WILL SMITH: SECRETS TO SUCCESS
I mean, I've always loved Will Smith but I've got even more time for his words of wisdom. I listened to a few of his videos on how he has manifested the life he has, pretty inspiring! Anyway, here's a few of his tips on the art of success.
1. Greatness is a matter of choice – not a godlike feature for only the “special people” among us. This is a vision shared by Jim Collins in the book “Good to Great”.
2. Believe to achieve. The first step to success is believing. “He who who says he can and he who says he can’t are both usually right” – Confucius.
3. Talent is Overrated. It’s important to separate the perception of talent and skill. Talent is natural and skill is developed. Talent will fail you if you’re not skilled and becoming better every day. This one’s covered in the book Talent is Overrated and I wrote about it earlier in You’re not Talented and Why it Doesn’t Matter.
4. Don’t over complicate things. We often use complexity for excusing ourselves from trying. Don’t set out to build a castle; set out to lay a brick as perfectly as it can be placed. The castle will be built in the process.
5. Where you are doesn’t matter; it’s about where you’re going. Thinking about your past or where you’ve come from as an indicator of your future is detrimental to reaching where you want to go.
6. Focus on making a difference. If you are not making someone else’s life better, you’re wasting your time and will loose motivation over time.
7. Nothing is unrealistic. Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity. It’s unrealistic to flip a light switch and lights comes on. It’s unrealistic to bend a piece of metal and fly people over the ocean in that metal. Luckily the Wright Brothers and Benjamin Franklin didn’t think so. Thinking realistically hinders innovation and growth.
8. Our thoughts are physical in the universe. The universe is not a thing that will push us around. We are going to bend the universe to be what we want it to be. Decide intently who you’re going to be and the rest will get out of the way.
9. Protect your dream. Don’t let others decide your fate by telling you what you can or cannot do. Setting limitations on yourself or by others is a self fulfilling prophecy if you believe them.