Will Smith Motivational Video

One of the more popular viral videos currently making its rounds is a video compilation of Academy Award winning actor, Will Smith and his pearls of wisdom.

After posting it on my facebook page, one of my friends posed an interesting question. She asked if Will’s philosophy about not having a Plan B in life contradicted with my philosophy about accepting the best and worst case scenario.

In the video, Will says, “There’s no reason to have a Plan B because it distracts you from Plan A.” This comment, at first glance seems to contradict my philosophy in life that you should accept both the worst case scenario and best case scenario in life. Once you have, then you have the freedom to choose whichever one you want (assuming that a reasonably intelligent person would then choose the best case scenario).

In the video, Will also says that he attributes his success in life to his “ridiculous, sickening work ethic.” In fact, he says, “I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, but if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things: Your getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple.”

Here’s how I interpret this: His “worst case scenario” is dying while going for what he believes in in life. I think by and large, most people would have to say dying is up there in the “worst case scenario” category. Will says he doesn’t have a Plan B, but perhaps his Plan B is death — a plan that he’s perfectly willing to embrace if Plan A doesn’t come to fruition. And because he’s willing to accept that plan, he no longer needs to focus on it. Remember, the whole point of accepting the best and worst case scenario is so you can focus on the one you want without being distracted by all the fears of what you don’t want. Sounds to me that’s what Will has done in his philosophy.

Remember, in the world of motivational speaking, there’s nothing new. Every motivational speaker, be they full time, part time, or even an Academy Award winning actor, are all saying the exact same thing. We are all just rehashing the original motivational works from the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, the Bhagavad Gita, The Vedas, and the i Ching. It’s the motivators job to say their message in a form that makes sense to them, it’s the motivatees job to keep searching for a motivator that speaks their same language. If my message of best and worst case scenario doesn’t appeal to you as much as Will Smith’s theory of dying on the treadmill, it’s not a problem and visa versa. The important thing is that you make a decision for what you want in life, and move confidently in that direction.

Admittedly, this was a very brief, and incomplete description of my philosophy. If you are interested in learning more about it, you can visit my main website and look into a DVD product called, Winning the Mental Game of Life. It’s explained in much more detail there. http://www.thementalgameoflife.com/

About these ads