I used read a lot when I was a kid. As I grew up reading became less and less appealing to me, because I associated it with schoolwork. Required reading is a lot different than leisure reading.
One day, I came across a Youtube video of Will Smith reading an excerpt from his book’s manuscript to his kids. I was so touched by the video that I knew I just have to read it.
I did enjoy Will Smith’s movies, but I never closely follow him. I was quite surprised about the challenges he faced. How determined and dedicated he was to his craft.
There were a lot of great lessons in every chapter, but I’m only going to highlight the ones that stood out to me.
1. Don’t be intimidated by daunting goals. Focus on doing the baby steps correctly and eventually, you will reach your end goal.
Prologue: The Wall
Will and his brother Harry build a brick wall for their father’s workshop. It took them almost an entire year to finish. Every single day, they were laying down a brick despite the weather, holidays, schoolwork, being sick, etc. They were going to lay a brick every single day until the job was done.
Although it seems never-ending to Will and Harry, their father taught them to only worry about laying a perfect brick instead of worrying about the entire wall.
This taught them discipline and consistency. You have to just keep going even when you don’t feel like it. If it was easy, then everyone could have it their way.
So when I’m feeling down or feel like I haven’t made any progress, I get up and “lay another brick”. Taking some form of action is always better than being stagnant.
2. Only speak when it improves on silence.
Chapter 1: Fear
Will Smith’s mother was an intellect. This was a quote from her. It made me think, not because I didn’t know what it meant. I knew what it meant, but don’t really enjoy silence that much. I like to entertain and get to know others in conversations.
Those times when I get nervous and overtalk, I didn’t look sensical at all. Sometimes, I missed things because I talked too much.
3. Fantasy vs Reality
Chapter 2: Fantasy
“The bigger the fantasy you live, the more painful the inevitable collision with reality.”
Growing up as a kid who didn’t have very much, fantasy was everything to me. As I grew up, I have to learn to detach fantasy away from reality. Fantasy was so comforting because nothing can go wrong.
While reality on the other hand, wasn’t always that great. The sooner I learn to deal with reality, the better my life got.
Will being an imaginative kid just like me took a lot of comfort in fantasy as well. We both took it as a coping mechanism to deal with the chaos around us.
4. “Using your gifts to uplift others.”
Chapter 4: Power
Will’s grandma Gigi had discovered and read his rap book which was full of curse words and vulgarities. So she left him a note in the rap book telling him to use his gift to uplift others and that he doesn’t have to use this type of language to express himself.
So that’s why Will never had any curse words in any of his rap songs which dubbed him as a “soft” rapper contrasting the hardcore rappers at the time.
When it comes down to my own gifts, I definitely want to use them to drive my purpose and use them for good. But right now, I’m still unsure of my purpose.
5. “Hope is the elixir of survival during our darkest times.”
Chapter 5: Hope
Will’s hope to have a successful rap career was what drove him to forgo college and purse music full-time.
When I was at my lowest point, it was hope that kept me moving forward even when I didn’t feel like doing anything at all.
It was a small amount, but effective enough to make me want to do better for myself.
Without hope, you lose all motivation in life.
6. “C’mon, man, you get to sleep all you want when you dead.”
Chapter 7: Adventure
That’s what Charlie Mack said to Will when he’s dragging Will out of bed to go explore.
That hit really deep with me because I have always been a homebody and never liked crowds. But after a health crisis and locking myself away for a while, I realized how important it is to go outside and discover new things.
I don’t want to grow old and have regrets as to why I didn’t go out more. I wanted to be a happy old man one day, not a grumpy one.
7. “Scared money can’t make no money.”
Chapter 8: Pain
Again said by the Great Charlie Mack.
Will was playing pool against one of his friends. He had betted his expensive luxury car. With this mindset, he wasn’t crippled by double or indecision.
It’s kind of like a gamble, really. I heard this phrase in business before. You have to spend money in order to make money. There’s a chance that you’ll lose that money, but then you could gain it all back plus more.
Growing up poor, I didn’t adopt this mindset until I got into personal development and started learning about money and business.
When you don’t take chances, you’ll never know how rewarding it can be. You may lose this time, but at least you walk away knowing you tried.
9. Don’t Take Too Long to Grieve
Chapter 10: Alchemy
Will’s music career was dwindling. His tumultuous relationship had come to an end. He also lost all of his valuable possession to the IRS for not paying his taxes on time.
He flew to the other side of the country to stay out of the FBI’s hair. There, he was accompanied and comforted by an empathetic gal. After weeks of grieving his losses, she finally had enough and made him put himself out there again.
Will was defensive and resisting at first, but he eventually took the first step and tried and tried again. And he eventually got a TV series deal.
I know how it feels like to be at a very low point and get defensive when others want you to pick yourself back up. It’s almost like it’s easier to be down on our luck than to fight again.
I think it’s okay to take some time off to process things and work through things, but it’s never healthy to dwell on your downfall for too long. It’s like making a stop to hell. Why would you want to stay there? Keep moving your ass, so you can leave hell. These issues are temporary, not permanent.
10. Acting on Creative Outburst
Chapter 11: Adaptation
Will had just finished recording his next album. While he waited for his plane, he listened to a track that he didn’t have any participation in. The track awakened something in him.
For the next two hours of waiting, Will was writing his verse for the song. Instead of boarding his plane and going home, he went straight back to the studio.
Despite losing his voice, he worked with what he had. The song won a Grammy.
I get creative outbursts and some are kind of crazy. It’s been a long time since I’ve done something creative. Right now, I’m kind of in a tug-of-war with pitching my design service to Goodie Brand. I feel like it would be a rewarding experience, but at the same time, I’m on a time crunch as well.
Conclusion
I never thought I would find this many great lessons in one book. Most of them served as a reminder while a few were to me. Nevertheless, I’m going to take them and apply to my own life.
These ten lessons are not enough. So I do have a part two post of 10 additional lessons I learned from the book.
