17 Business Lessons from a Conversation with Jackie Chan

A Conversation with Jackie Chan at TIFF 2012

We are back for the 4th year in a row to the Toronto International Film Festival, baby. Oh time, why dost thou fly? I still remember the 2009 TIFF films like it was just a week ago! This year’s highlight so far was A Conversation with Jackie Chan. I was engrossed in how much he shared and how much I learned about running a business and being the best person I can be.

It was the natural, uninhibited way he connected with the audience that stunned me, not to mention how well he was doing this despite his challenge with fluency of the language. I went in, expecting to enjoy a fun 90-minute interview, with a few laughs and a lot of good stories. I got all that alright and then some. I felt glued to the wisdom Jackie was dispensing through all that laughter and fun.

I wonder if I am the only one who took away the real wisdom he shared on creating your life’s work, running your own business, being who you are and staying true to your essence.

He was real, genuine, sincere, and vulnerable; his stardom did not once give off the air of self-importance or disconnectedness from reality. Now that is quite a feat when you are as AWESOME as Jackie Chan!

What Jackie Chan Taught Me About Business and Life

So in this post, I have brought to you the sheer brilliance of what Jackie Chan openly and lovingly shared with us. These quotes are paraphrased at best from what Jackie shared during TIFF 2012 at the Princess of Wales Theatre on Sept 9th, 2012.

Read, study, digest, and if they resonate with you, apply them to your own business and life, and avoid making these mistakes. I certainly plan to do just that.

#1 The Jackie Chan quote:
In talking to his son:
“If you’re capable, then you don’t need any of my money. If you’re not capable, you’ll squander all my money.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Make your own money. Stop expecting someone else to fund your life and your dreams.

#2 The Jackie Chan quote:
” ‘That’s not me, I can’t do that’ I would say to directors who wanted to portray me as a superhero with a hot girl.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Dare to be yourself, even if it means saying no to the hip, cool, hot thing that everyone wants you to do. If it means compromising WHO YOU ARE, then forget it.

#3 The Jackie Chan quote:
“I wanted to stand out so I started to do everything the opposite of Bruce Lee.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Create your own brand, wrapped in your own original voice, enveloping the essence of who you are and not who someone wants you to be or who you think you should be. Be yourself and be totally at peace with it!

#4 The Jackie Chan quote:
“What you see in the movies, that’s really me, the real life me. Funny, happy-go-lucky, broken English. That’s me.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Even as an actor, you can keep the essence of who you are while doing your job and you can stay true to what resonates with you. Don’t be so quick to become a copycat in this life. Your true self is far more interesting.

#5 The Jackie Chan quote:
On how charity impacted him even if he was not interested in it earlier.
“Charity changed my life. You don’t have to do anything big. Just do small. Very small. Do what you can. Start to impact one person.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Giving can be a powerful way to change the world, and you need only impact on a small scale to bring change about. Quantity is a myth. Focus on what you can do and just do it.

#6 The Jackie Chan quote:
“I make my movies now (not just) for China or Hong Kong or America, but for the whole world to watch.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Think big and globally of what you offer, think about the whole world as your oyster. What do you have to give them? Are you proud of it? Do you want them to see it?

#7 The Jackie Chan quote:
“I loved the old way of making film. One camera. One angle. No stunt. No doubles. Many many shots for each scene and real real hard work. Movies today: easy! So easy!”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Don’t be so quick to judge the old way of doing something as archaic or useless. Learn from what came before in your industry or line of work. It prepares you better for what lies ahead.

#8 The Jackie Chan quote:
“I decided I had to choose a destiny, get real good at something. What do I want to do?”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Go through your life consciously, with clear intention and purpose. Don’t be rocked back and forth with the waves. Swim in the direction of your desires. Ask yourself what you want to be your destiny to be and then go out there and create it.

#9 The Jackie Chan quote:
“I want to make films that have great but CLEAN humor and films that have no violence. I want the movies to be so that I can show them to my own children.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
What do you want your work to say about you? And what are the standards that you are not willing to compromise in order to achieve it?

#10 The Jackie Chan quote:
“Learn how to do a little bit of everything – you don’t need to become a pro at it but you need to know your business well. I know how to be a director, actor, producer, stunt man, camera man, lighting guy, you name it …”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Know your business and all aspects of it well – really, really well, if you want to stand above others. Dust off all doubts and be confident. Understand how things work, know what you need, constantly be teaching and educating yourself about your business.

#11 The Jackie Chan quote:
“At the beginning, I was nobody, I followed Bruce Lee and a large film crew, I was at the very back, but I watched the directors and what they were doing, I wanted to be the best stunt man, I wanted to do a better job than everyone else. And I did, and it worked.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Whatever your current job or task, do it so well that they can’t ignore you. Take pride in it even if it’s the lowest job in the business or industry in which you want to excel, do it with excellence. You’ll get noticed alright!

#12 The Jackie Chan quote:
“Everyone watches the film but when the premiere comes out, I am watching the audience and their reaction. In a drama, for example, you don’t want the audience to move in their seat – you want them staring at the screen. In an action movie, you want them to move with energy in and around their seats.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Make sure to listen to your market, your readers, your fans, and your potential clients. What do they really want? What is their reaction to what you offer them now? What can you do to make them watch you and want you like fans do Jackie Chan?

#13 The Jackie Chan quote:
“It took us 3 months to shoot a 6-minute clip once!”
The Business and Life Lesson:
That finished product you just bought may look easy to you but more hours and sweat went into it than you can imagine. So don’t look at someone else’s work and think to yourself, “Oh, I could do that myself!”, without first knowing exactly what goes into creating great stuff.

#14 The Jackie Chan quote:
“I may be old but I’m still fast!”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Stop letting age get in the way of your dreams. You can have the time of your life with your passions at any age, if you simply commit, decide and do.

#15 The Jackie Chan quote:
“I don’t think of myself as a big deal or a hot shot.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Being humble after meeting massive success along the way has got to be one of the greatest achievements of all. Stay humble. Don’t let the fluff of self-importance get into your head, no matter how wildly successful your business gets.

#16 The Jackie Chan quote:
“I never wanted to be Bruce Lee. There’s only ONE Bruce Lee, no second Bruce Lee. I just wanted to be Jackie Chan, I wanted to be me.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
Please understand what it means to be you, and not a copycat of someone you like or admire. Learn what it is that they do and then go do it even better in your own original and authentic way. Accept that the best version of you beats the second-rate version of anyone else, so just be the best you.

#17 The Jackie Chan quote:
“I want my legacy to be so that in 100 years, people still watch my films. Still laugh and still enjoy my films.”
The Business and Life Lesson:
What will your legacy be long after you are gone? What will you leave behind that will stand the test of time and stay relevant years into the future?

Your Thoughts on Business Lessons from Jackie Chan?

So did you enjoy these thoughts and golden nuggets from Jackie Chan? Might you wish to share something about it on the comments section below? Let’s talk about what matters when you are creating your life’s work and legacy!

If you want to learn more about creating the life and business that is ideal for who you are and more importantly, whom you wish to become, hop on the list below, and I’ll inspire you to no end until you get there.