I don’t know how to explain it, but for some reason, I have this overwhelming feeling, almost knowing, that something powerful is about to happen in my life…
It’s not something dark or foreboding. That, I know for sure. It’s just something… that I feel is going to change everything… a strange feeling…
So I climbed my mountain today in hopes of having more revelations. Instead of running it like I did in the past, I decided to just relax and walk to the top this time. There were a lot of people walking today and on my way up I realized something. It doesn’t matter if you run or you walk, as long as you keep going and don’t give up, you’ll get to the top. I thought it was interesting how there were lots of people walking, but not everybody got to the top. It was just WALKING!!! I guess not everyone has the patience. I say this because it’s quite synonymous with anything in life. Doesn’t matter how good or bad you are, don’t give up and you’ll eventually succeed.
Another weird moment I had was when I got to the top of the mountain, it was super foggy which I had never seen before. Being at the top I couldn’t see anything. I used to look above the city and the entire bay, thinking that physically rising above everything would move me to rise up above everything else in my life. However, being lost in the clouds it moved me in a different way. After rising above everything you can see, what’s left? Rise up above everything that you can’t.
I came to this realization a week ago while watching Tokyo Drift (go fig. haha.) For the past year I’ve felt like something was missing from my dance. Something that I used to have that was lost. I’ve been on many soul searching journeys since then; traveled everywhere and spoken with lots of people. In the end I realized (just as in most movies) the answers were inside myself all along. That it was my way of thinking that had made me feel lost.
I realize now, at least for myself, that dance is a means of setting myself free. It’s not something that will ever bind me down with money, fame, or power. It’s the love of it that let’s me fly.
Blew my mind. This clip speaks for itself.
Looking at the title, I feel truer words were never spoken. Just saw gorgeous starring Jackie Chan the other day and was pretty blown away when the girl in the movie tells him that he lost because he looked so grouchy, and that he should stick with smiling. It made me think about my dancing and locking especially.
So many people are serious nowadays, which, don’t get me wrong, I think can be awesome. Sometimes though, I think that if we’re too serious, we sometimes might forget to enjoy what we do. ESPECIALLY when it comes to locking I think.
Locking’s my favorite dance because all I have to do is smile and be happy when I do it. I’ve noticed that I’ve done the crazzzzziest rounds when I’m happiest and smiling. To all you dancers out there, especially lockers, please keep smiling! haha
When we’re young, we’re taught to dream of unlimited possibilities and opportunities. That we can do what we want and become anything we want, but as we grow up, we learn of the opportunities out there to make lots of money and have a stable life. I think that’s great for those that dream of that, but sometimes because of these lessons, we forget about our dreams for a while or what we can fully accomplish. We start to get caught up in material things and stability. Then there are those that never stop dreaming, but at the same time, never take reality into account.
Much like Bruce Lee talking about unnatural naturalness, or natural unnaturalness, I feel there needs to be a balance between the two. There’s a quote I’ve heard that goes “Those that say it shouldn’t be done shouldn’t interrupt the ones doing it.” The only person who can decide if you can accomplish something or not is YOU. No one else. It’s alright to dream of doing impossible things. Don’t ever stop believing in your dreams no matter how impossible they may seem. But don’t get so caught up in dreaming that you forget what’s currently around you.
I think one needs to also take into account with what they can do with what they have at the moment. With what they can currently do. This is where I feel that those practical things we learned growing up come in handy. To use the wisdom passed down to us to keep us going, but at the same time, not get caught up in being completely practictal. After all, just like someone said, “Who wants to go on a boring adventure?” Is it still an adventure if you already know everything that’s going to happen at the end?
Those who only dream will never live their dreams, and those that only stay in reality will never live, PERIOD. This is something I’ve realized (at least for myself) in what it means when people talk about living their dreams, in turning those impossibilities, into a reality.
Having a few conversations today with some friends of mine got me thinking; about how people want to be something, but don’t really want to be it. Take dancing for example: everyone wants to dance and be famous, but few are willing to accept the responsibility and hard work that goes along with it.
Most just want to be good enough to travel or be known. I feel that the greatness in someone doesn’t come from other people, it doesn’t come from the outside. It starts from within. Without a strong heart, it would be easy for someone to fall off their path. This brings me back to being strong in mind, body, and soul thing I mentioned before.
If it were that easy to be a legend, nobody would be one. That’s what makes the great people who they are. They stick with the things they love through thick and thin, the good and the bad, and in the end, they become that much stronger and wiser. Where any average person would quit, they’re the ones who keep going.
I say if you want to become great, you better be willing to take the bad with the good. Great power, great responsibility, you know the deal.
So I was talking with a friend of mine today; trying to get him to look at the happier things in his life when I stumbled across an idea. I was trying to explain that if he just focused on what he loved, he could find his way again if he was feeling lost. Then I realized that if you could find yourself through focusing on things you loved, that would mean that focusing on hate would cause you to lose yourself right? So what’s the lesson here? If all you ever focus on is what you love, then you never lose yourself. (In theory anyway. haha)
-John
I remember my mentor/teacher Ceech taught me this and it’s also something that I’ve heard in a movie: “The people that you surround yourself with define who you are.”
I could go along with this. If you’re always around outgoing people, chances are that they’ll influence you into becoming an outgoing person. I think it also works backwards. Meaning that if you’re a shy person coming into a group full of outgoing people, they’re all going to get a little bit more shy whether they know it or not. What you gotta do is bring something for them to benefit by. Maybe you’re not as outgoing as they are, but maybe, just MAYBE, you might be the one to fire everyone up again.
So what I’m saying is if you don’t know where to go next in your life, BUT you know people who’s footsteps you want to follow in. I say go and hang out with those people; learn to think the way they think! Going by that formula, if you surround yourself with legendary dancers, you should one day become one yourself!
However, it’s a double edged sword. It’s not just what they can offer for you, but what you can offer for them. They may offer you the ways to reach being a legend, but you also need to give them a reason to keep you around! haha. For me personally, I believe that with a new generation comes hope. The hope that the greatness that was achieved in the past wasn’t in vain. That it was done to inspire a new generation to not only reach that level, but to surpass it as well. So I ask this question to all of you. The legends of the past we know can turn you into a legend of a future, but what can you offer them? Do you have the fire to fuel their hope?
-John
Ever since high school, I’ve always been into Bruce Lee’s philosophies. When I wanted change in my life and didn’t know how to bring it about, his teachings helped me find a direction, even though I couldn’t understand half of it (I don’t think I was smart/wise enough yet. haha) Anyway, I saw his interview which I will link down at the bottom for anyone interested and it inspired me again like crazy! Even though they were the same words, I think the guy I am now can appreciate and understand them much more than the boy I was ten years ago.
“Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.”
Seeing this brought up a lot of memories of battles where I thought I had won, but it had gone to my opponent. I used to (and still) tell myself that I had to train harder so that whether or not I won would never again be an issue. However, I did learn one thing, and it’s exactly what the quote above says. When skills are close in a battle, the one who wants it more sometimes shines the most, blinding the judges from seeing what they need to see.
For me, I relate being a great dancer to having a balance in three main aspects of life. You have to be strong in mind, body, and soul. From a competitive stand point, if you can show that you are strongest in terms of technique/dance, strategy, AND heart compared to others, I’d say you’ve got a good chance of rocking the entire competition.
There’s a billion things I could go on about, but I’ll leave it at this one thing and crap load of tangents I went on. haha.
-John
P.S. Btw, here’s the link to the first of a three part interview:
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