Bruce Lee’s Definite Chief Aim

 

I’m sure you’re familiar with Bruce Lee; the Chinese martial artist and actor superstar. Hugely successful man, great at his craft and died tragically early. But this isn’t a profile on Lee, rather a post on a concept he used.  

You may or may not be familiar with Napoleon Hill. If not, he dedicated his life to studying and writing about success principles and his most well known and indeed popular work is the famous Think & Grow Rich. One of the best and most successful ‘self-help’ books to this day nearly 80 years after being written. 

Within the book…in fact, one of the main tenets and what all else was based around was something Hill called ‘Definite Chief Aim’. This was essentially the one main focus in your life to base all else around. It would be what all the other principles in the book were based on and leading to. 

The point was – having a definite target in mind (monetary or otherwise), a date in which it would be achieved and what you will give in order to receive it. You would then refer to it often, ie daily (preferably morning and night), read it, say it aloud and feel yourself being in possession of the given end. Along with creating a clear plan for its attainment would then stack the odds in your favour to achieving it. At least it would take you closer then without it anyway. 

The theory and practice is based on sound principles that we won’t go into here. But it appears our old friend Bruce Lee was a reader of this book and took action upon it. He also did fairly well for himself by all accounts. 

Apparently (according to a more recent publication of the book, in the endnotes) this was found on a wall in a Planet Hollywood restaurant, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Here it is: 

Transcript: 

"I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will have in my possession $10,000,000. I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness."
Bruce Lee, 1969

As you can see this was written in 1969, after which things took off for him and he achieved his desires. Not only did he become the most famous – and richest – martial arts movie star, his success on screen spawned a worldwide industry of martial arts schools, tournaments and motion pictures. 

He died in 1973, aged 32, apparently from an adverse brain reaction to a medication. 

Time magazine once wrote of him: 

 “With nothing but his hands, feet and a lot of attitude, he turned the little guy into a tough guy” 

 What do you think? 

And remember – be water, my friend :)

~ Adam