The Power of Will

I was doing some research on line, and as it always happens, my Adult ADD kicks in and I'm distracted by other shiny things.

This specific instance, I was looking for success stories of celebrities that have come from adversity or hardship, but overcame it to become what they are today.  I like to add stories to my motivational sessions with the teens and pre-teens.

Will Smith kept getting in my way.  Articles, movie trailers, YouTube videos... and off I went.  But this time, I don't think it was a mistake.  It may have been just what I was looking for.

The Power of Will- 

Success Tips from actor, rapper, entrepreneur Will Smith

Will Smith was born into a middle-class family in Philadelphia.  He speaks highly of his family and refers to them regularly as he explains his success in life and his career.

He has enjoyed success in the music, television and film industries and became a millionaire by the time he was 18.  He had a bit of a run in with the IRS when he over spent and ended up $2.8 million in debt because of back taxes.  He was close to bankruptcy when his debut television show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air put him back on top.

He has since gone on to conquer the big screen starring in major block busters such as Independence Day, Men In Black (trilogy), Hitch, Hancock, Ali, The Pursuit of Happiness and many others.

With four Grammy's, two nominations for Golden Globes, and two nominations for Academy Awards,  and a basketball team, this is a man worth listening to.  So here is what I came up with after watching hours and hours of videos and reading countless other articles.

1. Set Goals. "If you don't have a goal; if you don't have a purpose; if you don't have a place that you're going; something you want to accomplish; something you want to do, you can really get lost in the murk of the journey."

2. Greatness is something that exists in all of us.  "I know who I am, and what I believe and that's all I need to know.  It's that simple.  From there, you do what you need to do."

3.Give back. Make your life have meaning by giving back to others.  "You have a responsibility to make every group you come in contact with, better."  "If you are not making someone else's life better, then you are wasting your time.  Your life will become better by making other lives better."

4.Believe in yourself.  "If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will."

5. Believe in your ideas.  "You have to believe that things CAN be different than what they are at this moment."

6. There are no shortcuts to success.  'You have to start with that first brick and you lay it as perfectly as you can.  And then the next one and the next one.  And eventually, you have built a wall."

7. Put your ideas out into the universe.  "If we dream something; if we picture something and we commit ourselves to it, it has a physical thrust towards realization that we can put into the universe.  The universe is not a thing that's going to push us around.  We are going to demand that the universe become what we want it to be."

8.  Don't be realistic.  "Being realistic is the most common road to mediocrity." Being realistic is basically setting a cap before you've even gotten started.  "It is unrealistic to be able to walk into a room and flip a switch and all the lights come on.  Thank goodness Thomas Edison didn't think so!"

9.  It doesn't matter where you are today.  Always work toward your goals. Your past doesn't matter because you've already lived it.  "Where you came from almost didn't matter because we were becoming something greater."

10.  Face your fears.  Fears lead to doubt and inaction and will prevent you from achieving your goals..  "Don't ever let anyone tell you  you can't do something."

11.  Focus.  "You need to focus.  You have to start and focus your energy on each step of the process."  "There is no reason to have a Plan B, because it distracts from Plan A."

12. Don't give up. Don't quit.  "Greatness lives on the edge of destruction.  You are here and people look to you because in the face of destruction, you pounded on your chest and put your arms up and said, 'I'm still standin'!  Bring it!'"

13.  You need both talent and skill.   Talent is something you're born with and skill is the practice of perfecting it.  "There's no easy way around it.  No matter how talented you are, your talent is going to fail you if you're not skilled.  If you don't study, if you don't work really hard and dedicate yourself to being better every single day, you'll never be able to communicate with your artistry the way you want."

14. A little marriage advice.  Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have been married for over 16 years and in addition to their "Marriage Business Plan" that spells out the direction they want their marriage and family to go, and regularly scheduled family meetings, Will also says the secret to a happy marriage is,  "Do what she say."

And there you have it.  Fourteen little nuggets of wisdom to take with you and use in your everyday life!

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