The Most Important Life Lesson From Kill Bill

Fear.

How do I know? Because we’re the same, you and me. I’ve been there, too. From being petrified of getting on stage and trying to make a crowd of complete strangers pee their pants from laughter, not writing consistently and crying “writer’s block” to abandoning a diet early because I was too hungry, felt like I was losing too much muscle or a hodgepodge of excuses I used to cover up the fact that I was too scared to get it done.

The worst part? I never admitted that I was afraid. I started to believe these excuses. To embody them. To live them.

Each time that I fooled myself into thinking I was a fearless man who simply encountered insurmountable barriers, it became easier to fall into that paradigm the next time.

After years of this vicious cycle, I painfully realized that I wasn’t living the life of my dreams. Not because of anyone else or a lack of opportunities, but because of my own doing.

It broke me. Hard.

Here is the most important advice you’ll ever hear, regardless of what you apply it to: know your real edge and sharpen it relentlessly.

Your edge is the point where you start to back off, to rationalize, to bury yourself in the minutia, to buy into whatever bullshit story soothes your fears and gives you a reason to stop short of absolutely crushing a goal, leveling up your inner badass in the process.

In Kill Bill, Hattori Hanzō was the man. When you needed Japanese steel, a weapon capable of waging a roaring rampage of bloodshed and vengeance without losing stopping power, you called Hanzō. One does not simply create a Hanzō sword, however – such a creation is forged only through consistent, methodical effort and honesty.

Here is how to create your own Hattori Hanzō life blade.

1. Describe your current edge in detail. Example: I know I could be leaner, but I’m too lazy to consistently track my food intake.

2. OWN your current edge, committing to lean slightly into the discomfort each time you encounter it. Lean too far and the resistance encountered will be too great; lean too little and there will be no growth.

“A free man is free to acknowledge his fears, without hiding them, or hiding from them. Live with your lips pressed against your fears, kissing your fears, neither pulling back nor aggressively violating them.” – David Deida

Face your fears, hone your edge and create a life worth living. Don’t sell yourself short.

If you need any help identifying or finding your edge, I’m more than happy to help. Contact me via the contact form on this site.