will's wisdom

i love living too.  i do.  but am i at his level? i'm not quite sure.  i've seen this video about a good 15 times.  maybe more.  and every single time, i get something different out of it.  this man is just full of wisdom and it's usually all the stuff we already know but like he says in the very beginning... we like to complicate things.  we like to believe that things can't really be that easy.  and why can't they, again?  who is to say we can't make things happen for ourselves? i believe we can.  greatness exists in all of us.   we just need to believe in it, and in ourselves.  he goes on to talk about the difference between talent and skill. now this, this is something that i found really interesting.  there is no shortcuts to success. talent you have naturally, it is something that we are born with while the skill is something that is developed by hours and hours of hard work and dedication on that particular craft. people like to confuse the two, huh?   something to think about, no?

"you don't try to build a wall- you don't set out to build a wall...i'm gonna lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid and you do that every single day and soon you have a wall." - he said this after his dad tore down a brick wall and asked will and his brother, 12 and 9, respectively, to rebuild it.  lay one brick at a time. with anything, that is what we need to do, take it one step at a time to get to the end result.  we need to focus on conquering the baby steps so that, in the end, we can accomplish the overall picture.  

one thing i really appreciated in this video that he spoke about is focus on making a difference.  i think that is really important, what he said, "if you are not making someone else's life better, you are wasting your time. your life will become better, by making other lives better." ultimately, that is what it comes down to.  helping others, helps you in the long run.  i mean, i am all about that.  i always try to help others in any which way i can and if others can do the same in their daily life, believe me- it'll make a huge difference. there is no reason to have a plan 'B' because it distracts you from plan 'A'. -he could not have said it better. and it's true. why have a plan b when you know in your heart that you are destined to do what you have set yourself to do?  you have to believe in yourself and go and get it.  that simple.  he speaks about a 'delusional' quality that successful people should posses...you have to believe that something different will happen than what has already happened in the past.  and it will happen.  i know something different will happen for me.  i believe i posses that quality.  and you should too. 

"being realistic is the most common road to mediocrity." why be realistic? 

we have the ability to make a choice in our lives. if we dream something, think something, we are sending it to the universe. our thoughts are physical. we need to just decide what we are going to do, how we are going to do it and just commit to it and really focus on it, and the universe will get out of your way. THATS IT. 

to reach to the success that mr. willie smith has reached, he spoke about focus.  not just any focus. but real focus.  obsessive focus.  and that reminded me of a conversation that i had with a friend in miami right before i moved to ny.  he told me that all of my decisions ultimately had to reflect my end goal.  EVERY daily decision. and i must admit, now.. all the decisions and choices i make now, i think of my end goal.  i am focused. more than ever.  it is that desperate, obsessive focus.  and the motivation, is the fear.  smith says "i hate being scared to do something." so what does he do? anytime he got scared or feared something, he conquered it.  now, for me- my motivation. is my fear. my fears are failing. not succeeding.  obviously, there are more but for right now, those are the top ones that keep me going.  i have so much passion and drive for this that i am going no where until i succeed.  people can keep telling me that i won't make it or that i'm too fat but obvi they are probably looking at the wrong picture or they woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day. ;) either way, this chick isn't giving up because mr. smith finishes the video by saying protect your dream - and whether people like it or not, this is mine, and im gonna get it. sooner, rather than later. because it is that easy. & will said so. :) 

"I've been driven all my life by a spirit of adventure and a criminal level of optimism. I believed in my dreams because they were my only option. The people who make it to the top - whether they're musicians, or great chefs, or corporate honchos - are addicted to their calling. You have to honor the gift God has given you. The people who get the call are the ones who'd be doing whatever it is they love, even if they weren't being paid." 

 - Quincy Jones