“Boards don’t hit back.”
Accompanied by a wagging finger and evident disdain, Bruce Lee’s classic line from Enter the Dragon is as prescient today as it was when originally uttered before his celluloid tangle with a showboating opponent.
The admonition was not mere gamesmanship, but a sweeping indictment of traditional martial arts indoctrination. Grounded in, and to Lee’s way of thinking, chained by, rigid adherence to the unique forms and training patterns of a given fighting system, styles long defined fighters. Karate, Kung (Gung) Fu, Jujutsu, Judo … the fighter himself was almost an afterthought. Lee would contend that a fighter who blindly clung to any one discipline would never be complete. Rather than evaluating personal weaknesses through true competition and honest assessment, the limited fighter keeps breaking boards and practicing the same forms, secure in the knowledge that his system is unassailably the system.
Bruce goes on to beat up the bad guys rather convincingly, and there is much rejoicing. His concept of Jeet Kun Do (literally translated as “way of the intercepting fist”) would shortly thereafter explode upon the world. At its core, the philosophy is simple. No way is the way. Take what works and discard what does not. It sounds self evident in our results oriented world, but who doesn’t get bogged down in his or her own version of truth? In how many facets of our lives do we feel pretty well squared away, with no need to seek alternative methods and new knowledge?
In 1993, I was a college kid transfixed by an event that would spawn a cultural phenomenon. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, exposed the world to a scrawny Brazilian by the name of Royce Gracie. Fighting opponents who outweighed him by over a hundred muscular pounds in some instances, Gracie demonstrated a seemingly invincible fighting style called Brazilian Jiujitsu. A punching and kicking kind of nation, we were shocked to see this submission fighter convince his menacing foes to essentially cry uncle by tapping out due to joint locks and chokes that left us both confused and intrigued.
Red blooded Americans turned out in droves to learn this new unbeatable style, me included. Eventually, though, the fight game caught on. Whereas Gracie fought a Savat fighter, a boxer and a shootfighter in that inaugural event, the later cards would see the combatants morph into a new breed of killer. Current participants in this most grueling of sports are no longer one dimensional robots. There are no more puncher versus grappler or judoka versus muay thai matchups. These guys today train in everything. American wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, sambo, BJJ, muay thai, you name it. They are true martial artists.
Somewhere, Bruce is smiling.
So as I sit here, discontent with the contentment that invades certain aspects of my life from time to time, I remember the importance of gloving up and throwing down in the quest for personal truth. I do not know everything there is to know about selling houses. Through trial and error, I have learned what works for me, but there are always new ideas to incorporate and old gimmicks to abandon. Something that all who endeavor to sell a house, a car, an encyclopedia or a soul should bear in mind when signing up for the formulaic series of tapes or the hour of power seminar circuit designed to turn you into the bully of your market’s pulpit: It’s a start, but you must find your own way. And for God's sake, as you subject yourself to the harsh lessons of experience during the endeavor for greatness, remember to keep your hands up and your chin tucked.
Boards don’t hit back, but reality does.
Paul Slaybaugh, Realty Executives
Choking out the competition since 1999
;)
;)
Bruce would be very proud.
When I was considering our profession, I spent time as an assistant and transaction coordinator before jumping in. Why? Because I wanted to make sure I would not have to turn into a sales robot to succeed in this field. This field had to suit me, who I am, and how I connect to people. Otherwise, I would not be happy and putting any amount of time into becoming an agent would be wasted.
I've learned what works for me and have adapted to work my own strengths to approach negotiations in a more powerful way. No one way suits all situations. Being open to learning different ways to utilize my own resources as well as being willing to try new things has been the key to any forward movement for me. Like a good punch or a well targeted kick, it has to come from a solid center. From there, I am free to reach my target in the way I choose.