What Do You See?
“Never assume that because a man has no eyes that he cannot see.” (Master Po)
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Growing up, I enjoyed watching the TV classic, “Kung Fu”, starring David Carradine. One of my favorite characters in that TV series was Master Po, played by Keye Luke. Master Po was a blind monk who possessed extraordinary talents not only as a Master of Kung Fu, but also as a philosopher and mentor.
One of my favorite moments between Master Po and the young Kwai Chang Caine was their first meeting. Kwai Chang noted Master Po was blind and commented, “Of all things, living in Darkness must be the worst.” Master Po smiled, then challenged Kwai Chang to strike him with a broom, only to be repeatedly thrown to the ground.
Master Po then shared his first of many life lessons with young Kwai Chang Caine:
“Never assume that because a man has no eyes that he cannot see.”
Master Po instructed his young pupil to close his eyes and asked what he could hear. Kwai Chang replied he could hear the rustling of the water and the singing of the birds. He then asked him if he could hear the beating of his own heart, to which he replied he could not.
The next question gets to the heart of this week’s teaching.
Master Po asked young Kwai Chang if he could hear the grasshopper at his feet. The young student looked to the ground to see a grasshopper rubbing his legs together before flying away. Kwai Chang asked, “Old man, how is it that you hear these things?”
Master Po’s timeless reply, “Young man, how is it that you do not?”
For those of you who, like me, are fans of the TV series, this is how Kwai Chang Caine earned his nickname “Grasshopper” from Master Po. Throughout the series, Master Po taught his young apprentice to see what others could not see, and that leads into today’s lesson.
For the next few moments, allow me to be your Master Po.
What do you see?
More importantly, what do you not see that you should be seeing?
I’ve been re-reading Napoleon Hill’s 1928 original, “The Laws of Success.” In this exhaustive treatise (1170 pages), he spends a significant amount of time on the subject of thinking. A few years later, his best-selling “Think & Grow Rich” continued this thought process, taking it to an entirely new level.
Hill builds, in part, upon the teachings of Socrates, Solomon, and other philosophers throughout history, reminding us that everything that exists first existed as a thought. His Success philosophy was built upon the premise that our thoughts and beliefs shape our reality. Hill believed that by developing a winning mindset, we could overcome self-doubt, conquer our fears, and unlock our full potential.
One of his more famous quotes states, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” I believe this is a true statement, and if you study successful men and women throughout history, you’ll find they too believed this to be true, and brought them success.
The first character quality of becoming a Black Belt Leader in Life is Belief. In my book, “Black Belt Leadership 101”, I devote an entire chapter to this topic. Without Belief, you cannot successfully implement the other nine qualities of becoming a Black Belt Leader.
Why?
Because you cannot achieve what you do not believe.
Yet how many of us go through life not clearly understanding what we believe and why?
We cannot become world-class Masters of Who We Are and What We Do if we don’t know what we believe, and why we believe that way. Without that inward conviction that this is who we are, what we’ve been called to do, and why we’ve been called to do so, we cannot lead ourselves, much less accomplish anything worthwhile in life.
What do you see?
More importantly, what do you not see that you should be seeing?
You’ll hear me say often, “As you think, you become.” Our thoughts shape our beliefs. Our beliefs drive our behaviors. Our behaviors dictate our actions. Our actions determine our outcomes in life. Unless and until we learn to think for a change, we simply walk mindlessly through life, accepting what it wants to give us.
This is NOT how Black Belt Leaders achieve success.
Napoleon Hill spent a lot of time discussing what he called “Your Chief Definite Aim” in life. He’s referring to your primary goal, outcome, or objective in life. I call it your “One Thing.”
By focusing intently on your goal, outcome, or objective, visualizing it in your mind’s eye, and holding onto that image, you can (and will) achieve it in the future. Stephen Covey, in his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, refers to this as “Starting with the End in Mind.”
Visualization is an essential element of mastering the Martial Arts. You’ve got to be able to see your assailant when you’re training, otherwise you’re simply going through the motions. If you wait until you’re 100% confident of what your opponent is going to do next, it’s too late. He or she already has the advantage in the fight.
Before you achieve IT (whatever IT means to you), you first have to see it. You have to believe IT is achievable. You have to believe that you CAN say, do, or accomplish this.
It starts as a Thought.
Many of us go through life wishing, hoping, or praying for this or that. But a wish without a plan is only a dream. Dreams don’t come true without a plan, and the action steps behind it, to bring that vision into its physical representation in the earth.
Think about it this way.
Everything that has ever been created or accomplished began with a thought. To achieve great things, you’ve got to start by thinking great thoughts.
How do you get there?
You can’t outperform your thinking. So, if you’re thinking small, you’re living a small life. If you’re thinking thoughts of scarcity and lack, that will become your reality. To achieve a better quality of life, you’ve got to uplevel the quality of your thinking.
As you think, you become.
Thinking is seeing with your Mind’s Eye.
It’s having a clear, concise vision of what you want to say, do, or become. If you don’t see it clearly, your vision lacks definition. You can’t reproduce what you don’t see, so it is important at the onset you create a clear, concise vision of your future.
When you look with your Mind’s eye, what do you see?
More importantly, what do you not see that you should be seeing?
Remember, your subconscious mind is nonverbal. It sees in pictures. Your subconscious mind never sleeps. One of its primary responsibilities is to tirelessly work to bring to life the image that is set before it.
When your Mind’s eye sees your vision for the future, what does it see?
Success or failure.
Scarcity or abundance.
Sickness or health.
Wealth or poverty.
This is what it is going to work tirelessly to create.
As you think, you become.
Alexander the Great envisioned the conquest of the known world. Thomas Edison envisioned the incandescent light bulb. Madame Curie envisioned the X-ray machine. Gene Roddenberry envisioned Star Trek. Bill Gates envisioned the Windows Operating System. Steve Jobs envisioned the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Mark Zuckerberg envisioned Facebook. Jamie Kern Lima envisioned IT Cosmetics.
What they achieved they first saw in their Mind’s eye.
As they thought, they became.
As you think, you become.
Let’s return to the Kung Fu TV Series and Master Po’s conversation with young Kwai Chang Caine.
Master Po instructed his young pupil to close his eyes and asked what he could hear. Kwai Chang replied he could hear the rustling of the water and the singing of the birds. He then asked him if he could hear the beating of his own heart, to which he replied he could not.
Master Po asked young Kwai Chang if he could hear the grasshopper at his feet. The young student looked to the ground to see a grasshopper rubbing his legs together before flying away. Kwai Chang asked, “Old man, how is it that you hear these things?”
Master Po’s timeless reply, “Young man, how is it that you do not?”
Let me ask you the same question.
What do you see?
More importantly, what do you not see that you should be seeing?