Will Smith’s two keys to life & how they apply to freelancers
What else can we learn from the Fresh Prince of Bel Aire? What can that guy in the funny outfits on Nick at Night teach us about life and freelancing? Apparently, a lot. Will Smith has been a source of inspiration for me from as far back as I can remember and today we’re going to give you two more reasons why he’s full of sound advice that as a freelancer you should be taking full advantage of.
This isn’t the first time we’ve featured Will Smith here on Guerrilla Freelancing; you can view the 5 things freelancers can learn from Will Smith article here. There’s a reason that we featured him before and are touching on his thoughts and ideas again – the man is a genius.
Below is a video that shows Will Smith giving a speech at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, telling the kids in the crowd that there are two kids to life, running & reading. As a freelancer, we can learn from these two keys to life and apply each to our own freelance businesses.
Running
In the above video Will Smith talks about the fear in your head trying to tell you to stop and quit when you’re starting to feel the pain of running. Pushing past this voice will help you in all areas of life, including your freelance career. As a freelancer I am sure you’ve felt the tug to just throw in the towel and grab a ‘regular job’, however if you can push past this feeling, you’ll get further as a freelancer than you’ve ever been.
There are a couple of great benefits from running that can help your freelance business.
- Health Benefits – You’re going to feel pain when running but the overall effects of running will be more stamina throughout the day, less need for caffeine and your health as a whole will be better. This means you’ll live longer and be able to freelance longer. You could also take that potential client out on a run or wall climbing (if they’re into that type of stuff) and you won’t look like a lazy bum.
- Brainstorming & mental health – Besides the obvious self esteem boost that running – and running further than you have the previous time – gives you, you’ll also be able to clear your mind and free it of the clutter and excess. I find that after I go on a run I’m much more eager to get in front of the computer and work, mind map ideas & write.
Reading
In the above video, you will also hear Will Smith talk about the second key to life – reading. Again, I don’t doubt this for a second because I’ve seen first hand that reading can be the stepping stone to success in your freelancing. Every successful person in the history of the world will have at least one note about their infatuation with books and learning.
There’s a reason for that – reading will build your skill level and knowledge of various subjects so much that it’ll positively effect your business and life in general. The more you read, the more you know & the more you know, the more you can do. And we all know that what you DO is what grows your freelance business.
Reading can be done through blogs like Guerrilla Freelancing (thanks for reading, by the way), Freelance Folder, Zen Habits, Smart Passive Income, etc. It can also be done through books like Bootstrapping Your Business, The Four Hour Workweek, Trust Agents, etc. Biographies of successful people, magazines & newspapers can also be useful reading.
Inspiration can strike anywhere, so make sure your mind is always open for it.
What are your keys to life?
Do you have any keys to life that you follow? It could be for your personal life or your freelance business life – they’re all important. Go ahead and drop a comment and let the world know what you think the keys to life are 
