Will Smith’s 12 Words of Inspiration

Will Smith – actor, rapper, producer, successful idol…speaks on the things that have inspired his journey.

 

While I am skeptical of words of wisdom spouted by celebrities, sometimes we ought to take them seriously. For the mere fact that, they are successes and successes always has something to teach us. But again, in the case of Will Smith, I really admire the man. He has consistently walked the talk, be it his succssful journey towards stardom or his personal life (He is married to Jada-Pinkett Smith since 1997). So, it wasn’t an eye strain to hear him speak about his rules for life in this YouTube video.

 

 

Here are his 12 rules for life -

1. Greatness exists in all of us.
2. Yes, life can be easy if we let it be.
3. There is greatness in all of us.
4. Lay one brick at a time.
5. Focus on making a difference.
6. Represent an idea…represent possibilities.
7. You HAVE to BELIEVE in yourself.
8. Nothing is unrealistic.
9. Our thoughts are physical.
10. You really got to focus.
11. Attack your fears.
12. Be willing to die for the truth.

 

Of al the points, the eleventh one got ingrained the most. Attack your fears…fear is what reins in all our dreams and we should always attempt to let go of our fears.

Let me know what you think of these 12 points and which one is the most applicable to your life.

Video Credit: themindguru

Roger Federer – The Motivation is in the Challenge

 

What’s Roger Federer’s big secret? As the two gladiators fought over four hours and 77 games, to me he looked assailable at every turn.  The last game saw him finally conquer Roddick, Wimbledon and his 15th Grand Slam.

There is very little left for him to achieve, but his elation at winning gives away his raw hunger for more. So what motivates him to keep playing those sublime passing shots? What makes him get up from the bed and practice his trademark spinning slices? Even if he never wins again, he will be hailed as the ‘Greatest’. But I am sure he will.

Because winning is in his DNA. Motivation in him is self generated - remember, he doesn't have a coach. But is that alone that gives him the motivational shove…many play on just for the sake of playing…some play on to keep anonymity at bay…and some just do it for the money. I don’t think Roger Federer needs all that. Perhaps Roger himself has the answer –

“It’s a test, and that’s why I like to go over these records.”

For him it’s all a challenge. To go over the next hurdle that presents itself (Sometimes it’s called Rafael Nadal).

For him, all the achievements are like an albatross around his neck too. Because come a Grand slam…cometh the expectations. 

"It's important to face it, not say, 'Oooh, I don't want to hear about it.' Because it's there. It's reality. And I always say, 'You've got to be able to handle it."

The word CHALLENGE should be in our own lexicon too. We lesser mortals usually balk when a hurdle falls slam bang in front of us. Why don’t we say – Hey, it’s just a test. I am gonna face it and I am gonna pass it.

The words somehow can conjure up motivation. With motivation, courage is not far behind.

Like Federer who knows that defeating Rafael Nadal in a Grand Slam final is the toughest challenge. But in all the interviews I have seen and read I have always seen him keen for the contest. He might not sleep well the night before, but be sure when he exits the locker he is ready and willing.

Sports are a reflection of life after all.

Image: Lucky B

Race Against The Clock - Pursue Your Life Goals

A post on the value of urgency in time management and following our life goals.

“Whatever your passion, pursue it as though your days were numbered. Because they are.”

This was a quote I spied on a car sticker. They say that wisdom often passes us by and the car was certainly traveling. But the saying caught my eye. I don't know if the driver's passion was racing but the speed at which he was driving made it sure that, life certainly wasn't. As the car made me eat dust, I started thinking on the 'motivational' bit which had struck me. I realized I was on a 'drive' after all. Ha, Ha.

The questions came up as I started thinking about my life. What are the passions of my life? Am I pursuing them with the ambition that they demand? Will I be happy when I look back at the days gone by and think - Yes! I have done justice to my life's desires. It struck me that though it was true that I was following my passions, at least some of them, it was a tepid progress. The '...pursue it as though your days were numbered.' bit was missing. My thinking was that tomorrow is always a better day. I was not living in the moment. I was not putting my heart and soul into my ambition and goals. It was all very appropriate to put my list of goals on paper and plan them out. (The gurus of motivation would have been proud of me and my lists.) But I had to add the adrenalin to those sundry items on the list. Invest the motley with energy, verve and zap. To squeeze each second towards the achievement of my goals. It is an oft repeated quiz of motivational speakers, 'What would you do with the day if it were your last?' A day just might be too short for me. I would spend it entirely with my loved ones, my life goals can go for a toss. So, for myself, I would like to alter the time given to me to about a year maybe. A perfect unit of our life and it gives me just the right amount to accomplish a couple of my goals at least. Let me think on that. What would I like to accomplish this year, if it were my last. I know at the back of my mind that hopefully it’s not going to be, I am going to grow old to see my grandchildren poo and pee. But it is an inspirational hypothesis anyway.

If we can fill a single year with the microsm of our existence, we can maybe pinpoint our priorities much better. It clearly became apparent to me that I would at least do things with a lot more energy and vitality. So, I prepared another of my lists with the rider that I have just a year to accomplish it. I discovered the hitherto 'lifeless' bulleted items suddenly leapt out of the page with sudden encouragement. Tomorrow then, I start a new drive.

The Secret to Move Forward - The Wind for my Wings

Whether life hands you a bucket of stuff that you want to get rid off, or you are now sitting on the sidelines of life pining for something more, the riddle remains the same. How to push your self forward? How to change your present set of circumstances?
My heart and mind say,”Go!” but my feet don’t budge. My parents tell me,”This is good for you.”, but my body doesn’t move forward. Is it plain lethargy or is it something more?
It all seems so simple actually when we think about it. We want something…but we just can’t move forward with the same verve. Our wings lacks the wind so to speak.
In my opinion, their are two roadblocks we face - resistance and fear.

Resistance is the invisible force which retards out motion. We by nature expect things to go along as they are. It is our comfort zone. Imagine we are swimming in the ocean. Now, I just thought about swimming back to shore and to comfort. As I swim against the tide, the undertow would just drag me back and gradually I will get exhausted. I will probably drown in my attempts to reach the sanctuary of the shore. If I do as experts advise: swimming parallel to the shore while the currents subside, I will reach my shore.

Here lies a small secret to move forward - Don’t resist what is beyond control, focus on what is.
It is impossible I guess, to spend my energy along two directions, to struggle against what is not in my hands and in the same breath to strive for what is in my control. We expect things to be as before, we often ask as bad luck strikes,”Why me?” or “Why couldn’t things be the same as before?”. We might whine, we might cry…but then the time comes for all of to shift gears. Often we may feel that our situation is unfair, but the situation is as it is. With all my realization, I try to embrace whats good in it. Do I need to learn anything? Is their a hidden opportunity here? Can this situation strengthen me? When you cut away all the crap, you will see that every bad situation can sow the seed for something good. It might be minuscule…but so is a seedling before it transforms into a tree. The trick and the effort lies in finding that obscure ‘good’.

After identifying this ‘good’, I try to shift my horizon to what I want to I want to feel. If I am feeling bad…how do I want to feel (obviously - good!). If I am hurt…how do I start feeling upbeat? I give myself permission to dream…to wish…and to hope. What remains is just to get back on my feet, square my shoulders and follow my heart.

Their is a beautiful saying - ‘ When the tide of life surrounds you and the water upsets your boat, don’t waste your tears on what might have been…just lie on your back and float.’

The second obstacle we usually face is - Fear.

Fear of the unknown, anything outside our comfort zone. Fear of failure…fear of success and how to retain it…fear of not being loved…fear of being loved and losing it…fear of not being enough.
Fear should not be immobilising. We just have to try and change our thoughts and attitudes. In any situation, we should realize that we are only one amongst the billions. The fear we so dread, has been faced by many before us and will continue to be faced by many after. If others can overcome their fears so can I. Make a battle-cry for yourself…I do too. I have handled other things before, I will handle this one too. I will face all the problems that come my way. After I conquer this, the ghost of this fear will be gone for ever. Just as when we learnt to tumble and cycle for the first time…watched our first horror flick…killed our first cockroach…proposed to a girl…gave the first interview…or got married, we can find the courage to face any new fear.

The secret to moving on is quite simple - keep moving, one thought, one step, one day at a time.