However, it’s often overlooked just how much he accomplished in his short life. He constantly battled against racial stereotypes in developing his movie career, and his success in this area lead him to be regarded as one of the most influential martial artists of our time. He started out with huge goals in life and achieved so much that he definitely has some motivational life lessons we can learn from.
Lesson #1 – Life Purpose
You only have one life in this body so make the most of it by creating something that adds value to those around you.
Lesson #2 – Limits
You will only grow to the limits that you place on yourself (and let others place on you). To truly reach your potential you must forget limits and realize you will never reach your full potential in this lifetime.
Lesson #3 – Happiness
Allow yourself to be happy now and don’t wait until you’ve reached some arbitrary goal. However, remember that everything in life is either growing or dying, so choose which one you prefer for your life.
Lesson #4 – Self Image
You define yourself–no one else. So when you create an incredible self image for yourself you will naturally grow into your own amazing expectations.
Lesson #5 – Goals
Any goal can be reached when given enough time. So let go and just start moving in the right direction.
Lesson #6 – Learning
Always be open to the lessons around you no matter where they come from. Everything in life can teach you something if you are open to receiving the lesson.
Lesson #7 – Action
There are plenty of people in this world who know what they have to do to get what they want. The few that succeed are those who develop a character of constant and deliberate action.
Lesson #8 – Focus
There are many paths you can follow to reach your destination. However, you’ll never reach the end if you keep changing paths along the way.
Lesson #9 – Time
We all start each day with 24 hours in the bank; the difference is what we do with it.
Lesson #10 – Failure
Failure is a natural part of the learning process for anything we do. No parent has ever watched their child fall while trying to take their first steps and said, “well, I guess they’re not a walker.” So why would you do this to yourself?
Lesson #11 – Perseverance
You are always going to have problems and challenges in your life. Success in any area is simply learning how to overcome bigger and bigger challenges.
Lesson #12 – Flexibility And Adaptability
Become flexible and adaptable in your daily life and problems will roll off your shoulders. Tension is only created when results do not met our expectations or perception of how the world should be. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
Lesson #13 – Simplification
When you clear your life and mind of the unessential then amazing things start to happen. Be ruthless in asking, “does this serve my greater life purpose?”
Lesson #14 – Relationships
Let go of the behaviors and actions of others as you can never change someone else. Instead look at how you interact (and react) with others, as this is a reflection of your own beliefs.
Lesson #15 – Service
Realize that anything you want in life can be obtained by helping others get what they want.
Lesson #16 – Live In The Moment
Always focus your attention on the present moment. Your past does not determine your future–that comes from what you do in this exact moment.
What You Do Next
I hope you enjoyed these 16 motivational life lessons from Bruce Lee. However it’s important to remember that they do little unless you apply them to your life. So pick the lesson above that will create the most impact for you personally right now, post it in the comments below and then take action on it. Then when you’re ready come back for the next serving of Bruce Lee wisdom and inspiration for a life well lived.
