“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.”
Bruce Lee

Once again as a rider of the wave, I bring my insights to help those who seek true mastery. I will not make you pick up the burning pot like in Kung Fu, but beer runs are required. Keep insanity at bay or just embrace it and have fun thanks to my handy tips. Oh, I won’t call you grasshopper…but cockroach is an option.

Focus - It is important to see through to the heart of the matter.
I find myself in any given situaiton asking “what is the goal here?” This helps me avoid needless distractions. For instance if a physical confrontation comes up. If my goal will be hampered by the altercation I have to walk away (i.e. someone who can’t take a beating and will keep coming back). On the other hand if the situation is with someone who can accept a whooping and would be trouble for me if I back down then I will engage. This can be taken literally or figuratively. Even in a verbal bout one must know when it’s not worth it and when you have to stand on principle. In such times one must focus on the point and not on the emotions.

Which leads me to…

Emotion Let nothing move you…
I get into debates with some sistas over this…I contend, that my intention is not to have one avoid trying to feel. It is to avoid those feelings dictating those actions. Be they negative or positive acting on your emotion can bring about your ruination. Most people have a very difficult time stepping outside of themselves to truly examine a situation and find the appropriate action. We all have been privy to the repurcussions of moving according to negative emotion, but we tend not to think about the potential results of letting good things move you…until a situation turns bad and you really think it through.

Learn When you lose don’t lose the lesson…
Sometimes you take an L or to quote the dude from Full Metal Jacket, “It’s a shit sandwich and we all have to take a bite.” You can’t remain down about what has happened. Pick up and move on, but first identify the lesson. Every situation can be learned from. While you should try to see ahead sometimes you just don’t know enough and have to step into a situation. Experience is the best teacher, but it is the only way fools learn. Don’t be a fool.

Observation To him that watches, everything is revealed.
This tenet comes from nowhere other than hood living. Being mindful of your surroundings will save you alot of drama and get you some hook-ups. This is the reason why I have never been robbed. For instance today I was walking to Starbucks and drawing out my entry to the office. A young woman was walking towards me on a cell. She didn’t notice me until I was within reaching distance…not good. Know who’s around and more so look with out being obvious. One thing I love about wearing my shades all the time is that people don’t notice me noticing them. The only thing better than observing is not being observed as you do it. I’ve found money, found ways to sneak into places and avoided more than one bar fight 10 minutes in advance by paying attention to what’s happening. If I was a crook I would be able to take advantage of all the people I see slipping. This rule includes knowing the nature of people, if you recognize how people will react you can save alot of time and frustration by making up your mind if you should even involve them in something.

Now….

See if you can snatch the pebble from my hand…cockroach.