Meet Bruce Lee, personal growth guru

By

Robert Pagliarini

(Getty Images)

(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY A list of the best personal development gurus of all time would have to include Dale Carnegie, Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins and Bruce Lee. The last name is not a typo. The late film star, who died in 1973, is of course known for his martial arts films and for creating a fighting style called Jeet Kune Do. But if you study his philosophy, he was also a deep thinker and knew what was required to become successful.

Let's look at a few of his quotes to see how they can help you live a better, fuller, richer life.

Achieve your biggest goals

"If you always put limit[s] on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there -- you must go beyond them."

If you talk to any extreme endurance athlete, they will tell you emphatically that the key to success lies in their mind, not their bodies. Their bodies will succumb to the pain if and only if their minds allow it to. They will condition their minds as much as their bodies because they know if they allow a single thought of doubt or weakness, the game is over. In what areas in your life do you feel stuck? What can you do right now that will help you push forward?

Secret to getting anything you want in life

"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done."

The most successful people are often not the smartest, because when you are "smart" you of course need to calculate, analyze and ponder before embarking on a new goal or tackling a project. Those of us who aren't Mensa members don't feel compelled to cogitate quite so hard, so we just get started. Lee's principle is more true today than when he said it. We have access to so much more information than ever before, yet we now seem to need turn-by-turn navigation for everything in our life or we feel naked. We couldn't possibly just start, could we?

"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities."

We are experiencing a deficit of personal responsibility. There will always be 1,000 reasons why you can't do something, why it's not your fault and why you should blame others for your situation. That's easy. Three-year-old children have already mastered this. The greatest gift you can give yourself is to fully accept responsibility in every area of your life.

Unhappy in your relationship? You can continue to blame your partner, but 20 years will pass and you'll still be unhappy and you'll still be blaming her. Finances in shambles? You can blame politicians, the economy, and Wall Street bankers, but doing so will never help you improve your money situation. That's the funny thing about blame and responsibility. Who to blame is a whole lot less important than what must be done to resolve the problem -- and that requires you taking full responsibility.

How to invest your time and energy for maximum success

"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus."

Think about the most successful people you know personally. Is there anything special about them? Probably not. What makes them unique is that they invested time, energy and focus in a particular area. Find your niche and specialize. Use your other eight hours to become the best in the world in that area. You can be average at 99 percent of your job, but if you excel at the right 1 percent you will be a superstar and will never have to worry about job security.

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."

Invest your time and energy into a narrow niche. Don't be all things to all people -- that is a prescription for mediocrity. What's the one area you can master? This is where you should start your 10,000 "kicks."

Bruce Lee -- martial artist, actor, personal growth master. His philosophy is timeless, as is his approach to creating a better life. For him, there was only one direction -- forward. Another quote of his: "Be happy, but never satisfied." Well said, Bruce.

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O profesoara din New York s-a hotarat sa-i onoreze pe toti absolventii liceului, spunandu-le insemnatatea pe care a avut-o fiecare dintre ei. Ea l-a chemat pe fiecare elev in fata clasei, pe rand. Intai, i-a spus fiecaruia ce insemnatate a avut pentru ea si pentru clasa. Apoi i-a dat fiecaruia o panglica albastra, imprimata cu litere aurii, pe care scria "Cine sunt eu conteaza (face diferenta)!" Dupa aceea, profesoara a decis sa realizeze un proiect al clasei, sa vada ce impact ar avea recunoasterea asupra unei comunitati. I-a dat fiecarui student inca trei panglici si i-a instruit sa mearga si sa continue aceasta ceremonie. Apoi trebuie ca ei sa urmareasca rezultatele, pentru a vedea cine a cinstit pe cine si sa comunice clasei peste o saptamana rezultatele. Unul dintre baietii din clasa s-a dus la un director junior dintr-o companie din apropiere si l-a "premiat" pentru ca l-a ajutat cu planificarea carierei. I-a dat o panglica si i-a pus-o pe camasa. Apoi i-a mai dat doua panglici si i-a spus: "Facem un proiect de clasa pe tema recunoasterii meritelor si ne-ar placea sa mergeti sa gasiti pe cineva pe care sa-l apreciati si sa-i dati o panglica albastra." Mai tarzu in acea zi, directorul junior s-a dus la seful lui, care avea reputatia de a fi un tip morocanos. I-a spus ca il admira cu-adevarat pentru ca e un geniu creativ. Seful a parut foarte surprins. Directorul junior l-a intrebat daca ar accepta in dar panglica albastra si daca ii permite sa i-o puna in piept. Seful lui a zis: "Ei bine, sigur." Directorul junior a luat o panglica albastra si a pus-o chiar pe sacoul sefului sau, deasupra inimii. Apoi a intrebat, oferindu-i ultima panglica: "Vreti sa luati aceasta panglica si sa o dati altcuiva in semn de apreciere?" "Adolescentul care mi-a dat-o are un proiect la scoala si vrem sa ducem mai departe aceasta ceremonie a panglicilor albastre, sa vedem cum afecteaza ea oamenii." In acea seara, seful a venit acasa si s-a asezat impreuna cu fiul sau de 14 ani. A spus: "Cel mai incredibil lucru mi s-a intamplat astazi." "Eram in biroul meu si unul dintre angajatii mei a intrat si mi-a zis ca ma admira si mi-a dat o panglica albastra pentru ca sunt un geniu creativ." "Imagineaza-ti! El crede ca sunt un geniu creativ! Apoi mi-a pus in piept o panglica albastra pe care scrie "Cine sunt eu conteaza (face diferenta)!" "Mi-a dat o alta panglica si mi-a cerut sa gasesc pe altcineva pe care il apreciez. In timp ce ma intorceam acasa, am inceput sa ma gandesc pe cine as putea aprecia si oferi aceasta panglica si m-am gandit la tine. Vreau sa te apreciez pe tine." "Zilele mele sunt confuze si cand vin acasa nu prea iti dau atentie. Tip la tine pentru ca nu iei note suficient de bune la scoala si pentru dormitorul tau dezordonat." "Cumva, in seara asta, am vrut doar sa ma asez aici si, ei bie, doar sa te fac sa stii ca tu chiar contezi pentru mine." "Alaturi de mama ta, tu esti cea mai importanta persoana din viata mea. Esti un pusti minunat si te iubesc!" Emotionat, baiatul a izbucnit in hohote de plans si nu se mai putea opri. Intregul corp ii tremura. S-a uitat la tatal sau si i-a zis printre lacrimi: "Tata, asta-seara, mai devreme, stateam in camera mea si am scris o scrisoare pentru tine si mama, explicandu-va de ce a trebuit sa imi iau viata si va rugam sa ma iertati." "Aveam de gand sa ma sinucid in noaptea asta, dupa ce voi veti fi adormit. Chiar am crezut ca nu iti pasa deloc, de nimic." "Scrisoarea e sus. Nu cred ca voi mai avea nevoie de ea." Tatal sau a urcat in camera baiatului si a gasit o scrisoare sincera plina de suferinta si durere. Seful s-a intors la lucru un om schimbat. Nu mai era un morocanos si s-a asigurat ca toti angajatii lui afla ca intr-adevar conteaza (fac diferenta). Directorul junior a ajutat multi alti oameni in planificarea carierei, unul fiind fiul sefului sau, si nu a uitat sa le spuna ca fac diferenta in viata lui. In plus, tanarul si colegii sai de clasa au invatat o lectie valoroasa: "Cine esti CHIAR conteaza (face diferenta)." Te rog sa nu uiti ca te consider o persoana importanta pentru mine, altfel nu ai fi primit acest mesaj in primul rand. Cine esti chiar conteaza (face diferenta) si am vrut sa stii asta. Iti predau panglica albastra. Sa ai o zi minunata si sa stii ca cineva s-a gandit la tine astazi! Iar tanarul si colegii sai au invatat o lectie valoroasa: "Cine esti conteaza (face diferenta)!"

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