring!
Regards, Ricky St Claire
Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at hello@brucelee.com.
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