Will Smith’s success is no accident.
One of the really big problems in our society is people’s belief that they can be anything they want, have anything they want and do anything they want — if only they believe hard enough. This type of thinking is promoted in the book “The Secret.” With all due respect to the authors and fans of “The Secret” – It’s pure nonsense. Actually, it’s worse than nonsense.
The idea that you or I can have what we want by just thinking it, is deeply harmful to ourselves, our families and our society.
Dream great dreams. Believe great believes. That’s wonderful. I am very sad for anyone who doesn’t hold wild dreams. We simply cannot soar among the stars if we don’t first dream that reaching the stars is possible.
But we won’t fly among the stars without doing the hard work of getting there. And that’s the lesson that Will Smith is teaching.
Notice how close he gets to wishful thinking. He says that thoughts and beliefs are “physical things.” He says our thoughts and beliefs have powerful physical consequences and that we can bend the universe to our liking.
That sounds like “The Secret.” But he doesn’t leave it at optimistic, powerful thinking. Will Smith is saying that our thoughts and beliefs begin moving our bodies in the direction of those thoughts and beliefs. But that’s only the beginning.
You have to dream your dreams. Then make plans based upon those dreams. Act on those plans. Work your plans with remarkable, unbelievable diligence. Work your plans with a laser-like focus.
And you will make magic will happen.