In my conversation with Dave Campbell on his radio show last week we talked about Intentionally planning for the coming year. Each of us, through our own study and experience, had come to the very same process for accomplishing anything. It was interesting to both of us, as we interacted with the listeners who were asking questions via chat, that most people didn’t really see the depth yet simplicity of the four-step planning process, and how absolutely crucial it is to start with a very clear vision and statement of where you want to be.
No matter who you talk to or study, you will get the same answer to the question; ‘where do you start’? Different words are used with slightly different definitions, but the concept and meaning are the same. Vision, outcome, aim, mission, purpose, goal, etc. If you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know which way to go? Start with the end in mind, and the references go on and on.
I have been a martial arts enthusiast for most of my life. I have studied the subject off and on and even practiced several forms and styles of Karate and spent a little time learning a lessor known Korea style. The one man I have always studied and watched most was Bruce Lee.
His life was a fascinating and powerful one on so many levels. Not only was he one of, if not the greatest martial artist, but he was a philosopher as well. What you might not expect, and is so profound to me, was his strong belief and practical application of a concept Napoleon Hill taught about way back in 1928.
In 1969, he was 28 years old and a minor TV star in the United States having been featured in a number of shows which included, most notably, the ill-fated Green Hornet series. With his second child recently born and no financial security to speak of, the clearly determined founder of Jeet Kune Do decided to put his vision/mission down on paper calling it his, “Definite Chief Aim.” Not many people at the time even knew he had it. It read:
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. Here is a copy of the original in his own hand.
For those who may not know, he achieved most of that before his death at age 32, demonstrating the power of having such a strong aim and striving for it with all your being.
In 1928, Napoleon Hill taught on the laws of success, with #2 being “A definite chief aim.” His work was based upon interviews of over 100 American millionaires across nearly 20 years, including such self-made industrial giants as Henry Ford, J. P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Alexander Graham Bell, and Thomas Edison. The original edition featured the eponymous 16 lessons, with the updated 21st-Century Edition featuring an additional 17th lesson drawn from later notes and lecture materials.
Here is a recording of Hill teaching and talking about the principle.
At this time when New Year’s resolutions are set with the greatest of intentions, most are not realized because intentions are not visions or chief aims, and people don’t add the critical component to guarantee their successful accomplishment; Intentionality. Being Intentional starts with a vision/mission, and adds awareness of what stands in the way, a set course of action to overcome the obstacles and the dedicated commitment and actions to see it through.
Don’t let your New Year’s resolutions and best of intentions wither away this year. Be Intentional. Create a Definite Chief Aim and back it up with the intentionality necessary to ensure its successful accomplishment.
To Your Intentional Success!