Cast your mind back 44 years and the release of “Enter the Dragon’ starring Bruce Lee. It brought martial arts films into the global arena and popularised Lee’s specific form of unarmed Kung Fu films. Lee’s films made in Hong Kong, like “Fist of Fury” and “Way of the Dragon” attracted Hollywood’s attention and they realised that there was an audience for this kind of movie. As Paul Bowman, one of Bruce Lee’s biographers wrote: “A whole ‘Bruce Lee generation’ grew up in the wake of this transformation: the Tarantinos, the Wu Tang Clans, untold numbers of kids, choreographers, athletes, artists, cinematographers, and more, whose inspiration continues to be Bruce Lee.” I’d add entrepreneurs like myself to the list, who found in Bruce Lee a business and life mentor as much as an entertainer.
There is so much more to Bruce Lee’s legacy than a few films. Although his life was sadly brief, he had huge goals and he achieved them. He challenged racial stereotypes, took martial arts mainstream and had a movie career, but he also provided a series of inspirational quotes, which I’d encourage any business entrepreneur to stick in a prominent place and refer to them daily.
I interpret this as – make the most of your life by creating value to those around you.
Placing limits on what you can do will keep you trapped. Don’t put them on yourself, and don’t let others do it either. To realise your full potential you must ignore the idea of limitations and keep breaking through any self-imposed barriers.
You must define yourself. When you create a strong and amazing self-image, then you’ll grow into your own expectations.
He also said: “As you think, so you shall become.” This echoes what he says above, but puts it in a more succinct way. Know you have a ‘very best’ in you, believe it and you’ll become it.
I love this one because it’s so valuable in business. It is good to set goals, but never think that they are the end destination; they are just milestones on your journey. They keep you moving in the right direction, which is why making a plan with targets to meet is motivating.
In other words, don’t sit around thinking and dreaming about what you’re going to do; take some action, any action, no matter how small, to make what’s in your head become a ‘thing’ in the world.
This is just a small selection from Bruce Lee’s inspirational approach to life and I recommend you find out more about his philosophy for living and apply it to your business and personal life.
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