Let me start off by saying that this is not the type of book I usually read.
When given the choice of what book I’m going to read next, I almost always choose business or history books. However, I heard the new Will Smith book was good so I looked at a couple of reviews before I decided to read it.
What I saw in the reviews for Will by Will Smith surprised me…
One of them was a zero-star review and the reviewer said, “I hate Will now! He refused to sign an autograph for a handicapped kid!” This might have deterred some people from reading the book at all, but I’m not one to dismiss things right away without reading for myself – much less because of one bad review.
Plus, I thought, if Will Smith really admitted that in his book, this is gonna be real.
I framed it in a different way.
Framing is the way that a person views the world based on how it is presented to them. Your “frame” can be imagined as whether you’re looking at the glass as “half-empty” or “half-full”. Half-full thinking is framing things in a positive way. Half-empty means you’re framing things in a negative way.
One thing I’ve noticed about the most successful people in the world is how good they are at framing and framework. They are excellent at using frame-working to reach their goals and also “controlling the frame”. Will does a good job at this while still being very “real”.
Framing and Framework in Business
After I read the book, it really got me thinking. I thought about business, psychology, success, and the idea of “framing” and how it relates to framework practices in the business world.
“Framework” is a little bit different than framing. When you’re learning business principles, they provide you with a framework or lens through which to view scenarios. Having a strong framework is as good as having an exact blueprint that can help you better visualize and reach your goals. When you have the proper framework you can approach problems and obstacles in a more effective way.
In his book, Will talks about his framework when he mentions building walls in his life and having to start with each brick to achieve the goal. He says:
“You don’t try to build a wall. You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t say ‘I’m going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that’s ever been built.’ You don’t start there. You say ‘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.”
Biggest Takeaways from WILL by Will Smith
Without ruining the book or giving away too many “spoilers”, here are a few of my favorite topics and themes that I found interesting or resonated with me as I read ‘Will’, the memoir biography of Will Smith.
- Your own actions determine who’s “side” you are on.
This means that if you’re not doing everything you can to accomplish your goal or to work for what you want in life, you’re helping the other team. So who are you gonna help?
- Clarity of mission.
In his Memoir, he says, “Clarity of mission is a powerful cornerstone of success. Knowing what you want gives direction to your life – every word, every action, every association, can be accurately chosen and harnessed to precipitate your desired outcome. ”
You have a better chance of success if your mission is clear and every aspect of it is in alignment. To me, this parallels the business world. An overarching business strategy needs to have buy-in from every part of the company – from accounting to marketing to sales, etc.
Will and I have a similar mentality here. Every action, small our big either aligns you towards or away from a goal.
- “It’s impossible to build something that is of a higher quality than the quality of the people around you”.
This one kind of speaks for itself, doesn’t it?
Essentially what he’s saying here is that the team, group, or people you choose to surround yourself with can either make your goals easier and propel you forward or it can make your goals a lot harder to achieve.
He writes: “That is true will. To move forward in spite of anything. And to move forward in a way that brings others with you, rather than leave them behind.”
- Financial stability is imperative for love and family to have a chance.
In this part of the book, Will writes: “Witnessing my parents’ struggles branded me with the impression that financial stability was imperative for love and family to have any chance whatsoever to thrive.”
While many families do just fine to make ends meet with a lower income, we all want those we love and care about to not have to struggle. A lot of our dreams of success stem from wanting to make life better for ourselves and our families. When we aren’t struggling it gives the opportunity to thrive
- “Americans don’t understand the beauty of the American dream.”
In the book, Gabriele Muccino Director – who happens to be one of Will Smith’s friends – is mentioned to have said, “Americans don’t understand the beauty of the American dream”, and I agree. I think that we really don’t realize how great we have it in the USA. I believe if you work hard you can truly be anything you want to be. I am curious if this is what Gabriele was getting at. I thought it was even more interesting that Gabriele is not from America.
Conclusion
Whether it was perfect timing and synchronicity or just a wonderful book, I found it aligned with a lot of my thoughts on the world. I find myself agreeing with Will about a lot of things as I read the book.
What Will called “fight camp” I called “woodchopper theory”. Will talks about adding a brick – I believe in the daily improvement of our character much like a roleplaying game where you get to improve and build your character as you grow and become more experienced over time. We both believe what you are willing to endure to keep goals in alignment is a large part of accomplishing a lofty goal.
The only thing I don’t agree with?
Will, it’s ok to be that person who wants to please people and make them happy. That is the love you’re giving without expecting in return, just as you describe later in your book.
Will Smith went up a notch in my book after reading his – (even though Jada was right about the joke!)
