“Whatever the human mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
——Napoleon Hill
In 1993, a handwritten page sold at auction for $29,000.
It was not signed by the president. This is not a historical document.
This is the personal goal that Bruce Lee wrote to himself in 1969 using the same method as in 1937.
Four years after writing this book, he was world famous.
The paper itself has been resold for $55,000, displayed in Planet Hollywood restaurants from Las Vegas to Times Square, and copied thousands of times.
Why would someone sacrifice so much for someone else’s personal goals?
Because it proves that the method works.
focus
- A clear major goal is a written statement of your main life goals that you read aloud twice a day
- Formula: State exactly what you want, when and what you will give in return
- Bruce Lee used this method in 1969 and it became world famous in 1973
- Power comes from repeating it every day until your subconscious mind believes it has happened
- Need specific dates and amounts – vague goals won’t work
Summary of methods to clarify main goals
The clear primary goal method requires you to write a clear statement that contains your primary life goals, including a specific dollar amount and date, and the value you will provide in return.
Then, you read this sentence out loud every morning and night until it sinks into your subconscious.
It’s not just goal setting.
This is daily mental programming through repeated written commitments.
What is the clear main goal?
A clear primary goal is a written statement of your main life goals.
Napoleon Hill introduced this in Think and Grow Rich (1937), instructing readers:
- Write exactly what you want
- Explain when you will achieve it
- Declare what you will give in return
- Read it aloud twice a day until it becomes part of your subconscious
Hill first introduced the explicit primary goal approach in his 1937 book. (Get this book on Amazon)
exact formula
Instructions from Hill’s book:
- Write down your goals in clear, specific terms
- include specific dates
- Describe what service or value you will provide in return
- Sign and date
- Read aloud every morning and evening
- Keep doing this until you are completely convinced
real example
Bruce Lee’s clear primary goal (January 1969)
Write it on a piece of paper and mark “secret” in red:
“I, Bruce Lee, will become the first highest-paid Eastern superstar in the United States. In return, I will give my most exciting performances and present my best qualities as an actor. Starting in 1970, I will be world-famous, and from then until the end of 1980, I will have $10,000,000. I will live my life the way I want and be happy.
result: 1973 Worldwide Famous. This handwritten note sold at auction in 1993 for $29,000.
How to write it yourself
template: “I (your name) will achieve (specific achievement) by (specific date). In return, I will (what value/service you will provide). I will (other specific goals with dates). I will (quality of life goals).”
Modern Example (Sales Professionals): “I (name) will become my company’s top enterprise sales representative on December 31, 2025. In return, I will provide exceptional value to each customer, solve their real business problems and become their trusted advisor. Beginning in January 2025, I will close $2 million in new business per quarter and by the end of 2026, I will have earned $500,000.
Modern example (entrepreneur): “I (name) will build and sell a SaaS company for $10M by December 2028. In return, I will create software that can truly save the business 10+ operational hours per week. Starting now, I will validate this idea with 100 customer interviews by March 2025 and $1M ARR by March 2026.
Clear primary goals for daily practice
Hill emphasizes that this is not just goal setting, but day-to-day planning:
morning: Read your clear main goals aloud before starting your day night: Read it again before going to bed key: Keep going until you truly believe it has happened
Hill writes: “Repeat it in audible words day after day until the vibrations of these sounds reach your subconscious mind.”
Why Clear Primary Goals Work
- Specificity forces clarity – You can’t achieve vague goals
- exchange principle – Stating what you will give in return creates commitment
- Repeat daily – Transform goals from conscious desires to subconscious beliefs
- written commitment – Make it authentic and reviewable
How often to create a new clear primary goal
Hill’s original approach viewed this as long term living documentsnot an annual goal. Take a look at the time frame:
Bruce Lee example:
- Date of publication: January 1969
- Timeline: 11-Year Vision (1970-1980)
- Time of fame: 1973 (4 years)
- Date of death: 1973 (before completing the complete timeline)
Recommended method:
Your first: Start with a 3-5 year vision. This is long enough to be meaningful but short enough to feel achievable.
When to write new ones:
- when you achieve your main goal
- When your life circumstances change dramatically
- When goals no longer represent your true desires
- Not every January 1st (this is not an annual resolution)
Keep the old one: Bruce Lee sold it for $29,000 because it showed that the method worked. Your previously clear primary goals become evidence of your growth and accomplishments.
warn: Don’t confuse this with quarterly goals or annual plans. This is one of your big life goals for the next few years. Changing it every few months means you don’t have time to work through daily repetition.
Hill emphasizes: Continue reading the same article every day until you achieve it, or until it no longer represents your clear primary goal in life.
Common mistakes to avoid when achieving clear primary goals
- Too vague (“I want to succeed”)
- No specific date (“someday”)
- Missed Exchange (“What will you give in return?”)
- Write once and archive
- Not reading aloud every day
Quick Start Instructions
- take a piece of paper
- Write “My clear primary goal” at the top
- Use the template above
- Be specific about the amount, date and what you will deliver
- Sign and date
- Read aloud twice a day
- Keep it secret (Bruce labels his “secret”)
A history of identifying key objectives
In 1937, Hill charged $20 for a complete course in this method—the equivalent of $379 in today’s dollars. However, the core method is in his book, which sells for $2.50 (equivalent to $47 today).
Mike Stone introduced this method to Bruce Lee after he was rejected by Steve McQueen in Hollywood. Lee was also reading Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale, but he was actually implementing Hill’s “identify primary objectives” approach.
This method has been used since 1937. You can find copies of Bruce Lee’s actual letters in the Planet Hollywood restaurant, and replicas sell for thousands of dollars at auction – not because of the paper, but because of the proof of the method.
The power is not in the paper. This is the daily practice of programming the subconscious mind through the repetition of specific written commitments.
final thoughts
Napoleon Hill published this method in 1937, and the full course cost $379 (in today’s dollars). However, the core technology only takes one page to complete. Bruce Lee implemented this method in 1969 – with just a piece of handwritten paper – selling for up to $55,000 at auction.
The value is not in the paper, not even in the words. This is in daily practice. Most people only write down their goals once and then file them away. This method requires you to face your commitment twice a day and say it out loud until you fully believe in it.
Your clear primary goal is waiting to be written. One page. Specific date. The amount is clear. What will you give in return. Then read it every morning and every night.
This method has been in effect since 1937. It worked for Bruce Lee too. It can work for you.
But only if you write it. And only if you read it every day.
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Bruce Lee’s clear primary goal letter
The Great Obsession: Jim Rohn on the Power of Purpose
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