Now we know Will Smith as one of the most famous Hollywood actors, but once he was a simple boy from a poor family in Philadelphia. Smith himself described the story of his triumph in his autobiographical book Will. What can we learn from a simple guy who has become the highest paid actor in Hollywood. Here are some quotes from it.
The «Will Smith» you imagine — the alien-destroying rapper, famous movie actor — is, for the most part, a construct — a character carefully created and honed by me, existing so that I can protect myself. Hide from the world.
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The more fantasy you live in, the more painful the inevitable collision with reality. If you try hard to convince yourself that your marriage will always be happy and simple, then reality will disappoint you with the same force. If you imagine that money can buy happiness, then the Universe will give you a slap in the face and bring you down from heaven to earth.
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Over the years, I have learned that no one can accurately predict the future, even though everyone thinks they can. Any outside advice is, at best, one advisor’s limited view of the limitless possibilities you have. People give advice in terms of their fears, experiences, prejudices. Ultimately, they give this advice to themselves, not to you. Only you can judge all your possibilities, because you know yourself better than anyone else.
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People have conflicting attitudes towards winners. If you wallow in the shit for too long and become an outsider, for some reason you are supported. But God forbid you stay too long at the top — they will peck in such a way that it won’t seem enough.
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Change is often scary, but it is impossible to avoid it. On the contrary, impermanence is the only thing you can definitely rely on.
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I started noticing feelings everywhere. For example, in a business meeting someone would say, «It’s nothing personal…it’s just business.» And I suddenly realized — oh hell, there is no «just a business», in fact, everything is personal! Politics, religion, sports, culture, marketing, food, shopping, sex are all about feelings.
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Letting go is just as important as holding on. The word “yield” no longer meant defeat to me. It has become just as important a tool for making dreams come true. For my growth and development, defeat equaled victory.