The brilliance in Bruce Lee wasn’t his power but his precision.

Back in 1969, the emerging martial artist suffered a back injury so devastating that doctors told him it was unlikely he would ever walk unaided again.

Bedridden for 6-months, Bruce Lee smoked hash to numb the pain and read obsessively from his extensive library of nearly 2,000 books.

It was during his recovery that he stumbled upon the concept of a “Definite Chief Aim”, made famous by the controversial author Napoleon Hill in his mega self-help book, Think and Grow Rich.

For the unfamiliar, a Definite Chief Aim is a very specific, clearly defined purpose to one’s life.

While Bruce Lee may or may not have known it at the time, the Definite Chief Aim he wrote for himself during this trying time would change the trajectory of his life and career forever…

“

I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental superstar 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.

”

Three years after writing his Definite Chief Aim, Bruce Lee would die tragically at the age of thirty-two, just one month short of the release of “Enter The Dragon”, the film that would go on to make him a global icon.

At the time of his passing, he was the highest-paid Asian superstar in the United States with an estimated net worth of $10 million.

Bruce Lee’s most notorious martial arts move was his 6-inch punch.

Here’s a clip of Bruce Lee demonstrating the maneuver on a poor soul at an exhibition in Long Beach, California.

Not only does Bruce Lee knock the man onto his ass and into his chair, but he sends him sliding 16 feet across the floor.

I've watched the clip a dozen times and it wasn't until I took my eyes off of Bruce Lee's balled-up fist that I realized his overwhelming power came not from his arm but his entire body.

If you look closely, you'll see that Bruce Lee torques his legs, hips, torso and shoulders before leveraging the entirety of his body's power behind a single, precise point...

His fist.

Bruce Lee’s 6-inch punch was the physical embodiment of Napoleon Hill’s concept of the Definite Chief Aim.

When we can gather all of our power, will and tenacity and place it behind a single precise point, extraordinary feats can occur.

 Cole Schafer.

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